3020 Gasoline Tractor Overhaul

I have been a member of this forum for quite a few years now and I do appreciate the great wealth of knowledge and opinions others are willing to share. Thank you! I wish to toss out a topic to the group as I am looking for some input/insight. My dad and I have a 3020 gasoline powered tractor. I believe it is a 1966 model, was purchased second hand in the early 1970's, and was used back then for planting, cultivating, hauling grain, daily livestock feeding, cleaning feed yards, and other similar tasks. It does not get used to that extent anymore, as there is no livestock on the place. It does have a front end loader, which gets used for snow removal, cleaning up trees and branches after wind storms, some minor weed spraying, handling some hay, a bit of grain hauling, and other lesser tasks. It gets 60 to 100 hours per year. The most recent repair work on the tractor was replacing the Marvel Schebler carburetor with a Zenith carburetor, changing the electrical system to a 12 volt negative ground with an alternator, a clutch replacement and a flywheel. Right now, my dad says it has a bad/weak valve in the head. I trust his judgment on this, as his ear has always been "in tune" to those sorts of things. I also think the main hydraulic pump needs some attention.

My father and I have different opinions on what to do with this tractor. Neither one of us is experienced enough to tear this tractor down and perform the work I suspect is needed. I am not one who likes to open the door to a "money pit," but I also do not want to have this tractor "crap out" at a time when it is needed either. I think it may have been back in the 1970's when the engine last had been overhauled. I am thinking this is probably what is necessary to get it back into top notch running condition. There are no issues with the rear end or transmission, as this tractor has been rather bullet-proof for all the years we have had it.

If we took this to a shop, any ideas as to the cost of paying someone else to do an overhaul? I am quite sure the head will need machining and the valves replaced. Am I thinking correctly the camshaft will likely need replacing, or at a minimum will need to be re-ground? I am anticipating the engine balancer should be "rebuilt." I would not be surprised to find the main hydraulic pump needing attention, or for that matter, the transmission pump, too, but I might be pleasantly surprised to their respective condition. I suspect it would probably be wise to rebuild the water pump at this time since everything is all apart? This would be a good time to switch over to the Pertonix electronic ignition at this time. Other thoughts on items it might be worthwhile considering while it spends some time at the "tractor hospital?"

Lastly, if I opt to go into it this far, what thoughts might you have on "engine break in?" I am thinking of having this done during the summer, so we could work it this fall to break the engine in. Anyone's thoughts on this? Any along what my original question was................any idea on worst case scenario costs on the engine and other components? Thank you for whatever input you can provide. I just wanted some thoughts on this so I can make a more educated decision on this. Some may simply scrap the tractor when it dies. I don't want to do that as this tractor has been on our farm for over 40 years. My dad had considered this tractor to be like a "pliers," as he was lost with out it. Not quite the case anymore as he is in his late 70's. I grew up driving a 3010, which is no longer on the farm, so I graduated to the 3020. Still want to keep a gasoline tractor on the place and I feel it remains an essential tool, and will be for years to come.
 
First I would at least do a compression test and adjust the valves or check the adjustments. This would be pretty easy to do yourself. If you would find a valve out of adjustment it may just "fix" it ?
 
We will do that. I am just preparing for the worst, as the tractor does use some oil now and I am suspecting the engine is just plain getting a bit tired. Again, I just want to prepare for what is likely to come, because I know how "Murphy's Law" works for me.
 
I was in the same situation with a jd 2510. I was quoted in the neighborhood of $1,500 to $1,800 per cylinder. The only shop around here was a jd dealer so that might be high for you. They ended up going quite a bit over their estimate. I about fell over when I got the final bill, but I guess I can't complain to much. It runs great and purrs like a kitten. For the money technically the bill was more than the tractor was worth. I figure I know this tractors history and what I paid wouldn't buy a new one.
 
Thank you for your response. Your willingness to share this information at least helps me mentally prepare for this. Both dad and I wouldn't want to NOT have a 3020 gas around on the farm. I struggle with sticking that kind of money into it, but we at least know what we have, and I realize I could go out and buy another, but I also recognize that one could need a significant amount of mechanical work too. I don't believe in sending my problems down the road, but I really get embittered by buying something else, and end up buying their problems they decided to send down the road to the next unsuspecting sucker!
 
Without knowing how many hours are on the engine or the hours since its last overhaul it is very hard to guess what may be needed. It might be worth the time to do some diagnosis to determine the condition of the engine. A compression test and a leak down test can tell you a lot without opening up the engine, including pinpointing which valve is bad.

If the valves have not been adjusted in a long time, it's possible that just one valve is the only problem, that could be a fairly easy fix, mostly labor for the tear down and reassembly.

An overhaul should get you an engine good for another 5000 plus hours, that's another 50 to 100 years at the rate that you use it. If your engine is worn but still usable, it's possible that it could last another 10 or 20 years before an overhaul is really needed.
 
I feel it is getting a bit tired, as it does consume some oil. As I shared, I am simply wanting to tear into this with my eyes wide open as to the potential to probable outcome of once we tear into it. Thank you for your response and your input.
 
If you do decide to overhaul the JD 3020 engine I would try to find someone in your area who works on them in their own shop would sure shave the labor costs to much more affordable but the shops do charge lots just to even do valve jobs and check for cracks or worn out valve train which gets costly as well.
 
I'd also check into sources of parts and prices way before a tear down. Parts for a gas engine might be getting hard to find ? You might also place an ad on this site looking for a good running engine as many are pulling the gas out and putting diesels in.
 
Bottom line, do not open it up unless you are willing to spend several thousand dollars.

Do a compression test, if not too bad, and not smoking too much, I would leave it alone.
 
This site itself is selling parts for a 3020 gas.
Engine overhaul kit is around $1500. You may get a JD one for not much more at a John Deere dealer if you can get a "winter season" discount.
You can add up a valve set for $250, electronic ignition for $115.
A shop can add 16 valve seats and plan the head and grind valves for about $200 to $300 depending on their rate if you had to go that far.
The cam is super expensive but if you had put good oil in it there is no reasons to change it.
Balancers can be bought online already rebuilt. The oil pump if you had to change it will be around $800 with a core.

All of the above is $3200 but that is planning for the worst case in my opinion.
I cannot see how a shop can charge $7800 to rebuilt a 4 cylinder engine made of very few parts and that take litterally 4 hours total to remove and reinstall on the machine.
At $100 an hour that would be 45 hours of labor + parts and there is no way you can take that much time to full y disassemble clean and put back together a 3020 engine.
Unless they do not have any ratchet sockets, they use a teeth brush to clean parts, etc...

But if they have an ultrasonic parts cleaner, air tools, etc, you can do them quick!

Advise would be to do it yourself after you have read 4 times the factory JD manual for your tractor plus the Deere engine FS manual. If that is not enough, you can have a buddy come to your place and help you.
 
(quoted from post at 13:40:01 04/23/18) I have been a member of this forum for quite a few years now and I do appreciate the great wealth of knowledge and opinions others are willing to share. Thank you! I wish to toss out a topic to the group as I am looking for some input/insight. My dad and I have a 3020 gasoline powered tractor. I believe it is a 1966 model, was purchased second hand in the early 1970's, and was used back then for planting, cultivating, hauling grain, daily livestock feeding, cleaning feed yards, and other similar tasks. It does not get used to that extent anymore, as there is no livestock on the place. It does have a front end loader, which gets used for snow removal, cleaning up trees and branches after wind storms, some minor weed spraying, handling some hay, a bit of grain hauling, and other lesser tasks. It gets 60 to 100 hours per year. The most recent repair work on the tractor was replacing the Marvel Schebler carburetor with a Zenith carburetor, changing the electrical system to a 12 volt negative ground with an alternator, a clutch replacement and a flywheel. Right now, my dad says it has a bad/weak valve in the head. I trust his judgment on this, as his ear has always been "in tune" to those sorts of things. I also think the main hydraulic pump needs some attention.

My father and I have different opinions on what to do with this tractor. Neither one of us is experienced enough to tear this tractor down and perform the work I suspect is needed. I am not one who likes to open the door to a "money pit," but I also do not want to have this tractor "crap out" at a time when it is needed either. I think it may have been back in the 1970's when the engine last had been overhauled. I am thinking this is probably what is necessary to get it back into top notch running condition. There are no issues with the rear end or transmission, as this tractor has been rather bullet-proof for all the years we have had it.

If we took this to a shop, any ideas as to the cost of paying someone else to do an overhaul? I am quite sure the head will need machining and the valves replaced. Am I thinking correctly the camshaft will likely need replacing, or at a minimum will need to be re-ground? I am anticipating the engine balancer should be "rebuilt." I would not be surprised to find the main hydraulic pump needing attention, or for that matter, the transmission pump, too, but I might be pleasantly surprised to their respective condition. I suspect it would probably be wise to rebuild the water pump at this time since everything is all apart? This would be a good time to switch over to the Pertonix electronic ignition at this time. Other thoughts on items it might be worthwhile considering while it spends some time at the "tractor hospital?"

Lastly, if I opt to go into it this far, what thoughts might you have on "engine break in?" I am thinking of having this done during the summer, so we could work it this fall to break the engine in. Anyone's thoughts on this? Any along what my original question was................any idea on worst case scenario costs on the engine and other components? Thank you for whatever input you can provide. I just wanted some thoughts on this so I can make a more educated decision on this. Some may simply scrap the tractor when it dies. I don't want to do that as this tractor has been on our farm for over 40 years. My dad had considered this tractor to be like a "pliers," as he was lost with out it. Not quite the case anymore as he is in his late 70's. I grew up driving a 3010, which is no longer on the farm, so I graduated to the 3020. Still want to keep a gasoline tractor on the place and I feel it remains an essential tool, and will be for years to come.
As previously stated . Maybe a viable alternative to make certain that the ignition system right down to the housing bushings is 100%. The carb is 100% and the valves are set . Use straight weight 30 oil, the coolant operated at 195F and just use the tractor .
 
I guess I am slow because those hours are not far off to clean tractor,tear down and clean parts then reassemble.Someone took the parts to a machine shop then picked them up. After it is back together you have a few hours break in on a dyno and there is always a few other little things than need attention. I always figure 40 hours for an engine job. You will have a few hours pressing apart the balencer and rebushing it.When you keep track of all the time even cleaning the shop it adds up faster than you think. Tom
 
When you go to adjust the valves, take a small pick or screwdriver and see if the rubber plugs on the ends of the rocker shaft are loose in the shaft. If they are replace them(will have to remove the shaft to do so) had our 4020 diesel sound like a valve was tight/bad. What happens the plug(rear one) can move into the shaft and shut off the oil to the shaft making the valves stick from no oil. Was planning on pulling the head when I noticed the plug wasn't at the end of the shaft. Has been a few years and head hasn't been off.
 
i ran a independent shop for 35 years and worked on JD only any Mach that takes over 20 hours to do a 3020 gas is spending to much time on in the coffee room
 
If you can drive a 3020 in the shop and do a complete out of frame overhaul,reassemble and do engine break in and drive it out finished in 20 hours I would like to hire you. Tom
 
How much oil does it use in a years time? Does it burn it or leak it for the most part? I'm like the other guys here, if it's not too bad I think I would do a thorough tune up and keep running it, how many hours a year is it getting?
 
Reading between the lines a little, I would let your dad do what he wants with his tractor. It probably will never need to be brought back to "top notch" condition for your current uses. When a "top notch" tractor is needed it may be best to get a newer tractor, that's when you can step in and buy that next tractor yourself. LOL, does that help any?
 
Thank you for you input. A little insight into this, we share our equipment between one another. He owns about 40 percent of the equipment, and I own the remainder. For the past 12 years, when we needed to upgrade equipment, I have been the primary purchaser, which has put us where we are with respect to ownership. We take care of it all as if it is "ours" and jointly owned. I tend to be more of the stickler on repairs and maintenance, as well as making changes which make life for both of us a bit easier. It is his wish/plan, as per his written estate plans, that I end up with the equipment he owns, which is partially why I am willing to do what is necessary to bring this tractor back "up to par." He helped me out with some of this sort of "investment" when I first started farming. I look at this as a way to return the favor. I did this a couple years ago when it was rather obvious the fuel injection system on one of his tractors was in need of attention. I had the pump and injectors rebuilt. As a result of experiencing firsthand what the improvement was, I wish we had done it long ago. I suspect this to possibly be the case with this older 3020. I don't like putting off and putting off what is "inevitable." I have endured that before, and it seems like all things kind of snowball. At that point, the inconvenience and the costs become depressing and even more overwhelming. This is a way to keep ahead of problems and a proactive way, rather than "reacting" when something more catastrophic happens.
 
Get a copy of the John Deere engines f.o.s manual read it take all the test questions on every chapter without cheating ( the answers are in the back of the book ) then get the John Deere service manual read it and follow all the steps and you can rebuild it yourself otherwise The 8000$ dollar figure probably isn?t far off . If you do it yourself you can buy a lot more new parts that the shop might reuse. All States Ag Parts has reman engines for the Diesel 3020 I?m not sure about the gas model
 
I wouldn?t a 20 hour overhaul sounds like a steam clean some of the grease off rattle gun everything apart steam it again maybe a little crocus cloth on the bearing journals throw new bearings in new piston rings rattle gun everything back together and send it out the door
 
did an i frame on a 4010 years ago, block was clean as i r ember JD flat was 15.05 hours i did it i 15 new sleeves and brgs
 
I can agree with an inframe in those hours. But an out of frame is just so much more. you usually end up going through the clutch while it is apart. Check the cam and replace cam bearings, rebuild the balancer assembly,often a rebuild of the water pump ect. I think the 45 hours is a good bit but by the time you add in all the little things it is not as far off as you think. I always start with a clean shop so clean up time after the job is finished is really part of the overhaul time. With your experience you are definitely faster than I am. I do two to five overhauls a year so I spent time rechecking things and going over them twice. Someone that does one every week or so would definitely be faster than me. Tom
 

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