B6000 oil level

[Hans]

Hi all,

I've recently bought a B6000 and have some questions. It has a center drive tiller on it that I replaced all the tines on (except the ones towards the center on the collars that stand higher than the main tiller shafts). I've been doing a little reading here, and after dumping the oil last night, I have a few questions.

The oil was overfull - I dumped almost a whole gallon out of it last night. I think there was a fair amount of diesel fuel in there. Is this indicative of some catastrophic problem in my near future? I have no idea how long the oil had been in there before I got it. There were some metal shavings on the magnetic drain plug when I pulled it...
The second thing is that per casting on the oil fill cap, it said 2 liters of 30W for this time of year, or 10@-30 for the cold winters. I put the correct amount of 10-30w that I was going to let idle and warm up for a flush, then dump it and put in straight 30W (I've read more here since, and will be using 15W-40 diesel oil!). Anyway, I started it and after about a minute there was a brand new metallic noise I wasn't familiar with that sounded like it was coming from the starter area... shut it down right away.

Any thoughts on what this might be? Is it just a new noise that is normal and I haven't heard it before due to the really over-full crankcase? I have a hard time believing that the 10W-30 wasn't providing enough lubrication during no-load idling... I've known this thing to be running for hours on end at full throttle doing tiller work with an over-full crankcase full of dirty diluted oil. Is there a motor job in my near future? Or do I just overfill the crankcase again with clean oil and go back to work?

Hans

 

[birddogger]

Did the oil pressure light go out?
Some times I've had an engine take a while to fill the filter and get the light out and usually the last few seconds I start to hear the tappets.
So to avoid this I go ahead and bump it up a little bit off of idle to get the pressure sooner. If the oil pressure is up and you have funny sounds...well little bits of metal is never a happy sight. it depends on if it was metallic "fuzz" or little filings like from a grinding wheel.

An acquaintance has a b7200 that suddenly had overfilled oil. Fuel was seeping through the fuel pump into the crankcase. He replaced the pump and it was good for 6 or so months and the problem came back. He changed the oil and filter and now always keeps the fuel petcock OFF when parked. Problem hasn't come back.

 

[Hans]

Thanks for the quick reply, Birddogger-

I'm going to sound brand new here, but - oil pressure light? Is that the red lamp on the dash? It's never been lit as far as I know... but the headlamp switch is frozen in place too, so I wouldn't put much stock in that.

The metal on the plug was the fuzz, not filings. I wiped it off with a rag and didn't look at it too much more than that. I'll drain the 10-30 and see if there's any more - if so, I think I have problems. If not, I'll refill with 15W-40 and let it idle for a few minutes to see if the noise comes back or gets worse. I'll keep you posted-

Thanks again,

Hans

 

[birddogger]

Is that the red lamp on the dash? It's never been lit as far as I know

Does it come on with the key? If the lamp_never_lights you should fix that, hopefully it is only the bulb, for a couple bucks. It could be the sender unit, they can leak oil inside and the switch won't contact through oil. That's a few more bucks. You ought to fix the warning lights, they make for peace of mind so you don't boil over or end up with a dead battery when too far from an electric outlet for a battery charger.

The little bit of fuzz on the magnet will occur through time, it is the larger crunchy bits that are worrisome. Oil filters will trap particles from 50 microns and up in size, the smaller particles can go through and the magnet catches those, they are smaller than dust, that's why it just looks like fuzz. Like a little metallic dust-bunny

 

[Hans]

Birddogger,

Your assessment was spot-on. It was the lifters making the noise and they quit within a few more seconds. I let it run on the 10W-30 until warm, then drained it and checked the plug - no metal on the magnet. Put a long 2 qts of 15W-40 diesel oil in there and she runs like a champ.

I'll look into the light issue when I get the chance. What does that lamp light up to warn me about? Water temp, oil pressure, and ?...

Going to start looking for an owner's manual.

Thanks for taking the time to help - this board is a great resource!

-Hans

 

[birddogger]

What does that lamp light up to warn me about? Water temp, oil pressure, and ?...

?There's is only one light?
Battery, temperature, and oil pressure are the typical trio.
lemme see if I can find anything more.


Yeah looks like there's only 1. So which it may be would only be a guess on my part. My guess would be it is for oil, since steam will tell you it is boiling over, and a clicking starter tells you the alternator isn't working. There is a second lamp shown right above the starter switch but that is large and probably the glow-plug indicator.

 

[cmorningstar01]

If your B6000 dash is anything like my B5100 which only has 1 light then it works like this, when you turn the key on the red lamp glows(engine not running and no oil pressure) when you turn the key to the left that same red lamp glows indicating the glow plug circuit is working and the glow plugs should be warming up, There is also a little hole in the dash thru which you can see a little coil and as the glow plugs warm up this coil starts to glow orange/red, When it is red that is the indicator that you should then turn the ignition switch to the right to the start position and the starter cranks, The red light previously mentioned at this point turns into an oil pressure light and as the engine starts and oil pressure builds up the red light goes out.

 

[284 International]

An acquaintance has a b7200 that suddenly had overfilled oil.....and now always keeps the fuel petcock OFF when parked. Problem hasn't come back.

Do this, just remember to move the petcock to "on". ( I sometimes forget on my KTM motorcycle, too.)

One of the little stretchy coiled keychains, a piece of bungee cord or string, or whatever else you have run from the steering wheel to the petcock is a fail-safe reminder to move it to the operating position. I've also thought of just hanging the keys from there. They'll never get lost, and it's a reminder to turn the fuel off when finished, and on before using.

The B6000 has a compression release. On mine, I always pull it and spin up the engine until the oil pressure light goes out, then, while the engine is still spinning, I close the compression release. It fires right up, and has built oil pressure with much less load on the bearings.

 

[birddogger]

I always pull it and spin up the engine until the oil pressure light goes out, then, while the engine is still spinning, I close the compression release. It fires right up,

Alright! Never thought of that. Some say start-up friction is the source of most wear.

 

[Hans]

If your B6000 dash is anything like my B5100 which only has 1 light then it works like this, when you turn the key on the red lamp glows(engine not running and no oil pressure) when you turn the key to the left that same red lamp glows indicating the glow plug circuit is working and the glow plugs should be warming up, There is also a little hole in the dash thru which you can see a little coil and as the glow plugs warm up this coil starts to glow orange/red, When it is red that is the indicator that you should then turn the ignition switch to the right to the start position and the starter cranks, The red light previously mentioned at this point turns into an oil pressure light and as the engine starts and oil pressure builds up the red light goes out.

This post answered some big questions for me! It sounds like my dash is the same as your B5100. I am a little ashamed to admit it, but I didn't know how to cycle the glow plugs... I started it the way the guy showed me, and that was just turn the key to the right, turn the big black knob to the right, and crank, crank, crank until it finally started... The coil in the dash was a big mystery to me - a guy at the farm and I were joking it was a cigarette lighter...

I also know I need to fix the red lamp, as I've never seen it come on.this is going to make running this thing much more enjoyable.

Really appreciate the help, all of you!

 

[cmorningstar01]

I also know I need to fix the red lamp, as I've never seen it come on.

It is likely that it is just the bulb is burnt out(mine was), Pretty easy fix, remove the battery(makes it easier to get to back of dash) and reach in a pull the little rubber boot that holds the bulb, Again if it is like my B5100 there is a little rubber boot that the bulb and socket fits in and this "L" shaped boot fits onto the back of the red light , Pull the boot off the red light and you can see the bulb inside, Slide the rubber boot off the buld and socket and replace the bulb, You will probably have to take the bulb to your local auto parts store to get the correct trplacement, To reassemble simply reverse the operation. The red light should glow with the key turned to the on position with engine not running and also when turned to the left to the glow plug preheat position.

I didn't know how to cycle the glow plugs.

There is a decal on mine that basically says when it is warm outside(spring/summer) to preheat the glow plugs for 30 seconds and when it is cold(fall/winter) to preheat them for 60 seconds, I usually just heat them until the coil glows red and set the hand throttle up a little and crank and within a few revolutions the engine starts.

Alright! Never thought of that. Some say start-up friction is the source of most wear.

Is this actually reducing startup friction, The engine is still turning over and is not being pressure lubricated until the pump supplies enough pressure, If you were just turning the oil pump and not the engine then this would be a definite reduction in startup friction, A good quality oil should have enough adhesive qualities that it leaves a protective residue on all bearing surfaces to insure startup protection, Once oils start to break down from heat and contamination they may loose some of this protective qualities which is a good reason to perform regular oil/filter changes and use quality products, It is also important to insure you use the proper oil filter as the pressurized oil from the pump goes thru the filter then on to lubricate the engine, Using the wrong filter even though it may seem to fit can cause oil starvation to the engine.

I have rebuilt quite a few Big Block(FE) ford gasoline engines, One thing I did was to use Lubriplate on all friction surfaces during assembly and prior to initial start up the last thing to go in was the distributor, before attempting startup I had a long octagonal rod that fit down into the distributor hole and I used the drill to engage the oil pump and preprime the engine, Once preprimed the engine was lubricated and the distributor went in and then startup was completed.

 

[Hans]

There is a decal on mine that basically says when it is warm outside(spring/summer) to preheat the glow plugs for 30 seconds and when it is cold(fall/winter) to preheat them for 60 seconds, I usually just heat them until the coil glows red and set the hand throttle up a little and crank and within a few revolutions the engine starts.

I have that decal, too - but it is in all Japanese characters except for the "30" and the "60" and a couple of C's for "celcius". That decal shows the black knob turning both ways - does it matter which way you turn it?

 

[cmorningstar01]

On my tractor the decal is for the ignition switch, By turning the key to the left it preheats the glow plugs, The switches on my tractor are for headlights and back worklight and have nothing to do with the glow plugs.

 

[Hans]

Interesting - I'm heading out to the farm tonight, I'll take a couple of pics and post them up tomorrow. Probably start a new thread with those.

Hans

 

[hodge]

Maybe I missed it- did you solve the issue of diesel in your oil? You definitely need to get that resolved, if you haven't.

 

[Hans]

Not 100% sure. I've shut off the valve when not in use, but haven't put any real hours on it yet since I've changed the oil. Just dumped the 10W-30 and there was no diesel that I could detect in that... I'll put about 10-12 rototiller hours on it this weekend and take a look then.

In spite of these minor "operator error" issues, I'm coming to really appreciate what this little tractor is capable of. Serious workhorse with torque far beyond what you'd expect out of a 34 year old 12.5 hp powerplant.