Ford 3000 Flow Control Valve

I've had an issue with my 3000's hydraulics for a bit,but it's always been intermittent. Basically, the 3-point wouldn't lift until it had ran for a while. I always thought I had an air leak into the system and it took that long to prime up until I got ready to start mowing this weekend and realized it was primed and just wasn't wanting to work.

I looked at my manual and thought I'd check the flow control valve to see if it was stuck in the dump position. Well, for some reason, I can't get the valve off the side of the tractor. Is there an internal linkage that would keep it from being removed? It wiggles and jiggles, just won't come off. I did remove the rear hex plug where the spool is located and the plug and spring came out, but I can't get the spool to move.

I am getting some oil out of the lower 5/8 plug (not much flow or pressure, but there is oil), but nothing is coming through to the top. Any thoughts? Am I looking in the wrong place? Pump is quiet. Should I take off the high pressure line and make sure it's pumping strong? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The lift cover will have to be removed to acess flow control valve.

Correct.
There is a pipe/tube that goes from the valve to the top cover which must be removed before the valve can come out.

Thanks for the info guys! Looks like I will be removing the top cover and seeing what I can figure out. Sound like I am headed in the right direction? Thanks again for the help!

Ok, I have the top cover off and the oil drained. I still can't remove the flow control valve due to a tube that goes down to the area where the pressure line comes from the pump. I've removed the pressure relief valve from the bottom of the tractor, but is there a trick to getting the tube to drop so I can get the valve out?

Also the exhaust filter tube has broken off of the mounting bracket leaving a hole in the side of the tube. Should this be repaired or replaced, or can I JB Weld it or something to keep it together?

It's been a while since I took a flow control valve out (only did it once)but I think you need to raise it up as far as you can and at the same time use a pliers and pull the tube out of the bottom.
That filter is on the suction side not exhaust. I would fix it if it doesn't require a split to do. Bring it in to a competent welder to braze or weld it. Replace the filter while you are at it.
<font size="4" color="red">JB Weld will NOT WORK!</font>
If I was Dictator of all the world the first decree I would make is to ban the use of that darned stuff to all but Highly trained and qualified users.

Edit: thinking about that broken suction line I wonder if that is your problem. It could be depending on how high in the oil level it is. So yes, fix it.

Ok, I'll try that with the pipe and see if it works. As far as the pipe with the hole, this isn't on the pump suction line, it's actually on the return line with the back pressure valve and return filter. Going to see if I can get it brazed anyway, but shouldn't be the culprit.

I managed to get the spool out of the control valve and cleaned it up, so hopefully it's not a problem anymore (if it was). Was hoping to get the pipe free so I can replace those o-rings as well. I'm thinking between the spool and the o-rings, I'm just not getting the oil up to the cylinder. Going to dig a little further...

Thanks again!

Ok, I got it. For future reference, there is a small c-clip located near the bottom of the pipe that keeps it from dropping down. Just removed the clip and lowered it down to get clearance to pull the the valve, then pulled out the pipe. Turns out that the o-rings are shot on this pipe, which is probably why no oil was getting up through the valve and into the cylinder.

Off to the hardware store...

Got some orings replaced and put the tractor back together again but still no lift. Went to make sure the system was primed and realized that I've got no pressure coming out of the prime plug on the pump. This mean the pump is shot? Going to see if I can find an overhaul kit for it if so.

Take a wad of rags and tape it around your blow gun. Then jam the nozzle into the oil fill hole on the rump of the tractor and pressurize it up a few lbs. See if that will assist in priming it.
Pumps I've seen go bad didn't just stop pumping.
They chattered, lost pressure and 3 point wouldn't lift much but they didn't stop pumping completely.
Did you check the seals in both ends of your suction line? Got a bad rust spot or pinhole in it?

I'll give it a shot. Might go ahead and replace the seals on the suction line (at least the ones on the outside of the tractor) just in case. That would be cheaper than a pump overhaul!

I will report back as soon as I can and let you know the outcome.

I believe it was Greg Wolodkin, in this forum that discussed accessing this filter thru an inspection plate on his 3400 a few months ago. Search his posts....sl

I'm assuming you have the later style suction line that just pushes in to place?
Whenever I mess with one of those I take lacquer thinner and clean both the male and female parts real clean. Then I wipe a very small amount of silicone onto the tube before inserting it. And wipe with my finger around the tube where it shoulders in to the fitting.
I don't normally like or use puckys, ointments, or gasket glue on things but that is one place that I do use a bit.

(quoted from post at 18:25:40 03/26/12)
<font size="4" color="red">JB Weld will NOT WORK!</font>
If I was Dictator of all the world the first decree I would make is to ban the use of that darned stuff to all but Highly trained and qualified users.

Click to expand...

I can see the bumper stickers now..

"You can have my JB Weld when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers"

:lol:

I agree with Ultradog though that it's worth repairing the line. Otherwise it will allow that oil to bypass the return filter which won't help things in the long run.

I found it was possible to remove both the return and the suction lines without a split by removing the top cover and by removing the PTO shaft (which is actually quite easy to do). If there's any evidence of an oil leak back there, replace the PTO shaft seal while you're there.

I replaced the return filter, and simply cleaned out the suction filter with a combination of soaking in diesel fuel, old toothbrush, and compressed air till it looked like new.

Keep us posted -- good luck!
Greg

I managed to get the line brazed back together again. Not a professional job, but should work. I didn't get a chance to try pressurizing the reservoir last night, so I'll try to make it happen tonight.

Yes, the tractor is a mid-70's model, so it has the press-in suction tube. I will try the silicone trick and see if I can't get it sealed up good and tight if the problem is the priming issue.

Gotta get this thing fixed quick. My yard is looking like a jungle!

Tried to pressurize the reservoir tonight. My little compressor was acting up and would only pump 35lbs, but that should have been enough, right? Ended up pressurizing through the oil level check plug on the side of the tractor behind the flow control valve. Tractor was running when pressurized and worked the lever a few times during the process.

There is no evidence of oil leaks at either end of the suction line (or anywhere in between), and there was a little oil coming through the pump, just no pressure and not enough oil to fill the check plug on the pump when I took it out.

Any ideas on the next step? Do I need to take the pump apart and check it out? Everything else "appears" to be in good shape and in working order...

Perhaps it's time to troubleshoot the system. Assuming that you"ve bled the air out of the system, the fluid level is correct and the right type. If you haven't already, you can attach a pressure gauge to the system. you can attach at different places, Soundguy has posted pics of attaching at the lift cover. A pressure gauge should register abut 1800 psi. You can pick one up at NAPA. I got mine at the local Hyd hose repair shop for 25 bucks. I think I picked up a couple fittings too.
Check the archives...... lots and lots of info there on this subject...sl

(quoted from post at 22:26:42 03/28/12) Tried to pressurize the reservoir tonight. My little compressor was acting up and would only pump 35lbs, but that should have been enough, right? Ended up pressurizing through the oil level check plug on the side of the tractor behind the flow control valve. Tractor was running when pressurized and worked the lever a few times during the process.

There is no evidence of oil leaks at either end of the suction line (or anywhere in between), and there was a little oil coming through the pump, just no pressure and not enough oil to fill the check plug on the pump when I took it out.

Any ideas on the next step? Do I need to take the pump apart and check it out? Everything else "appears" to be in good shape and in working order...

Click to expand...

ith pump outlet open, you should see flow, but "open" you won't see pressure.........need a restriction to generate pressure and even then unless lifting a heavy load or with lift arms tied down, the pressure will be proportional to load being lifted, not relief valve pressure. At all other times, it will be the very minimal (~40) backpressure valve level of pressure.

3/30/12 update:

I haven't had any time lately to dig into the problem any further, but I thought I'd take the tractor over to my inlaws and use a larger compressor (that works!) to try to pressurize the oil reservoir.

I left the tractor running at approximately 1800 rpms. I removed the oil level check plug just behind the flow control valve. I then proceeded to pump air through the port into the reservoir. I probably had close to 10-20 pounds in it as it blew pretty hard when I took the nozzle out of it. While under pressure, I worked the control lever a few times from top to bottom. Still no luck getting the pump to prime.

There is very little oil coming from the socket head plug on the pump cover, making me think that the pump is just not priming. My manual says that this could be a result of a cracked casting or bad oring in the pump or on the suction line. Since I don't see any oil on the suction line that would lead me to believe the seal is bad on the suction line, I'm thinking it may be a bad seal in the pump not allowing it to prime.

It could also be a plugged filter or gummed up suction pipe too, so I will probably pull the pump tomorrow for inspection and if all looks good, pull the top cover again and see if I can't blow air back through the suction line (from the pump end) and see if it is open. From there, go through the cylinder and verify the control valves, etc, are free-moving and looking like they are doing what they are supposed to do.

If that doesn't work, I'm afraid I'm going to admit defeat and take it to the dealer to fix. This is the wrong time of year to have a tractor down...

Took the pump off of the tractor this morning. I blew through the suction line without any trouble, so I poured a little hydraulic oil in the intake of the pump and manually turned the gear drive. The oil was never sucked into or out of the pump no matter what direction I turned the gear.

Pump needs rebuilt?

TIP... If you decide to rebuild this, read the archives first. I rebuilt mine with great results... BTW, I think there is a rebuild video available for this. Maybe you can buy it from another [member] that has it, at a discount....sl

Success! I ended up splitting the pump in half and wiping everything down and cleaning it up good. I made a couple new gaskets and assembled it and verified it worked by pouring oil in the suction side and cranking the gear to see it suck it in and push it out the pressure side.

Some old repairs made it a @#$% to get back together again, but I finally did. Had to mess with an old repair to the remote hydraulic valve to seal it back up again, but the 3-point lifts strong and all is in order again.

I think it was a combination of cleaning the pump and replacing the gaskets, making sure the suction tube was clear (by blowing air through it back into the reservoir), and replacing the orings on the pressure tubes and flow control valve that got it up and running. Just cost me about $2 in o-rings, some gasket material I already had on hand, and a few days of my life... :roll: Hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon!

Thanks to everyone for all the input and words of advice!

(quoted from post at 12:03:43 04/01/12) Success! I ended up splitting the pump in half and wiping everything down and cleaning it up good. I made a couple new gaskets and assembled it and verified it worked by pouring oil in the suction side and cranking the gear to see it suck it in and push it out the pressure side.

Some old repairs made it a @#$% to get back together again, but I finally did. Had to mess with an old repair to the remote hydraulic valve to seal it back up again, but the 3-point lifts strong and all is in order again.

I think it was a combination of cleaning the pump and replacing the gaskets, making sure the suction tube was clear (by blowing air through it back into the reservoir), and replacing the orings on the pressure tubes and flow control valve that got it up and running. Just cost me about $2 in o-rings, some gasket material I already had on hand, and a few days of my life... :roll: Hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon!

Thanks to everyone for all the input and words of advice!

Click to expand...

appy for you that you tracked it down & got it working again!

The saga continues...

The auxiliary valve had one of the bolt hole "ears" broken off of it when I got it and the crack goes through the large o-ring (blind hole) on the valve. I couldn't get the o-ring to seal it, so I decided to go with a gasket for the whole valve. I just couldn't get it to seal up right, so I went over to my inlaws with the tractor.

He tried to weld the "ear" back onto the valve but got a little carried away with the grinder to flush it back up. Now it's leaking worse than before! I'm going to try to true it up as soon as I get a chance (Tuesday?) and try to get it to work. Otherwise, I'll have to see if someone else can have better luck. I'd swear I could fix it in a jiffy with a large belt sander... 8)

Anonym
Try to get a used part, save you a lot of grief!
Brian

Got the valve back yesterday from the machinist who trued it up. It looks great, but I still had a slight weep from the bolt hole. Thinking there might be a very small opening from the crack that we didn't get filled. I'm going to pull it and fill that bind hole with epoxy or permatex (eek!) and cut a new gasket that doesn't have the hole in it to guarantee it won't leak anymore.

Oh yea, and after I put the valve on last night and started the tractor, I worked the 3-point and the Aux Hyds just to verify everything was working as intended... and I blew a hydraulic line on the Aux Hyds. :roll: Just about par for me. Hydraulic fluid sprayed all over my tractor, me, my face, in my eyes. She had better start treating me better than this or I might find a wild hair to trade her for another girl that will!