Boy, have I screwed up!

Today, I drained all the 90 wt, out of my 1950 B. And it needed it. Was a Carmel color. So, I went to refill it, and I thought the small pipe plug next to the oil filler was the hyd fill. Fyi, it ain't. I ran the tractor for 30 minutes, and noticed it smoked some. (Go figure!) so I checked the oil. Amazingly, you can put 4 gallons of 90 wt. in the crankcase and run it.
So, the question is, how bad have I screwed up? I've drained the crankcase, and am going to let it drain all night. I plan to fill with 30 wt, and run it a few minutes, then drain and change filter, refill and run a nit, then change oil and filter again. Good plan? Should I do anything else? I appreciate anyone's help here, this is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever done regarding a tractor.
Thanks, Mac
 
Don't sweat it they're built like a tank....put a good 30W in crankcase and go to work.....crankcase by pulley, transmission in front center of foot plate.
 
Just change the oil and run it. Back in the day an old trick to selling a cor or truck or even tractor that smoked like a freight train was to run a quart or 2 of 90W oil in them. Shoot I use 60W oil in my 1935 JD-B because it smokes so much but then again it has not been opened up since back in the 40 or 50s if it has ever been opened up. My grand father is dead now so I can not ask him if he ever rebuilt it in any way
 
On a different color 1950 model tractor, I ran Penzz 10W-30, for eyars, then Penzz 10W-40 many years, finally upped it to some different 20W-50 thinking I had some sort of wear problem I was curing, then took it to a shop specializing in my brand tractor and they convinced me to run Rotella straight 30 weight. It all reads good on the pressure gage, I'm beginning to think [heresy, cover your ears] it may not actually matter.
 
I agree.... With that much in there it had to have been thoroughly bathed in lubricant! Fill it back up with the correct oil & it will be fine!

As an example from the late 60's... Dad was NOT in the habit of checking oil very often & when half a tank of gas disappeared from his B, he thought we siphoned it out & used it for something. He swore it was full when he parked it but it was now almost empty. He filled it up & when he was out on the road he noticed low oil pressure with it wide open. He figured something was wrong so he turned around, came back & checked things out. Turns out the B's float let most of a tank flow through the carb & into the crankcase. Don't know how much was in there but more than a 5 gallon bucket of dirty gasoline came out! We put in a new filter, filled it back up with 15-40 (used that in everything) & it's still going today. Sure cleaned that crankcase! It was clean right down to the yellow primer/sealer paint! Your gear lube was likely a lot nicer to the moving parts in your B than the gasoline was to ours!
 
Well, that's a relief! I figured itd be a rings and rod bearings proposition. I'm going to town tomorrow anyhow, so I'll stop by mother Deere and get a filter or two, and a shop manual! I still can't figure out why they put that plug there. I've not found the filler plug or the d@mn level plug yet, either. I don't know what the engineers were drinking when they designed the back half of the B, but I do know I'd like to have some!
Thanks guys,
Mac
 
Stay away from that hi power blended JD oil like 15x45....it has too much detergents for old tractors...get just a standard 30weight....also don't tighten that bid nut on filter base too tight just snug it up...you're break the housing...
 
Don't fear a super high detergent oil like a diesel oil. That's all I've used for decades in these tractors and it works just fine. Get the engine clean then keep it that way. Mike
 
Look on the lower right side of the rear housing cover, below the power troll valve. That's where it is on the A. Large square head plug, fill it up to the hole. Don't forget fresh oil for the first reduction gear.
 
No, no, don't criticize the design of an American machine until you've scratched your head trying to figure out a British machine. Better yet, French.
 
The small plug just back of the pulley. This is on my A but you should see the same thing. Drain it first, small plug down at the bottom of the big round housing. Mine takes a pint of engine oil. Don't know what the B takes, probably about the same.
a237680.jpg
 
Ok, I got it. Ill stick some in it when I do the crankcase oil. I've built fence all day until now, and I'm thinking a shower, a burger on the grill, and a bottle of pop with foam on top are in order.

Thanks for the picture and the help.
Mac
 
I agree with Mike if you've gone through the engine, but there's a lot of coagulation "not sure of spelling" and those super detergents with loose up all those clearance that have been somewhat sealed over time. An area such as the clutch pulley slinger. I would still suggest a lower detergent oil rather than the JD oil. I've seen machines start using oil with this blend. I've got a friend that started changing oil twice a year in his 530 and he's now complaining about oil around the pulley area. I advised him to change oil about every 2-3 years as he only puts about 10 hrs a year on the tractor...I'd just like to have his throw away oil. He is waisting money and causing problems but it's his machine and dollars.
 
In their active years these tractors may have had an oil change once or twice a year and was running the old undetergent 30 weight oil. The irony of the issue is now that they are being worked...maybe running on idle or high idle 5-10 hrs a year (display-tractor shows) folks think they have to use a prestine type oil. Why not go on up to synthetic and waiste more money. My friend now decesased used oil from oil changes and never had a problem for 30 years. I think were over board on the oil issue.
 
Saw this happen several times when I worked for Deere in the 50's. Farmer drained the transmission thinking he had the oil plug, then add new oil and filter and run tractor. Start it up and in a few minutes to an hour the transmission would start growling and trying to lock up due to lack of lubricant. Expensive way to learn to look at the book or ask directions.
 

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