TE20 no oil pressure after oil change

Royse

Well-known Member
The TE20 I bought last Sunday had decent oil pressure, about
25 PSI warm, but the oil was dirty so I wanted to change it.

I didn't even change the filter (explanation below) I just
drained the oil and put new oil in. Now it has NO oil pressure.

I took the gauge line off and rolled it over, no oil coming out.
I tried priming it through the gauge line hole because I read that
on here, no luck with that. I even tried adding an extra quart of
oil to cover more of the pickup, but still no oil pressure.

Suggestions?

Here's the reason for not changing the filter yet.
Someone has welded the cover into the oil pan so I have to pull
the pan to change the filter. I didn't know this was done and do
not have a pan gasket on hand. Once it gets here I'll change it.

1829.jpg
 
Is that a Continental engine, Royse? If so, that doesn't even look like the right cover. (May help explain why it was welded on.)
 
Yes Tom, Continental Z120.
I don't think it is the right cover, I think they made their own.
It's a stamped steel pan, not a cast iron one.
Still, it shouldn't affect oil pressure, just filter changes, right?
 
No, the cover shouldn't do anything do your oil pressure - I've read about them being welded on before - but there's something weird going on in there. Maybe something made it's way into the oil pump?
I'm interested to see what you find when you drop the pan.
 
Unfortunately it has to be out of the shop tomorrow.
Guess I'll get out one of the Fords and tow it out to the
fence row until I have time and a gasket to work on it.
 
Well, here's an update and a tidbit of information I forgot to tell
you fine gentlemen the first time. This tractor has set for a bit
and the front main seal had a small leak. To help seal that without
a tear-down I added a bottle of Lucas to the oil and I put it in first.

That was the only thing I could think of that might have caused it.
So, I drained the oil again and replaced it with straight oil. 10W-30.
Now I have oil pressure, but less than it had with the dirty oil.
About 15~20 now when the engine is first started.
Maybe the old oil was heavier.
I haven't ran it up to full operating temperature yet, just moved it.
 
Well, now we get the "rest of the story"! :wink:

Seriously, Royse, I don't know much about Lucas: is it so thick the oil pump couldn't pick it up?

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but a lot of us run Rotella 15W40 in Fergies. I think you 9N/2N/8N folks do the same.

Looks like you still need an oil pan, and I haven't heard much good about the stamped steel aftermarket replacements. You may be able to find a decent cast one. (David Shea has a lot of Ferguson parts.)
 
You're right, many of us, including me, use 15W40.
I used the 10W30 in case it was a thickness issue.
Apparently it had "something" to do with it.

Lucas will not fix bad seals or gaskets.
It will soften and lubricate dry gaskets and help them seal.
Not entirely snake oil. Yes, it is thick but I've never had that problem
in any other engine. Ford, Farmall, Case, AC, Chevy, Dodge etc.

The only aftermarket pans I can find are cast and say right in
the ads that they don't fit well and need to be modified.

If anyone has a used pan, cast or stamped, please let me know.
 
(quoted from post at 22:02:16 08/11/17)
(quoted from post at 21:49:59 08/11/17) Do you still have my email address, Royse? I can't find yours.
Yes I do Tom. I just sent you an email.
Well, the tractor sat overnight and today had no oil pressure again.
I tried priming it again without any luck. Maybe I'm doing that wrong?

I ended up changing the oil to 15W40. Still no oil pressure.
Walked around kicking the tires for a while trying to think of what
else to do and didn't come up with anything new so I rolled it over
again and had pressure. Started it up and was back up to the
previous ~25 PSI with the heavier oil.
Now to see what tomorrow brings I guess.

Called my local used parts guys. None of them had that pan.
 
As far as I know the Continental Z120 used in the TO20 and TE20 had tin oil pans with the filter
put in from below.
 
Are you sure the gauge isn't just shot? If one time you start it you have good oil pressure, and the next none...I'd suspect the gauge is bad or has a blockage or something.

Most farm stores would have a 2" gauge for $10-15 dollars. Might need a male/male adapter depending on the size line you have. To me it would be worth the piece of mind just to know if the original gauge was bad or not.
 
Yes I'm sure Jon, I checked it with a known good gauge.
Also pulled the line off the side of the block and there was
no oil coming out of it. So truly no oil pressure.

After this last oil change, it has had pressure every time I've
rolled it over. Only difference is the weight of the oil.
I will keep a very close eye on it.
 

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