Ford 871 Selectospeed transmission oil level plug

ajPM871

New User
Which of these plugs is the sight level plugs so that I can tell how much fluid I need to fill my 871 selectospeed trans? Pictures attached. I think it's the bottom one, but I don't know what the upper one just above the brake pedal is for.

Thanks,
AJ
 


aj, you need a few posts in order to be allowed to post pictures, or you can just go down to the site comments forum and see if you can convince them that you are not a "bot" and get permission.
 
(quoted from post at 19:14:09 09/09/21)

aj, you need a few posts in order to be allowed to post pictures, or you can just go down to the site comments forum and see if you can convince them that you are not a "bot" and get permission.

More than 5 seems to be the number, so he shows more than enough to post pictures.
 
Ok I think the problem was I didn't give
them enough time to load. Sorry. Anyway,
inside some experimenting and it turns out
that the sight plug is the lower right
arrow. However the new problem is that I
can find a drain plug. I thought there was
supposed to be one directly on bottom
under where this sight plug is. The only
ones I see are in the rear for the rear
end and hydraulic. Then up front for the
engine oil which is a larger drain plug. I
have an 801 owners manual but it's only
for 4 and 5 speeds. My 871 Selectospeed
with Elenco 4x4 looks pretty different
from the manual I have.


cvphoto100556.jpg


cvphoto100557.jpg


cvphoto100558.jpg
 
Level plug is the square plug in your last pic. Drain plug is not really a plug. With reference to the link below, remove bracket #37 and turn screen #36 180 degrees with a pliers before pulling it out about 2 or so. Once the trans has drained, pull the screen all the way out and clean it.
SOS drain
 
You need the service manual for that tranny. Whatever you do...do NOT turn that adjustment your upper arrow points to or the other two that look similar without fully reading the procedures. You will have band problems if you do. And if you loosen them too far you will be opening up the transmission to put little parts back where they belong!
 
Thanks Bern! I see it now. Where do you recommend filling it up? Is that the other plug in my picture above to the right of the brake pedal? That plug is a different design, the threads are deep and once its way out it gets extremely tight, I was too nervous to break it off so I stopped. Doesn't seem like just a regular plug to me.
 
Well...too late for that advice haha. I guess I'll see how it runs tomorrow. Prior to seeing this, I cranked that all the way out and moved the nut around..I put it back as close as I remembered to where it was when I took it out...hopefully I didn't jack it up.
 
(quoted from post at 19:00:04 09/09/21) Well...too late for that advice haha. I guess I'll see how it runs tomorrow. Prior to seeing this, I cranked that all the way out and moved the nut around..I put it back as close as I remembered to where it was when I took it out...hopefully I didn't jack it up.

In the first two pictures the top left arrow is pointed to the third band adjustment screw / nut.
 


That appears to be the early "over-running" SOS. Most of them were swapped out for a later much improved unit. You should perhaps research what special care you could give it in order to prevent problems. Start shopping for spares on line. I found a pair of reasonably priced cables for mine.
 
Haha yeah I'm guessing I am too. I'm going to call up a local tractor shop who advertises they work on these things and chalk it up to a lesson learned. I can fix alot of things with small engines and whatnot but these old tractors are a new journey for me. I appreciate the help of everyone on this post.

AJ
 
Update: I took the tractor out for a spin today and here is what I noticed.

-Not much change happening between 1-4 although I can feel the slight jolt of the gear shifting like normal, which is how it was before. A big jump into 5 (same as before) , steady increase into 6.

6 to 7 slows down...which it did before but that made no sense.

7-8 very subtle change if anything. Big jump into 9.

9 to 10. I honestly can't tell if it's going into 10 but something isn't right there. The shifter handle doesn't click, I don't feel much of a jolt or gear grab. Tractor doesn't change speed. I counted back to one and climbed back up to 9 counting each shift to make sure it wasn't just the pointer arrow being off center. Truth be told I don't know if I ever had 10 because I don't remember having to really fast gears at the end. Maybe skipping 9...I don't know. That's my update.
 
(quoted from post at 10:40:18 09/10/21) Update: I took the tractor out for a spin today and here is what I noticed.

-Not much change happening between 1-4 although I can feel the slight jolt of the gear shifting like normal, which is how it was before. A big jump into 5 (same as before) , steady increase into 6.

6 to 7 slows down...which it did before but that made no sense.

7-8 very subtle change if anything. Big jump into 9.

9 to 10. I honestly can't tell if it's going into 10 but something isn't right there. The shifter handle doesn't click, I don't feel much of a jolt or gear grab. Tractor doesn't change speed. I counted back to one and climbed back up to 9 counting each shift to make sure it wasn't just the pointer arrow being off center. Truth be told I don't know if I ever had 10 because I don't remember having to really fast gears at the end. Maybe skipping 9...I don't know. That's my update.


Not going into 10is most likely just the adjustment to the shift cable. It is not difficult, especially taking it up so that it pulls into 10
 
The chart below should help you to gauge how big the jumps should be. As you can see, the change between 2-3 should be barely perceptible, however all the others should be very noticeable. The biggest jumps are 4-5 and 8-9.

Do your test again at near full throttle and dragging the brakes to work the engine hard. Report back your results.
cvphoto100713.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 12:40:18 09/10/21) Update:

6 to 7 slows down...which it did before but that made no sense.

9 to 10. I honestly can't tell if it's going into 10 but something isn't right there.

6 to 7 slow down could be a band 1 adjustment issue. That would affect 8 as well. It also could be the reason you're not finding 10th.

This issue could also affect 3 & 4 and R2.
 
(quoted from post at 10:57:07 09/11/21) I think it's obvious that he has band adjustment issues, given the fact that he has been indiscriminately messing with them.

Maybe he has been messing with B!, however, I don't see anywhere in this thread that indicates so! IF you can find that, feel free to point it out!
 
(quoted from post at 12:48:24 09/11/21) For the record...it was an accident...and it was only once!

So! you have messed with B1 adjustment? Or just with the one you have pictured and the arrow drawn to it (B3)?
 
Larry, I'm not sure what's in the rest of
this post anymore haha. I think Bern's
description of indiscriminately
messing!is throwing you off. Mistaking
one bolt/nut hardly qualifies I'd say. I'm
new to this, I thought #3 ( the one on the
right above the brake was a fill plug for
the trans fluid. I backed it out and
realized it wasn't cuz it was different
style and it didn't really wanna release
out. So I put it back as close to the same
position as I could. I touched neither of
the other 2. I'm 35 yrs old...I can't say
nobody else did since 1959 haha. Anyway
the slow down to 7 was happening before
that since I bought it. And not grabbing
10 it's hard to say but I only ever had
one really fast gear at the top so I think
that was happening before as well. Ill
keep posting though cuz I think Bern
enjoys the errors of my learning.
 
(quoted from post at 16:50:04 09/11/21) I touched neither of
the other 2.

Bern was reading stuff into your post that wasn't there. His mistake led him to challenge me about B1.

I'm still saying most, if not all of your symptoms are related to band 1 not applying properly. Get a manual and adjust the bands per procedure for your version of the SOS . . . or hire someone who knows the procedure.
 
Thanks Larry. Manual has been ordered, not
yet arrived. Been searching for a local
shop that knows their stuff as well. Not
that many around willing to work on SOS.
Closest one so far that I know is 3 hours!
I'd like to start fresh from a pro. In the
meantime, it's not actually running THAT
bad...but is it going to cause more damage
to run it the way it is if the bands are
out of wack until the adjustments get
made? Don't want to make matters worse. PS
I felt like posting a pic of this
beautiful machine haha

-AJ
cvphoto100794.jpg
 
You're right, he did not specifically say that he messed with the B1 adjustment. Since he did confess to messing with B3, I just assumed that
he might have done B1 and B2 as well in his desperate attempt to find a fill and/or level plug location. I guess that's what I get for
assuming.
 

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