Normal costs of repair 4000 3Cyl

Bill Allis · Apr 5, 2014

I want to get the cold start thingy fixed. The unit that drips the fuel into the intake manifold and then lights it. Can't remember what Ford call it.

I also want to repair or replace the original charging system. Mine has a generator and the tach drives off the generator. Is it best and simplest to replace with an alternator?

About how much should I pay to have these two things repaired.

Thanks

Texas! · Apr 5, 2014

Thermostart.

My 5000 still has its Lucas generator. My generator man says there is nothing inherently wrong with the generator- it's the regulator that is faulty. I found an original Made in USA regulator and it has worked fine for several years now.
Most responders will tell you to ditch the Lucas system and replace it with an alternator. If you want to keep the tach you will need a very expensive tach drive alternator.

souNdguy · Apr 5, 2014

ditto what texas said.

you will be cheaper to repair the genny and get a vreg vs buying an alt kit with a tach drive or getting an aux drive and dash.

sunbeam · Apr 5, 2014

do a search on this site for tach alternator and pick sunbeam is this the one.

Pete Hall · Apr 5, 2014

The cold start thingy is a thermostart
they are reasonable,maybe $25 and help a lot in starting when cold.this site should have them for sale under tractor parts
very easy to replace

Pete Hall · Apr 5, 2014

This sites parts call it a manifold heater and sell them for $23.95

RodinNS · Apr 5, 2014

Thermostart is the intake manifold heater...

The generator... is better off tossed in the scrap bin. That one little regulator looks cheap the first time around. After you've bought half a dozen and a few generators for good measure... the alternator looks pretty cheap at it's 350 buck purchase price.
If you have a 72 or newer tractor you can update to the engine driven tach and update the instruments. That will be the most expensive option up front but it allows you to use an off the shelf Delco alt that you can get from NAPA with a lifetime warranty...

It's been my observation over the years that the guys that get along with those generators either keep them in a shed all the time or they're in a more arid climate that I have here. There's not one of those things left in this are with original parts that still work. Most have been converted.

Rod

Bern · Apr 5, 2014

"My generator man says there is nothing inherently wrong with the generator"

Yes, there is - it is inferior to an alternator. It puts out way less current (pound for pound), and doesn't last nearly as long.

jwjsr · Apr 5, 2014

I don't know the initial cost to convert to an alternator, mine was converted when i bought it 10 yrs ago, but i just paid $45 for a replacement alt without tach.

Texas! · Apr 5, 2014

My 5000 Diesel doesn't draw much current when it's running- how many amps do the gauges draw?

Bern · Apr 5, 2014

Put a few lights on that tractor and you'll discover its limitations real fast.

sotxbill · Apr 6, 2014

Any fix without the tach and you will regret it. The proof meter is very handy for many chores and is needed, so DO NOT disable it. Either get an alternator with a tach drive or fix the old.

Now.. I buy and sell ford tractors and have gone through about 60 in the last 10 years. All come through and are repaired. Very rarely, the generator is bad, and I put new brushes in it. More often the tach drive is worn out and its replaced.. Lots of time the tach cable is bad, so I keep 10 in stock. However, the regulator is the most often problem. I can put new ones in,,, and they are bad 50 percent of the time. BUT.... I can usually fix them by cleaning the contacts and or adjusting the cut out relay. I keep emory boards and points files around just for this.

Once they are fixed, they are usually good for years and trouble free.

lucas generators are availible "brand new" on ebay for $95+-. and so are regulatorsl Be patient, fix it right and your good for 40 more years. A generator will power 3 headlights and one tail light and still charge the tractor.

A generator can be pull started on a dead battery, and will build up a voltage and start the tractor. An alternator will not do this with a dead battery. So when times were tough, and batterys were always dead, a generator would allow the farmer to run the tractor after pull starting it. tractors were left in the field all winter and were not parked near electricity. One of the reasons ford put an oversized battery in the tractors was to help it start after sitting for 6 months or more.

flyingace · Apr 6, 2014

(quoted from post at 07:46:24 04/06/14)

Any fix without the tach and you will regret it. The proof meter is very handy for many chores and is needed, so DO NOT disable it. Either get an alternator with a tach drive or fix the old.

Now.. I buy and sell ford tractors and have gone through about 60 in the last 10 years. All come through and are repaired. Very rarely, the generator is bad, and I put new brushes in it. More often the tach drive is worn out and its replaced.. Lots of time the tach cable is bad, so I keep 10 in stock. However, the regulator is the most often problem. I can put new ones in,,, and they are bad 50 percent of the time. BUT.... I can usually fix them by cleaning the contacts and or adjusting the cut out relay. I keep emory boards and points files around just for this.

Once they are fixed, they are usually good for years and trouble free.

lucas generators are availible "brand new" on ebay for $95+-. and so are regulatorsl Be patient, fix it right and your good for 40 more years. A generator will power 3 headlights and one tail light and still charge the tractor.

A generator can be pull started on a dead battery, and will build up a voltage and start the tractor. An alternator will not do this with a dead battery. So when times were tough, and batterys were always dead, a generator would allow the farmer to run the tractor after pull starting it. tractors were left in the field all winter and were not parked near electricity. One of the reasons ford put an oversized battery in the tractors was to help it start after sitting for 6 months or more.

There is a difference of opinion on this point. I replaced that awful GEN/VREG combination for a $70 single wire alternator. After three years of trouble-free operation, I'd say it's the most productive $ I've spent on this tractor.

And I'm not sure why a tach/proof meter is so essential. I haven't missed it much. Certainly not worth the extra $300 it would have cost.

sotxbill · Apr 7, 2014

planting or seeding, setting ground speed...

setting tractor at 1900 for max torque and not over running engine.

setting pto speed correctly for max work but not over speed and damaging equipment.

so if you.. run a shredder or mower, hay baler, or anything off the pto, you need the tach to set the rpm to 540.. The tach will then tell you which gear you can run under load or if you need to gear it down while staying at 540 pto speed so the cutter or baler will work correctly. If you have a pump or especially a pto generator.... on and on and on. If you plow or heavy load the tractor the tach is useful again for setting the rpms correctly around 19 to 2000.
Again, seeding or fertilizer, the ground speed it critical to settings and that comes off the tach.

Post hole digger is about the only pto implement that you DONT run fast at pto speed.

There are a lot of "cowboys" out there that have only one speed... wide open... They are the ones who constantly destroy plows, planters, and twist off pto shafts out there. I do a lot of business with them. Everything is destroyed including ring gears to engines.. Again.. no tach is needed.

Farm equipment is generally made to operate at 3 to 5 mph..

Normal costs of repair 4000 3Cyl

Bill Allis

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Texas!

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souNdguy

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sunbeam

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Pete Hall

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Pete Hall

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RodinNS

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Bern

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jwjsr

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Texas!

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Bern

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sotxbill

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flyingace

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sotxbill

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