Fordson Dexta Diesel Needs HELP!!

Shep1

Member
I'm sorry I can't provide the year but I think it is not a Major. I purchased it last year after sitting up quiet a while. After a lot of rehab I got it running and would start after 3 or four turns of the crank..and would run and idle perfectly, except for the smoke in the exhaust. Then I started seeing wet oil in the exhaust. Then I noticed a leak from a "Plate" with 3 nuts holding it on in the area of the exhaust manifold. Then that leak got to where exhaust was blowing out bad. So, I parked it. It sat for maybe 1 month until I ordered a exhaust stud from YT and replaced it yesterday because I found one of the studs holding this plate down had some stripped threads. so, I replaced the stud and really got a good seal on this plate...after cranking and cranking no joy..would not even hit one time..so,I took one of the fuel lines off of the injector and cranked and not fuel was coming out..so I went through the bleeding procedure, still not fuel coming out of the top of the injector pump. Now I noticed a had a steady small stream of diesel coming from the front of the motor draining onto the ground. I pulled the dip stick out and sure enough the oil pan was so full that when I tried to crank it, fuel/oil literally blew out of the dip stick hole! One last thing the fuel pump is brand new. I did notice that when I removed that "cover plate" clean water came out of the top bolt/stud hole toward the front of the engine when I removed the stripped stud. Otherwise, I do not have any water in the oil or oil in the radiator. Ok..I'm thinking head gasket, or cracked engine block..or ??? ANY wisdom would be appreciated, and sorry for the lengthy post.
 

I meant I know it is not a Fordson Major..I just can't give the date of it..when I can figure out how to upload a photo I will do that.
 
Your description is rather confusing. A series of pictures would help. The serial number is on the vertical lip of the bell housing. you may have to file or sand it and paint the stampings to get them to be visible.

Loosen the pipe nut that goes from the fuel filter and goes into the injection pump. Toggle the lever on the lift pump until you feel resistance. This pressurizes the sytem to about 10-12 pounds. Does fuel come out of the pipe where the loosened nut goes into the injection pump? There is a slight possibility that your brand new lift pump has a hole in the diaphragm.

Did you remove the injection pump when you were working on the tractor?

I don't see how the crankcase can be full of oil and diesel unless there is some leak on the injection pump seal or shaft going into the timing gear housing. Also diesel fuel will spill out the pigtail overflow pipe on the bottom of the simms pneumatically governed pump if that is what you have. This pump is lubricated by the diesel fuel that leaks by the plunger assembly. Later Dextas have a mechanical governor that is lubricated with engine oil.
Make sure the bypass pipe on top of the three injectors is not plugged. This pipe feeds excess fuel back into the fuel tank. It can plug up and cause problems.

The cover plate sounds like one of the three covers for the indirect combustion chambers that are on the exhaust side of the cylinder head.
 

Thanks D.L. for your response and yes after I read my post I tried to delete it because it was rather confusing.

I am going to try to upload the serial number photo, if I can, to see if you guys can help id it. Also a photo of the engine.

I call her "Glenda" and all I had to do was tighten up some air leakage to get her to crank and run, but she would crank great with no help from ether, etc. and would idle perfectly.

She did have a lot of blow-by because oil would seep out from under the valve cover and when I held my hand over the valve cover opening the blow-by would push my hand off. However, this old gal had wonderful power inspite of that!

So, I parked her for the fall to pick up the restoration later on but then I had a project come up that I needed to put a box blade on her. Well, she would not crank..I mean not even hit a lick!

So, I started with bleeding the system and the primer pump on the fuel lift worked great and I had bled it all the way to the injector pump. Seems like I didn't have any coming out of the injector pump, and that may be an error on my part. I'm not sure if I did this right but I took off one of the fuel lines from the injector pump going to the injector and I would think I would see a spurt of fuel upon cranking...but I didn't, and still dont.

Concerning the block off plate that I mentioned. the "Indirect Combustion chamber". Ok, as I am standing facing the exhaust manifold the second block off plate from the front of the engine has 2 bolt holes on its left side and 1 on its right side. On the left side of that plate where the 2 holes are is where the top stud was stripped. when I took this stud out, radiator water came out of that hole.. Of course, my question is water suppose to come out of that "stud hole"?

I am gonna leave the rest of my imaginings alone for right now so we can concentrate on what I have tried to dribble out in some sort of cohesive manner this time.

I gonna take your advice and remove the fuel pump and check it out.

One last question that will show my ignorance of this great little tractor. If they were made in England then why are all of the nuts and bolts SAE not Metric?

Now I am gonna try to up load a couple of photos.

thanks again!!


mvphoto45611.jpg

mvphoto45613.jpg
 
It is normal for water to come out of that stud hole as it is
straight into the water jacket.

One quick way to view the inside of your engine is to use ether.
If used, for some reason, Dextas will break pistons and rings,
over the years I have seen that done many times. You are far
safer to get the pre heater and pump on the fuel tap working,
heat for 40 secs, press twice on the plunger and she will start
in the coldest of conditions.

I do not quite see how you have diesel in the oil without it
pouring out of the pigtail tube on the injection pump. There is a
seal that can leak between the pump and the timing cover but that
is the only place that is connected to fuel. The lift pump may
have a faulty diaphragm which could put a lot of diesel in the
cam box but again, diesel should be coming out of the pigtail
tube. Do not attempt to start until you have changed the engine
oil or she may run away on diesel from the sump getting past the
pistons. Been There, Seen That, Changed The Engine!!!

Clean around the side plate on the injection pump, EXTRA CLEAN!!
Remove the side plate and lever the rack with a screw driver. It
should move from side to side with a spring returning it. Add a
little Automatic Transmission Fluid as this will help clean and
free things up in there. Once that is moving freely and you have
changed the oil, then it will be OK to try and start her. A blow
lamp or heat gun directly in the intake manifold will help with
an initial start.
 
Whew! Glad about the stud hole! I almost didn't buy this tractor because I knew he had used ether on it, and maybe that is why it has so much blow-by. But thanks for the advice but I would never use ether anyway, that is why I rebuilt the glow plug, new switches, etc.

Ok, roger on changing the oil after I find exactly where the leak may be.

You have given me some great advice and I will heed it and report back maybe the first of next week, after I get back from opening of deer season.

Lastly, could you make any sense of the serial number?

Take it easy!

Shep
 
These are not the (droids) numbers you want. Look where the bell housing joins the engine on the left side. There will be a vertical string of alphanumerics. If you look just south of the fuel filter you will see this string. It goes up and down the edge (lip). The numbers etc are arranged on top down of each other and not in sentence fashion. Think totem pole.

That is a dexta with the pneumatic governor. You need a side picture showing the injector pump and fuel filter at a level horizontal view, not looking down.

It also appears you may have painted over the breather at the rear left side of the injection pump. That breather is part of the pneumatic governor housing. It is about an inch in diameter.
 
Majorman.

Thank you for chiming in. Your are probably better suited to guide Shep1 through this. I have also seen a Dexta piston where the owner used ether on it. Broke the piston ring lands.
 
You have not given the serial number. The serial number is
stamped into the clutch flange on the injection pump side. It
will start 957E ..... and it is stamped not cast. The engine
number is on a flat area of the block on the same side just below
the join between block and cylinder head. Other important numbers
are the casting codes which will read something like "A12B".
These are on all cast parts and will be within six months of the
tractor build date. They will also confirm whether the tractor
has remained original.

Easiest places to find them are:
1. On the side of the clutch housing on the clutch side, behind
the axle support.
2. On top of the lift just in front of the seat.
3. On both rear trumpet housings at the rear.
4. On the side of the rear axle housing, on the brake side,
either up near the lift join or down by the rear brake shafts to
the brake drums.
5. On the side of the gearbox in amongst the other numbers which
are moulding numbers and the same on most Dextas.

Deutz Lover or any one else please chime in on the Super Major
Hydraulics not working post. I am wracking my brains and looking
at flow diagrams but it is eluding me at the moment.

Brian
 
Brian,

Unfortunately I have not dealt with the hydraulics on Dextas or Majors. All I could do is look at the flow chart diagrams and hazard a guess. I just am not qualified because of lack of experience.

I will look, but don't expect anything beyond a sigh.
 

thanks all for the replies. So, far since my last post I am now certain I have diesel in the oil pan. Where the leak is I don't know yet I have to get it up to my shop.

I think I have found the serial number and I am going to try to upload it and also a "Side shot" of the simms. I think I can make out 74967 but I will continue to look at the other places suggested.

Thanks again all for your input, and I know I am in good hands with you guys...

Shep


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mvphoto45789.jpg
 
The pics are too close and still too high of an angle. I need to see from the front of the timing/drive gear housing to the back of the fuel filter in one shot. That way you can point out where the diesel fuel is coming out and going onto the ground.

If you remove the side cover of the injection pump gear drive housing you might see signs of a leak where the pump stud enters the rear of the cover.

If the serial number is 14967 or 4967 it was made in 1959.

Serial numbers from 144 to 22558 have a production date of 1959.
 
Ok..so you want a photo viewing from the front of the tractor looking at the injector pump assembly toward the fuel filter, in one shot. I think I know what you are wanting and will post later after work.

I think you are referring to the "plate" that has 2 bolts holding it in just to the left of the fuel pump and NOT the plate on the injector pump that has the SIMMS embossed on it..Right?

Thanks,

Shep
 

thanks for your input..I did find a cast A10B I think and I am attaching a photo of it..I did see a 957E number and took a photo also.

I wish I knew how to rotate these because they were correct in my folder...

thanks,

Shep


mvphoto45798.jpg



mvphoto45800.jpg
 
Yes, that is correct. I have not removed the plate on mine, but you might be able to view the drive gear and look with a flashlight to see if there is any signs of diesel fuel driping out the shaft seal. I am not sure if this will work. I guess I will have to remove mine and see if this is visible sort of like when they have a space capsule with problems and NASA duplicates the procedure on the ground or in a swimming pool.
 
Shep1,

Tonight I took a second look at the pic and reread your post. That does look like a 7, but mangled a bit. That makes your Dexta a 1961.
 

Ok..so here is what I have done. I drained the oil pan and surely it was diesel in the oil because it poured like water and almost filled a 5 gal. bucket. For, now the drain plug is not in.

I took the cover off of the timing gear assembly and could not really see in there very well, so no joy there.

I filled, well halfway, the tank with off-road diesel so the dye in it may help identify where the leak is coming from.

I did take the side plate off of the injector pump. Was there suppose to be any lubricant in there? Because it wasn't. Looked nasty so I cleaned it up.

Before I cleaned it up

mvphoto45904.jpg



After I cleaned it up..

mvphoto45906.jpg





So, next I got my wife to hold the starter Lever down so I could watch the working of the inside of the simms and the No.1 spring would barely move...the no. 2 moved up and down quite nicely ...and the no. 3 spring acted just like No.1 and was trying to move but didn't.

BTW...I did take the fuel pump off and verified the diaphragm wasn't torn and the manual pump pressurized the system nicely.

So, team YT...Remove the injector pump or can it be repaired while on the engine?

One last huge question...how do I get my photos to upload right side up? I hate the sidewise photos and I know everyone else does too...

Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom!

Shep
 
Shep1

It looks like you did a thorough job cleaning the upper part of the pump. There is usually a bleed line (pig tail pipe) under the pump that acts as an overflow for excess diesel fuel/lubricant. You should remove this and spray Liquid Wrench up into the hole and also spray the upper part of the pump plungers while your wife cranks the tractor. If everything clears up put some 30 wt. oil in the pump upper part. It will drain to the lower part. Someone suggested installing a plug in the upper part to add oil to.

The camshaft is in the lower part. Each plunger assembly resides above a bucket and cam roller. It is important that this part gets lubricated. You may have to jet some oil up into the cam shaft housing and then put the plug back into the bottom.

I presume you used and air hose and solvent to clean the upper part. You may have to do the same to the bottom.
 
Shep1,

I forgot to ask. Does the throttle rack work properly? That is something else that should be worked back and forth while your wife cranks the tractor. The 3 plungers will rotate back and forth as they go up and down helping free them of any tiny pieces of debrie. These things are easily jammed even with slightly dirty fingers.

If this does not work then the plunger assemblies will have to be removed and cleaned. This has to be done carefully as there are small parts in the upper part of the plunger assembly and the plunger/barrels are not interchangeable and are hand fitted.
Usually one plunger will not properly fit another barrel. It will either be too tight or too loose. Newer ones might be interchangeable, but on these it is common that they are a matched pair.

Also the upper assembly will normally be wet with diesel fuel/oil but is not normally filled with lubricant. Observe the buckets and make sure they are moving too.
 
As DL says, you cannot change plungers around, they are matched to
thousandths of a millimeter, If you hold each part in your hand
for a minute you would not be able to get them back together.

You do not need oil in the pump as diesel lubricates it when
running, however it may help to put some in as she has been
standing. Automatic Transmission Fluid is best and comes highly
recommended both neat into the pump and about 1 pint in the fuel
tank every couple of fill-ups.
 
Shep1,

I studied your excellent pics of the plunger/barrels. It looks like plunger 1 and 3 are stuck in the up position. This is where you need to jet automatic transmission fluid (thanks Majorman) while working the throttle rack back and forth. Try to aim between the coils of the springs.

You can see the tops of what I call the buckets at the base of the plunger assemblies 1 and 3.
 
(quoted from post at 12:57:35 11/30/19) I had to look the name up. What I call buckets are more commonly called roller tappets or cam followers.

Thanks guys for your input and although I didn't bag any deer this weekend I can report that I did get the plungers or whatever yawl call those things unstuck.

Using my small rubber hammer I gently tapped on that "rail" assembly and sure enough it finally moved. So,I grabbed the old trusty squirt bottle of 3-In-One oil, because I knew it was very thin and once everybody got to moving up and down I threw on some "garage door spring" spray and now those plungers are dancing around nicely.

So..THANKS!! For you guys taking the time to chime in with your experience and knowledge....

But..alas......Now I am back in the original situation of diesel in the oil pan.

I think I will start a new thread on just that subject so anything that comes to light may help some poor schmuk like me in the future!

So, right now, there is no oil in the oil pan, and I know that the pump is free to start when ready..

Thanks again!

Shep
 
Shep1,

This is great news. It is difficult to diagnose when there are mulitple problems.

Do three things.

Make sure the diesel fuel return lines on top of the injectors are not plugged. This raises the pump pressure and can prevent the engine from starting and may cause fuel to be lost elsewhere rather than going back into the fuel tank.

Make sure the pigtail pipe under the pump is not plugged. If it is plugged it can cause diesel fuel to build up in the pump and run out of the pump camshaft seal into the drive gear housing and thus into the engine.

Fill the crankcase with oil and try the engine.

If diesel fuel is still accumulating in the crankcase the shaft seal for the injector pump is shot and leaking diesel into the injector pump drive housing.
 
I have one other thought, but it is a possibility.

Remove the pneumatic governor control pipe that goes from the pump into the intake manifold butterfly. See if it is wet with diesel fuel. It is possible that the pneumatic governor diaphragm has a hole in it and is leaking fuel into the intake where the throttle butterfly is and also might do this if that breather on the left side of the pneumatic governor housing is plugged up.
 
The pump shaft seal is the primary suspect, but the others should be checked first as they are a lot easier to check than removing the pump and replacing the seal.
 

Brilliant! I understand what you are suggesting and will pursue these in the next few days.

I started a new thread on this issue and will copy and past a link of what you have stated here so in the future others can find what you guys have contributed...

I really do appreciate you taking your time to help..

Shep
 

I overlooked this reply and will certainly try this in the next couple of days..

I have seen numerous forums when somebody takes the time to reply and the doomkoph needing the info overlooks those replies..

It might take me a couple of reads but trust me, I do appreciate all of you guys taking the time to help this old geezer out..and will try to make all of your recommendations performed!

Shep
 

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