treeman53

Member
Two questions regarding 1946 Farmall A. 1) Are all reproduction radiators the same, and, if not, where do I get a quality one?
2) Is it usual for the oil pressure to drop from 60# to approximately 12# when tractor gets to temp?
I'm using 15-40 oil, and kind of expected pressure to be fairly stable, since viscosity increases with temp. I'm thinking radiator may be loaded with scale and not cooling very well, being a thermosyphon system.
 
Your problem is not in the radiator but in the block the holes at the bottom of the sleeves are plugged and water cannot circulate good for the system to work. Back flushing at the bottom of the block moving the junk out the top will clean those holes
 
(quoted from post at 16:08:30 08/09/18) Two questions regarding 1946 Farmall A. 1) Are all reproduction radiators the same, and, if not, where do I get a quality one?
2) Is it usual for the oil pressure to drop from 60# to approximately 12# when tractor gets to temp?
I'm using 15-40 oil, and kind of expected pressure to be fairly stable, since viscosity increases with temp. I'm thinking radiator may be loaded with scale and not cooling very well, being a thermosyphon system.
For your first question, I just had to replace the radiator on my Farmall 140 (hit a tree and sheared off the neck) I am not happy with the reproduction radiator I got, but I made it work. I had to get an OEM upper radiator hose after getting a reproduction one that was totally the wrong size.
 

The oil pressure issue is probably caused by a warped cover plate on the oil pump. It can be fixed. Some of the other guys can guide you through it better than I can.
 
The warped cover will definitely cause low oil pressure. Typically when you get the pump out of the engine, you will see where the gasket is gone on the sides because the cover is warped.
It is very easy to fix, just take a piece of 400 grit or so sandpaper on a [b:38642ee2a8]flat surface[/b:38642ee2a8] and carefully lap the cover with the mating side again the paper. Keep checking the mating side of the cover until the whole face is "bright" from sanding. The cover sands fairly easy, it's made of magnesium if I remember right.

My 1945 A had no signs of oil pressure, my grandpa said it had been like this for many many years and it wasn't an issue because the old IH dealer told him it was fine. I think he even told me that he had them rebuild the engine back in the 70's to fix it and it didn't help.
Many years after he passed, I was restoring the tractor and wanted to correct the issue. I pulled the pump and found the gasket blown out and the warped cover. I followed the above procedure and put everything back together. After that, it would nearly peg the oil pressure gauge at all times.
 
(quoted from post at 21:52:37 08/09/18) The warped cover will definitely cause low oil pressure. Typically when you get the pump out of the engine, you will see where the gasket is gone on the sides because the cover is warped.
It is very easy to fix, just take a piece of 400 grit or so sandpaper on a [b:9a7b9686fe]flat surface[/b:9a7b9686fe] and carefully lap the cover with the mating side again the paper. Keep checking the mating side of the cover until the whole face is "bright" from sanding. The cover sands fairly easy, it's made of magnesium if I remember right.

My 1945 A had no signs of oil pressure, my grandpa said it had been like this for many many years and it wasn't an issue because the old IH dealer told him it was fine. I think he even told me that he had them rebuild the engine back in the 70's to fix it and it didn't help.
Many years after he passed, I was restoring the tractor and wanted to correct the issue. I pulled the pump and found the gasket blown out and the warped cover. I followed the above procedure and put everything back together. After that, it would nearly peg the oil pressure gauge at all times.
ive seen a couple like that too. but in this case he says the oil pressure drops when hot so wouldn't it be a case of worn mains loosing pressure?
 
I should have mentioned that I refurbished the oil pump. Before that, it ran just above red zone when cold, and in the red when warm. Gene, how do I do the backflush? Just run water through bottom hose to block?
 
(quoted from post at 06:59:36 08/10/18)
(quoted from post at 21:52:37 08/09/18) The warped cover will definitely cause low oil pressure. Typically when you get the pump out of the engine, you will see where the gasket is gone on the sides because the cover is warped.
It is very easy to fix, just take a piece of 400 grit or so sandpaper on a [b:ab02071085]flat surface[/b:ab02071085] and carefully lap the cover with the mating side again the paper. Keep checking the mating side of the cover until the whole face is "bright" from sanding. The cover sands fairly easy, it's made of magnesium if I remember right.

My 1945 A had no signs of oil pressure, my grandpa said it had been like this for many many years and it wasn't an issue because the old IH dealer told him it was fine. I think he even told me that he had them rebuild the engine back in the 70's to fix it and it didn't help.
Many years after he passed, I was restoring the tractor and wanted to correct the issue. I pulled the pump and found the gasket blown out and the warped cover. I followed the above procedure and put everything back together. After that, it would nearly peg the oil pressure gauge at all times.
ive seen a couple like that too. but in this case he says the oil pressure drops when hot so wouldn't it be a case of worn mains loosing pressure?

Worn mains and worn cam bushings do contribute to the problem. If the engine is worn out, 15-40 oil will do very little to alleviate the problem.
 

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