Oil Pressure

[poppyteal]

Hi

Used my Fordson Major for the first time in anger yesterday. 2 hours of reasonably hard flailing. I notice the oil pressure was indicating very low after warming up. Is this normal. The engine starts lovely and runs great so all seems ok. Is this normal?
I have only had the tractor a few weeks and am new to this...

Any input would be much appreciated.

Kind Regards
Martin, suffolk england.

[fenhayman]

Martin, I've known Majors run for years with low oil pressure. It's an indication of a worn engine.
I would change the oil and filter if it hasn't been done and then carry on flailing.

[poppyteal]

Thanks for the reply FH.

I would have thought it would be hard to start the engine if it was worn like most diesels, is this not the case?

Martin.

[AdrianNPMajor]

I agree with fenhayman. Depending on the model, your tractor is at least fifty years old and maybe even sixty years old. You're not looking for one defective element here - the likelihood is that your engine is now tired. Here's the good news. Your tractor is not just some bygone curiosity. The belt pulley attachment (an optional extra) points to an era that is gone by. But the pto shaft sticking out of the back of the tractor means that you own a machine that is also part of the present. With a bit of refurbishment, she'll do most jobs a modern 40-50HP tractor will do, and do them well.

Your engine in its present state will go on for a long, long while. But if you are ever tempted to find out what she's truly capable of, an engine rebuild is the way to go. The members of this site possess a wealth of knowledge which means you wouldn't be alone if you decided to have a go. They helped me to know what I know now, and that was a big part of the fun!

Best

Adrian

[poppyteal]

Cheers Adrian

Thanks for the reply...

[Roadless63]

When you say low, how low? I think a good engine should run at around 40psi hot (I have a genuine ford recon unit that was stored since the 60's which runs at 40psi all day long) On the other hand I have several which run at around 15 - 20 psi hot and have given no problems. I say this but with one exception, I made the mistake of using some modern 10w40 oil that I had to hand last year in a couple of "older" majors I use and by the second week of mowing/baling the oil pressure light started flickering at part revs when hot and the second gave up the ghost in the autumn, can't be coincedence since all the others run straight 30 as a rule. Hooking a gauge up confirmed the worst and I pulled the engine before any permanent damage was caused since the engine was original to the tractor and it was a fairly original machine. In years gone by you would just put in another engine as they were pretty much 10-a-penny. Nowadays the supply of good used engines is not what it was so rebuild is often necessary. Chances are the work you are putting it to will not harm it but I recommedn using a basic sae30 oil or even a straight 40 may help with the pressure if its really low. If it starts knocking then thats the time to stop before crank gets totally ruined (which it may already have been) or worse a rod ends up through the block!

[poppyteal]

Hi Roadless, thanks for reply

Started engines cold today after working it on Saturday. Has a pressure gauge indicating around 20 psi. When finished working on Saturday gauge appeared to read 0 psi. Engine starts and runs well with good power, seems fine. Only had the tractor a few weeks and don't want to spoil. Should I do filter oil change and source some 30 oil??

[Roadless63]

Worth a try, one of my supers had this symptom last summer you might find once the temperatures get warmer (if summer arrives) and you give it any serious work that you get a knocking in the bottom end. With oil pressure off the bottom of the clock its only a matter of time since under any kind of load the vital moving parts wont be getting the lubrication they need. Don't be fooled by an otherwise healthy looking engine, nearly any major will start instantly no matter the condition, also bear in mind it could have had new rings/liners at some point in the past but no work done on bottom end, in a way this actually puts more stress on the bottom end and can lead to bottom end wear, low oil pressure etc
Swap out the oil (not cheap but worth a go) maybe try some SAE40 for a tired engine, have you tried another pressure gauge to verify the readings you already have (seen a few engines condemmed due to duff gauge readings)
If you are just using it for short/light work then it will probably soldier on. If you want something to rely on for longer/heavier work especially through the summer then a rebuild may be on the cards (or if thats not your thing then sell yours and buy another!)

[poppyteal]

Cheers roadlees

I will try another pressure guage. I could do a rebuild but have just moved into a house with a bit of land thats why i bought the fordson to keep the meadows down so really will not have the time in the near future to refurbish the engine . Will carry on with it but dont want to trash the engine. See how it goes.

Regards
Martin.

[oliver17]

it would pay to change the oil to a monograde oil it sounds like as oil warms up it is thinning and the pressure is dropping I thought my major had oil pressure problems until I put the correct oil in now holds a steady 35 psi all day

oli

[GregMoore]

No expert at all, but our recently aquired Major Diesel didn't have any working gauges.. After adding an oil pressure gauge I was dismayed to see it report 25psi warm at 3/4 throttle and about 10psi near idle (compared to my little Deere 400 that runs 45 hot/cold and idle/full).. After much Googling, I've come to the conclusion this 25psi is perfectly healthy and only 5 psi off a fresh motor.. Being my first diesel, I kind of assumed much higher pressure to the bearings etc, I now feel comfortable making the old girl earn her keep with the 25psi.. For the record this is on fresh 10/40 oil, air temp was 74F and tractor showing 180F engine temp.

[Pavel]

Martin, welcome to this first rate site.
From my past experience hay-making in the UK, flail mowing can really make a 50HP tractor grunt. 'Course, depends how heavy your crop is and how fast you're travelling; but if no alarming diesel knock type noises are heard, then press on regardless. I would agree, though, with the above suggestions that a 40 grade mono oil would be a wise safeguard.
For peace of mind I would suggest the following -- but bear in mind that oil is hot and a bit messy.
After a good warm/hot up, remove the rocker cover and start the engine, letting it idle. If oil is flowing out of the sides of the rocker arms then you can be pretty sure that the rest of the moving bits are being lubed as well.
As I've said, it's a bit messy, but worth the trouble.

Pavel

[Kim]

I f you read Brians' post "Engine oil" at the beginning of this forum (Announcements) you will see he recommends Morris of Shrewsbury 20-50W oil and the comments made are logical. If you can get hold of this stuff, it seems like a good bet for your particular application. DON'T put a rebuild off for too long or you will seriously regret the extra money it will cost when something is destroyed. Kits are relatively inexpensive as compared to having a lot of machine shop work done and with the help available on this site, anyone with the will and ability to follow directions can do it. Good luck!