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offroadrolls

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Messages
1,333
Location
North side of Deer Mountain
I have this old Massey Ferguson backhoe (1979) that I have not started for several years. I'd like to get it going again but know very little about diesels. So, I'm posting today to see if there is anything I should be looking out for when I go to start it. I checked the fuel and it looks like and smells like diesel fuel. I don't see anything floating around in the tank. The fuel in the clear sight bowl at the fuel filter looks OK. I'm thinking I should drain the fuel in the injection pump? Oh ya, it's a 4 cyl. Perkins

Anything else?

At this point I'm not sure if the engine turns freely. I'd put a wrench on the crank pulley but it's buried up in and behind a bunch of stuff. So, being the lazy fool I am, I figured I'd just use the starter.

Once I get it started I plan to pull and reseal any of the hydraulic cylinders that are leaking and then hopefully I can use it for a landscaping project on the West side of our home.

Thanks
 
Forgot the picture

1979 Massey 50 C
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I'd change the fuel filter, check the oil levels and start it. If it doesn't start give it shot of starting fluid. Don't be surprised when it fires right off and you're in business.
 
I wouldn't worry about changing the fuel filter yet. No need to get any air in the system. Check the air filter and make sure there are no nests from birds or mice. If it doesn't start right up crank it over until you get smoke out of the exhaust the spray with a little bit of starting fluid not a lot. After you get it running then change motor oil and filter and fuel filters. Good luck.
 
I’d have a way to smother the air intake just in case it decided to run away when it starts. Have seen a few do that when the pump would stick. Not common, but does happen.
 
Ya, diesel motors park well. It might just start right up.
A trick I use when a tractor has sat for quite a while is, I unscrew the oil drain plugs on the engine, transmission and rear-end, and be ready to screw it back in quickly. Any water that has snuck into each segment will have separated from the oil and will be sitting on the bottom waiting for you to pull the drain plug. Pure, drinkable water will rush out first, then a little bit of sluggy oil, then good clean oil. This is when you can [messily] screw the drain plug back in.
Good luck.
 
I put a deep cycle battery in it today and got it to turn over. Then it all started coming back to me. It needed a starter or at least a rebuild to the starter that's in it. I pulled the battery out of my plow truck and jumped it to the other for some extra oomph. I got it to spin OK but not as fast as I'd like to see it go. Anyway, after some messing around I remembered there's a primer lever on the lift/fuel pump. So, using that and got the air out of the injection pump then I ran out of time. Tomorrow I'll get to bleeding the lines up to the injectors. Unfortunately, I don't think there's going to be anyway around fixing the issue with the starter. Mercurymac; believe it or not I know that trick and I did get maybe a 1/4 cup of water plus 1/2 cup of oil all over my hand. Bama, that's a good idea and since I have the air filter element out anyway I'm going to get shop towel ready just in case. BTW anyone know a good source for a starter/parts for this thing?
 
After bleeding the fuel lines and putting new brushes in the starter she started right up after about 10 seconds of cranking. Runs great! I filled up the one flat front tire and drove it out of the tall grass over closer to the house so I can continue to work it.. I've ordered seal kits for both front tilt cylinders as well as the stabilizer cylinders in the rear. Those are the major leaks. Once I get those fixed I can run it long enough to determine whether or not any of the other cylinders leak bad enough to warrant resealing.
This is the only proof that I have it's running.
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This is the weak link on this machine. It's a big a$$ rotatory hydraulic cylinder that moves the hoe from side to side. It's pretty clapped out and has a ton of slop in it. My plan used to be to find a smaller back hoe attachment from a Case and retrofit it on to this machine. The backhoe attachment on this machine now has always seemed way too big for the tractor.

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Now that I'm having some success with this machine I'm getting amped up to perhaps tackle this one too. It's a 1969 Allis Chalmers. It ran great when I parked it 14 years ago after it stopped turning left. I only paid 1500.00 for it and did a ton of work with it as worn out as it is.

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If it won't turn left, go around the track backwards. :D [ddd
Oh yea. Congrats on getting that bad boy running.
 
Don't envy ya having to work on the clutches and brakes on this ole gal but, I'll watch [P[P[P

Me either! Completely out of my comfort zone. Heck, the biggest wrench I own is 1.125" I'm hoping if I take the lid off what ever it is I need to to see, all it will need is an adjustment or a broken thingamawidget welded back together.
As for getting it started, geez the batteries alone are north of 200.00 and they won't fit in anything else I have.....I may have to improvise[S
 
I almost bought a TD dozer one time until I found out it wouldn't turn, either. They told me it had a blown hydraulic line I think, that was a few years back. I also didn't have a way to get it to the house, was a bit big for my car trailer. :eek::rolleyes::D
I didn't think I could work on it myself, so I passed.
 

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