Massey Ferguson Z134 Continental Engine Low Oil Pressure

MFergy

New User
I have a 1960 MF35 with the Z134 Continental Engine. It runs great, doesn't burn oil or smoke but oil pressure was really low so I changed the gauge to one that showed pounds. The book says it should be 30# to 60# the new gauge showed it at 27# and if you disk with it after about half of an hour it will drop to 12#. Any ideas
 
I had a Massey Harris 22 which I seem to remember had the same engine.
It also had low oil pressure which I found was due to a weak oil
pressure relief spring. Installing a new relief spring (easy job on
that engine) really improved the oil pressure.
 
The 30 to 60 is for the Perkins engine, Continental usually runs more like 10 to 25. What is the pressure at idle when hot? That's more of a clue how tight or worn the crankshaft bearings are..
 


OK thanks, I replaced the governor a ways back and when I did I replaced the oil pump gear and put some rebuild parts on the pump but not sure about that spring will have to check my records. Kind of worried I don't think I can get the oil pan off without removing every thing on the front end, something else i will have to check out. Thanks again
 
Pan will drop without any front end work, just loosen the two upper front engine block bolts on each side 1-2 turns. Then with the lower long bolts out you should see a small gap at the lower bolt to front support area. Then the pan will drop straight down. That's how the MF dealer I worked for did all the tractors that needed pan removal.
 
If it were mine...

I would not go into it at this time. Those engines are not known for having good oil pressure. If the gauge is showing "some" oil pressure at hot idle, and coming up to 15-20 when up to speed, and no strange noises, it will run a long time.

How is the oil? Any chance it gas been contaminated with gas? Running too rich, flooding carb, clogged air cleaner (there is a wire mesh above the oil cup that is often overlooked), can contaminate the oil.

What kind of oil? The most popular oil in use now is 15w-40 diesel oil.

The pressure relief valve is rarely to blame. Increasing the spring strength will not raise idle or low RPM oil pressure.

The oil pumps on those are not the best. Trying to repair one usually doesn't do much, it is the housing that wears. If you want to go in after the pump, I would recommend replacing it over repairing the old one. However, the new one will be aftermarket, the quality could be questionable.

Again, "if it were mine"...

Check the oil condition, change if in doubt, go with 15w-40 diesel oil, make sure the carb is right, mixture is good, thermostat working. Note what the oil pressure is doing at various speeds, watch it for a period of time. If it gets worse, or unusual noises develop. like knocking on cold start, or under heavy load, that would be the time to take action.
 
(quoted from post at 20:33:18 06/07/17) If it were mine...

I would not go into it at this time. Those engines are not known for having good oil pressure. If the gauge is showing "some" oil pressure at hot idle, and coming up to 15-20 when up to speed, and no strange noises, it will run a long time.

How is the oil? Any chance it gas been contaminated with gas? Running too rich, flooding carb, clogged air cleaner (there is a wire mesh above the oil cup that is often overlooked), can contaminate the oil.

What kind of oil? The most popular oil in use now is 15w-40 diesel oil.

The pressure relief valve is rarely to blame. Increasing the spring strength will not raise idle or low RPM oil pressure.

The oil pumps on those are not the best. Trying to repair one usually doesn't do much, it is the housing that wears. If you want to go in after the pump, I would recommend replacing it over repairing the old one. However, the new one will be aftermarket, the quality could be questionable.

Again, "if it were mine"...

Check the oil condition, change if in doubt, go with 15w-40 diesel oil, make sure the carb is right, mixture is good, thermostat working. Note what the oil pressure is doing at various speeds, watch it for a period of time. If it gets worse, or unusual noises develop. like knocking on cold start, or under heavy load, that would be the time to take action.

The oil is new SAE 30 the engine sounds great, when cold it's about 27# as i work it the pressure starts to drop when it's hot and at idle it's around 12# when it's warm I think the temp is around 170 plus, I will try the things you mentioned Thank You
 

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