The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

On my 1961 FSM, I have what looks like:

1 breather pipe stub on the rocker cover
1 breather pipe stub on the side of the main inlet to the air cleaner
1 breather pipe stub on the inlet manifold, facing the rocker cover.

Currently, there is a length of rubber pipe connecting the manifold to the rocker cover - it looks as though this is just an offcut that has been used to connect the two. The pipe on the air cleaner has nothing on it.

Is this how it should be , please?

Bob,

Hope this wil help.






Can't help you with the one on the air cleaner

d.u.w. Henk, but I think maybe I did not explain very well.

The pipe stub on the rocker cover sticks up vertically on the top of the cover, approximately half way along, maybe 35mm tall.

The pipe stub on the inlet manifold is the straight pipe that is in the centre of your first picture, again about 35mm long and faces the rocker cover. I do not seem to have the cranked pipe that is on the right of the inlet manifold intake, in your second photograph.

The above two stubs are connected by a piece of rubber hose.

The third stub is on the side of the main inlet to the air cleaner, again about 35mm long and it points towards the stub that comes out of the rocker cover - but is not connected to it.

I'll try to take some photos tomorrow, if I can get to the tractor.


Thanks again for your help.

Hey Bob,

post some pictures of your tractor.
Maybe your tractor got a new engine and some parts are mixed up. It also depend on what type of injectionpump you have on the right side

Yes plaese

Apologies for the sudden silence. I am back in circulation and will get some photos next time I'm near the tractor. Thanks for your help …

The two lines on the manifold would have gone over to the injection pump. Im not certain on the Super Majors, but on the Power Majors, the injection pump used air pressure to control the governer.

We need to see what kind of pump you have to know for sure.

The pipe on the rocker cover would have went to the pipe on the air cleaner.

Hi Bob

It sounds like you might have some sort of a "hybrid" breather system brought about by a mix of components from different engines.

The first thing we need to know is what is the serial number of the engine currently fitted? - it is stamped on the right hand side of the engine on the block just under number 1 injector pipe. Next thing is the injector pump a vacuum governed type with two pipes going into the housing at the front of the injector pump, or is it a "minimec" type with only the fuel inlet pipe and the injector pipes going into the pump? Also do the inlet and exhaust manifolds have ports that are inline or are they offset as in Henk's pictures?

The pictures that Henk has posted show the closed type engine breathing system on a mark 1 engine with the offset inlet and exhaust ports on the cylinder head. The breather pipe for this mark 1 engine is shown in pictures 1 and 2 and comes out of the TOP of the flat part of the inlet manifold to the side of the main circular air inlet and goes into the SIDE of the rocker cover not the top of the cover.

With the introduction of the mark 2 engine with cylinder head with inline inlet and exhaust ports (and for the mark 3 engine) the breather system was changed. The breather pipe came out of the TOP of the rocker cover and went to the inlet pipe on the top of the air cleaner, and in conjunction with this change a small oil bath air intake was fitted to the rocker cover on the right hand side of the engine in front of the injection pump. This was an open type breather system that drew air in through the oil bath intake and circulated it through the engine and withdrew it via the rocker cover into the air cleaner intake and hence into the engine to be burnt. This is how it should be on your engine if it has the original mark 3 engine fitted.

The pipe on the inlet manifold which you describe as in the centre of the first picture going into the circular main air intake is in fact one of the 2 vacuum pipes that run to the injection pump and control the throttle operation, so if your breather pipe is fitted between this pipe and the one on the top of the rocker cover I do not understand how your engine can operate?! Are you sure that the rubber pipe from the top of the rocker cover goes into the side of the circular manifold intake?? Or does it go to the pipe which goes into the top flat part of the manifold as shown in pictures 1 and 2 to the side of the main circular air intake??

Post some pictures of both sides of the engine and serial number details!

Dear Tractorbob 3

I have a September 1961 Super Major. It has a vertical stubby pipe coming out of the top of the rocker cover and this is connected via a short length of hose to a cranked pipe, which goes through a hole in the firewall to connect to a stubby pipe going into the top section (inlet) of the air cleaner, via another short length of hose. The inlet manifold has no adaptor to connect the manifold to the rocker cover. I think on all similar aged Super Majors I have seen, this is the correct set up.

Careful reading of the parts list shows 2 types of rocker box cover for diesel tractors without a decompressor. One from 1952 up to April 1957, the other from April 1957 onwards.

There are 3 different inlet manifolds for diesel tractors in the parts list. One from 1952 to April 1957. Another one from Mar 1960 to April 1962 and the third from April 1962 onwards. Obviously the last one is for Minimec Fuel Injection Pump equipped Super Majors which have mechanical governing and don't use the vacuum pipes from inlet manifold to governor. There seems to be a gap between April 1957 to Mar 1960, which could be an error in the parts list, or I haven't read it correctly.

Note 7, Section 1 of the the Repair Manual to remove the engine on Major, Power Major and Super Major, states that "the air cleaner to rocker cover breather pipe should be removed (Mk II and Mk III engines)", followed by a note stating; "The Mk I engine breather pipe is fitted between the inlet manifold and the side of the rocker cover".

So it would appear that at some time, someone has fitted an early type manifold to your Super Major. They should have blanked off the adaptor hole in the manifold and just left the MK II and Mk III engine breather pipe from rocker cover to air cleaner inlet.

Hope that is of some help.

Timee

Thanks all for your helpful information. I will get photos and post them, together with the serial number, as soon as possible.

The engine has the vacuum governor and these pipes are as they should be (I assume - they've not been touched and the engine runs fine).

There seems to be agreement that the flexible pipe should connect the rocker cover to the air cleaner, so I'll make sure that it does, on my next visit. That will just leave the manifold connection to sort out - whether it needs to connect to something or should just be blanked off.

Thanks again for your help - and watch this space (please)!

If the vacuum lines have not been touched, I can perhaps assume that someone in the past rerouted the rocker cover vent over to the intake manifold for some reason. It can probably be plugged off.