Bought a Super Dexta, some technical questions
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2016 7:38 pm
I recently purchased a Super Dexta and am in the process of running it through the shop as time allows. It will be used for moving stuff around the yard, tedding hay, and maybe running an auger if it has enough ponies.
I've changed the engine oil + filter, fuel filter, air filter oil, gear oil, fuel pump oil, and rear end oil so far. On the to do list are; set the valve lash, change the hydraulic filter, clean the oil pickup, un-seize the hydraulic selector knob, add a hydraulic outlet, and update to a modern style manifold heater. After I complete this list I feel comfortable putting it to work. Would you agree? Or am I missing anything? There are other minor issues that will be fixed as time allows.
So for my technical questions:
How much oil should reach the rockers? When I remove the oil filler cap on the valve cover I can not see any oil flowing. I do see evidence of oil and small puddles, but nothing flowing, not at any RPM. I fitted an oil pressure gauge today and it reads 58psi at idle cold with fresh 15w40. That seems a tad on the high side. Perhaps its just the slightly thicker oil, or perhaps something is clogged and no oil is reaching the rockers? The engine quieted down considerably after an oil change. That's somewhat normal, but I can't help but wonder if its because the rockers finally got lots of oil. I can see the oil pressure drop by 20 psi on a regular interval. It seems it drops about 5x a second at idle (once every camshaft revolution) so maybe the rockers just receive a squirt of oil every cam revolution? Or is there a continuous sprayer? I plan to set the valve lash sometime soon, and that will give me an opportunity to run the engine without the valve cover to get a good look at the oiling system. Hopefully someone can tell me what to look for.
I need a single acting hydraulic outlet to fold the hay tedder and raise the auger. Simple enough to add. What's stopping me from using regular hydraulic oil (hy-guard or similar) in the rear end? I do not want to mix hydraulic oils between tractors as there will be cross contamination when swapping implements between tractors. Also, I have hyguard in bulk. I have other pieces of equipment that recommend the use of either 15w40 or hyguard in the hydraulic system, so I feel the change from the specified 20/30 to hy-guard isn't completely unreasonable. Is there any problem using the thinner hydraulic oil in an older tractor like this? Is anyone doing it? The lift is currently working well. I tried moving my snowblower and was able to pick it successfully. If the blower was 50 pounds heavier it would have just raised the front wheels of the tractor.
The drain plug on the Simms fuel pump is stripped. What's the easiest repair? Its leaking now, and I'm afraid the plug may fall out and not be noticed. I think I'm just going to remove the plug and silicone the hole shut for now. Maybe I can heli-coil the hole and add a drain valve (valve instead of plug) so that there is no chance of stripping the soft aluminum in the future. Does anyone have any other ideas for fixing this?
I would like a front hitch for parking hay wagons and gravity boxes. From what I've seen online, most people have a bumper style hitch that mounts to the front axle. Are these bumpers pretty much a universal fit? Can I keep an eye out in my local classifieds for a fergy/8n/whatever bumper or do I need a dexta specific bumper? Same kind of question for ROPS. If I see a set of ROPS for an 8n or something, would it bolt right on? Are the mounting holes all pretty much the same for these tractors?
I've changed the engine oil + filter, fuel filter, air filter oil, gear oil, fuel pump oil, and rear end oil so far. On the to do list are; set the valve lash, change the hydraulic filter, clean the oil pickup, un-seize the hydraulic selector knob, add a hydraulic outlet, and update to a modern style manifold heater. After I complete this list I feel comfortable putting it to work. Would you agree? Or am I missing anything? There are other minor issues that will be fixed as time allows.
So for my technical questions:
How much oil should reach the rockers? When I remove the oil filler cap on the valve cover I can not see any oil flowing. I do see evidence of oil and small puddles, but nothing flowing, not at any RPM. I fitted an oil pressure gauge today and it reads 58psi at idle cold with fresh 15w40. That seems a tad on the high side. Perhaps its just the slightly thicker oil, or perhaps something is clogged and no oil is reaching the rockers? The engine quieted down considerably after an oil change. That's somewhat normal, but I can't help but wonder if its because the rockers finally got lots of oil. I can see the oil pressure drop by 20 psi on a regular interval. It seems it drops about 5x a second at idle (once every camshaft revolution) so maybe the rockers just receive a squirt of oil every cam revolution? Or is there a continuous sprayer? I plan to set the valve lash sometime soon, and that will give me an opportunity to run the engine without the valve cover to get a good look at the oiling system. Hopefully someone can tell me what to look for.
I need a single acting hydraulic outlet to fold the hay tedder and raise the auger. Simple enough to add. What's stopping me from using regular hydraulic oil (hy-guard or similar) in the rear end? I do not want to mix hydraulic oils between tractors as there will be cross contamination when swapping implements between tractors. Also, I have hyguard in bulk. I have other pieces of equipment that recommend the use of either 15w40 or hyguard in the hydraulic system, so I feel the change from the specified 20/30 to hy-guard isn't completely unreasonable. Is there any problem using the thinner hydraulic oil in an older tractor like this? Is anyone doing it? The lift is currently working well. I tried moving my snowblower and was able to pick it successfully. If the blower was 50 pounds heavier it would have just raised the front wheels of the tractor.
The drain plug on the Simms fuel pump is stripped. What's the easiest repair? Its leaking now, and I'm afraid the plug may fall out and not be noticed. I think I'm just going to remove the plug and silicone the hole shut for now. Maybe I can heli-coil the hole and add a drain valve (valve instead of plug) so that there is no chance of stripping the soft aluminum in the future. Does anyone have any other ideas for fixing this?
I would like a front hitch for parking hay wagons and gravity boxes. From what I've seen online, most people have a bumper style hitch that mounts to the front axle. Are these bumpers pretty much a universal fit? Can I keep an eye out in my local classifieds for a fergy/8n/whatever bumper or do I need a dexta specific bumper? Same kind of question for ROPS. If I see a set of ROPS for an 8n or something, would it bolt right on? Are the mounting holes all pretty much the same for these tractors?