63 Ford 4000 diesel hydraulic lift not functioning at all

So I just got finished rebuilding this tractor for my father and it was a vary awesome fathers day for him when I walked up and as I tossed the tractor keys to him saying happy fathers day pop.

I didn't however work on the 3 point lift and its not functioning at all. I have pulled the lift cover off and pretty much tore the whole thing down, cleaned it up and put it back together. I replaced piston o-ring and back pressure ring. There was a check valve and seat I couldn't look at cause I don't have special remover/replacer tool. I have a manual and a parts manual. Following those books I put it back together with no success of it working.

Any ideas, knowledge, info, videos, whatever you guys got I would be grateful for your help. Thanks in advance

1. Have you got oil to the proper level in the center housing? Is it clean and of the proper spec?

2. Is your pump primed or will it prime? (take the hex plug out of the top of the pump. crank the tractor until it fills if it's not and replace the plug.)

3. Is your transmission filling up with oil? (pressure line leak)

4. Beyond that, you've still got a problem in your hydraulic deck.

Sorry it took so long for my reply been busy. As you know life doesn't stoop for anyone . To answer your ?'s yes oil level was at correct height and is correct type. Yes pump was full and primed. No oil level wasn't raising in center unit of tranny"reservoir". I know there was oil flowing because I have a 2 lever control unit that control the 2 cylinders off rear end for leveling. Now you may have notice my answers have the word was or wasn't in them. That's because I have once again removed the lift cover and drained oil only to find out there where all sorts of clumpy white globs of sh** all around bottom of reservoir and all around bottom shaft "pto" I believe. I decided to flush this crap out using hydraulic fluid and after a little dirty elbow grease and 10 Gal. Of oil I'm satisfied it's clean of contaminants.

I would like to go ahead and service what my parts manual for a Ford 4 cylinder tractor all models 53 to 64 provided by peaceful creek farms. Calls on pgs 161-162 #20 thru 30 hydraulic lift cover assy. Which contains lift check valve plug, ball, o-rings, pump check valve spring, lift check valve ball and spring guide, lift cyl. Check valve seat, valve and spring. However I don't have the remover/replacer part# NCA-997 tool called for by my shop manual for tractor series 600 thru 1801 1955-60. "This is the manual that was given to my father when he purchased from private seller".
Is there another way to remove these items without the special tool? Also I'm sure this system could use some adjustments but I don't have the special tool used for checking constant draft control and implement position control. Any thoughts on that one?.

You make no mention of the unloader valve, a common problem area. That part of backpressure/check valve is threaded & with the correct bolt threaded into it, it can usually be pulled out. Take it easy as if too well corroded in place it can break apart & then you have real trouble. Those "special" gauges/tools for setup are just pieces of metal ground to a specific thickness to be used as a feeler gauge is used. If someone else doesn't tell you the measurements, I'll look for them.

Hi Jmor thanks for responding I've seen you comment on many different topics here and I thank you for responding to mine.

I hadn't mentioned the unloader valve because I thought I had already taken care of it but, after you mentioned it I went back and looked again and realized I had overlooked it thinking it was a bolt hole. It is not lol. I have removed it. I did have to use a small steel rod and taped on it gently to get the valve out took vary little effort really. Once it started to move it slide right out. I'm going to try to locate an o-ring locally otherwise I'll have to order. The condition of the valve is great only a little bit of dark oil on it which wipes off with a finger. When I removed the baffle I did notice that there was no spring tension at all from the spring. I thought I remembered seeing this mentioned before as a caution when removing. The spring is in great shape no defects visible. What are your thoughts and ?'s on what I have spoken about so far?.

Do you know if unloader was resting out toward the plug (bypass/unload position) or was it deep in the hole )lift position), before using rod to push it out? How much spring tension is under depends on position of control valve spool, but I believe there will always be some. Perhaps little, if linkage to control valve is disconnected.

Ok then I guess I'll get a new o-ring clean those pieces and stick them back in and while doing that check on that spring tension. Do you have any idea what that might suppose to feel like? After that I guess I'll work on the check valve that works with the piston. Looks like I might have to invest in an installer/remover tool. Any other ideas I might want to consider doing or steps I should bee taking to diagnose. I don't mind starting over from step one even. I can't remember if the manual says or not but, I'm lookin to find out the 2 measurements of those gauges used to adjust the lift. Any idea what those might be? Thanks again for your time.

Attached 502 gauge info. I will point out that the control valve spring is THE element that provides the force to move the control valve OUT. The linkage, in almost all of the operations, only provides force to push the valve inward (only push, no pull). The exception that I know of is when the ram extends out of the cylinder at the limit of lift & piston skirt contacts the pin in control arm.

This is some info I have accumulated on a few 600's that I have been into.

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1204839&highlight=unloader

Those use a common -114 o-ring. YMMV

(quoted from post at 15:54:36 07/01/16)
This is some info I have accumulated on a few 600's that I have been into.

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1204839&highlight=unloader

Those use a common -114 o-ring. YMMV

Click to expand...

ello, Hobo.........when all the way to tour magnet, that is LIFT position of the unloader and you said that is the way you found it, so I must ask, was the lift lifting? If not, what was the final analysis?

The lift did work the issue was it would only lift the arms about a foot. It was a internal adjustment/ware issue no problems found with anything else. The screwdriver thru the oil fill hole confirmed the lift was capable if commanded to lift.

The few I have been into (they worked) the un-loader was stuck on the magnet side of those pix. I tapped them to un-stick they worked free after that. None showed any issues with the un-loader O-ring other than that. I do not know why they may stick in that position nor did I see it be a issue with either lift.

"I do not know why they may stick in that position nor did I see it be a issue with either lift."
Thanks for the insight & I will venture an opinion as to why stuck in that position rather than the other extreme. As with the dual action rams on a FEL, there is more area on the side without the rod than on rod side and given equal pressure, more force. So, if somewhat sticky, the greater force drives it to position of magnet, but perhaps not enough of the lesser force to drive it in the other direction. Another possibility, when in unload position, the pressure acting on unloader is only that which the backpressure valve allows (I think around 40#) and as lift begins, that 40 jumps to as much as 2000 (depending on load being lifted) to really drive that unloader hard into the lift (at magnet) position. Don't really know area1 and area2 and the difference in area 1 & 2, but those are my thoughts.

COOL... I will buy into that and I am a hard sale...

The only one I had that was a issue you could see the o-ring had deteriorated and it did not float as I have found they should.

I took a pix but did not realize it was a chitty pix :evil:

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=593696&highlight=unloader

(quoted from post at 17:43:13 07/01/16)
COOL... I will buy into that and I am a hard sale...

The only one I had that was a issue you could see the o-ring had deteriorated and it did not float as I have found they should.

I took a pix but did not realize it was a chitty pix :evil:

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=593696&highlight=unloader

Click to expand...

know & that is why the two of us don't try to treat the other like a mushroom........ya know, keep in the dark & feed BS.

I agree do what ever it takes to figure it out and leave your pride on the table...

Hay jmor! Thanks for the tool info appreciate that kindly. Thought I would update this post and let you know what's happened since July 1.. I went to my local Napa auto parts store and found 2 o-rings the correct size brought um home and installed them on the valves. I would dunk the valve in clean hydraulic oil then slip the o-ring on. After that I reinstalled the valves in there proper position and buttoned everything back up. After getting the control levers on I moved them back and forth making sure no binding was happening. Then I reinstalled the lift cover with all its glory hanging down and torqued the bolts down. Now as I began to install one of the lift arms on the lift shaft I had to let go to reach for the bolt and the lift arm rotated down and when I lifted up on the lift arm there was a little bit of ease to it like as if a spring was gently pulling it up for new. I new it then had to be installed some what properly at leased that's what I was telling my self. Lol Got both arms on fired up the engine the rotated the control lever and lo and behold the lift arms rose to the occasion. Yeah baby I screamed f*@% yeah. The lift is functioning properly ty. I have since then reconnected the front loader with new hydro lines and it to is operating properly as well. Now I'm just waiting on new brakes to arrive so I can install them and this 1963 Ford 4 cylinder 172 cid diesel tractor will be completely overhauled rebuilt and finished. Thanks for your help and to all that I have talked with here in the forums thank you for all your input. Take care

Good for you......glad all is well.