The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Afternoon all.

I have been rebuilding my 1960 power major and just about got to the end of the restoration when i developed a issues with an oil leak between the front plate and the block. I have a feeling the oil pressure is building up and then finally finding the weakest point in which it has decided this gasket is it. She starts up perfectly as she should but once running within 5 minutes the oil starts to be pushed out of here and also out of number 1 exhaust valve which dumps oil up the exhaustm i have had the hole front end apart 7 times now trting to find the issue with no luck. I have also renewed all the valve steam seals again incase the oil from the exhaust was a result of poor seals and still no luck. This only starts happening when the front plate starts leaking too :/ I currently have the engine out of the tractor and upside down with the crank out and everything looks fine. Every internal part of the engine that can be replaced has been and crank and head ground.PLEASE HELP!!!! Its getting to the point im going to sell her as i am loosing the will to live!!!

Thanks in advance
Jamie

Oil leaks from the front would not be due to too much oil pressure more likely the wrong gasket fitted. If you have used the gasket for a single bolt fixing cam shaft on a three bolt one you might have a problem.

Did you check the valve guides when you were fitting the new seals? Oil from the exhaust would not normally be related to high oil pressure, more likely piston rings or lack of work/possibly the wrong oil.

You will get oil out of the exhaust on a new engine if you are leaving it ticking over and not putting it into hard work. By hard work I mean on a cultivator or plough but you do need to get the front plate problem sorted first.

Hi Jamie, also check to make sure the leak is not from the front crank seal, I have had new ones leak because the harmonic balancer had a bad grove worn in it.

Pat

Hi gents and thanks for the reply. As for the gaskets have tried both types and even made my own out a thicker material. The reason why im looking at high oil pressure is that it only starts to leak after 5 minutes which is more than enough time for pressure to build up. On idle it dribbles out but rev it up and it poors out at pressure!

The valve guides are all brand new and dont show any signs of a problem there. The front crank seal is fine aswell so really amstumped at the minute. What grade oil would you recomend? I was told 10/40.

tonights job is to see if i can block the output on the oil pump and presssurise it to see if the oil relief valve is working ok.

Jamie

themajor60 wrote:tonights job is to see if i can block the output on the oil pump and presssurise it to see if the oil relief valve is working ok.

Why not borrow an oil pressure gauge and screw into the oil pressure switch hole?

It would appear to me that the problem could be crankcase pressure build-up since you suggest it only occurs after 5 minutes engine running. Oil pressure build up would occur much sooner than 5 minutes -- and on a later attempt much sooner still because of capillary action. I would pay considerable attention to the crankcase ventilation system.
It is also possible, as Brian has alluded to, that you could have a piston ring problem. It's not unknown to break a ring on installation without knowing it. Also, whilst I've not had the dubious pleasure of re-ringing a Fordson diesel, most cars or trucks I've re-rung[?] have at least one compression ring that is tapered, whereas the Major has 2. Fitting these the wrong way up will cause excessive pressure in the crankcase.
However, I am at a loss to understand how oil would leak out BETWEEN the block and engine plate -- always assuming a new gasket was fitted to clean oil free surfaces and coated with a decent cement such as Hyloma. Surely any oil leakage from bolt holes or oil seals would drain into the timing cover area. Could it be that the plate is warped?

Pavel

Couple of thoughts on this, the oil flow is through the first main bearing and up to the cam shaft and I cannot see that the oil pump will build up enough pressure to blow the gasket or leak past the gasket if everything is assembled. If you have fitted an after market oil pump though there could be problems with it in the pressure relief valve.

I seem to remember a small brass plug in one of the oil galleries behind the plate, check that this has not been left out.

Have you got the cam shaft thrust washer in position?

It is certainly not normal for a major oil leak to occur in this area. Back in the day, with loaders fitted the front plate would work loose after a time and although oil would then leak from this area, it would be a small amount and certainly not under any pressure.

Oil should be HD 20/30. 10/40 can be a bit thin but this should have reduced your oil pressure. My Major would only run at 15-20 psi on 15/40 but has been happily running at 40 psi on 20/50. Some types of modern oil have additives that cause cylinder glazing on our older engines as they are not in hard work all the time. this can give oil out of the exhaust.

There should be no pressure in the crankcase, if you believe it only comes comes from oil pressure then check the front plate, if it has a crankcase breather (one by the fuel pump) check it, fordson's are known for oil leak's on the crankshaft oil seals if they're not fitted right.