Oil pressure B6100

[Bountyhunter]

First post post so be gentle. I just purchased a B6100 with the three cyl diesel.
Love the tractor. The previous owner stated that he had changed the oil recently and it looked reasonably clean. I noticed that after using the rototiller for 1/2 hour or so and slowing down to an idle the oil light came on. After running it longer, it came on under 1/2 throttle. Does not come on cold, only when running for a while. I changed the oil to 15/40 Rotella and now it only comes on when it is at an idle warm. It has 1222 hrs on it. Do they have a problem with sending units or am I just wishful thinking?

H

 

[Roadworthy]

If it were my tractor I'd want to throw a gauge on to see what's really going on. It could be a bad sending unit or gauge. It could be a weak spring on the oil pressure bypass (if Kubota uses that method). It could be a failing oil pump. It could be worn bearings. There are a number of options but not all are expensive unless the oil pressure really is low, then it could get expensive.

 

[D2Cat]

It could also be the plug in the end of the cam. Very common problem after a few hundred heat/cool cycles. It's an alum. plug in steel and it gets ejected out.

Best to know the actual problem before attacking a cure. A mechanical gauge would tell you, for sure, what's happening.

 

[tthorkil]

If you do a search on this site you will find many threads addressing low oil pressure because a cam plug has fallen out - here is one -
https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38291&highlight=B6100+plug

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

First post post so be gentle. I just purchased a B6100 with the three cyl diesel.
Love the tractor. The previous owner stated that he had changed the oil recently and it looked reasonably clean. I noticed that after using the rototiller for 1/2 hour or so and slowing down to an idle the oil light came on. After running it longer, it came on under 1/2 throttle. Does not come on cold, only when running for a while. I changed the oil to 15/40 Rotella and now it only comes on when it is at an idle warm. It has 1222 hrs on it. Do they have a problem with sending units or am I just wishful thinking?

H

Like others have said, it's almost always a cam plug, and it's a simple and cheap fix.
To confirm put a mechanical gauge on it, if it's there, but low, then it's more than likely the cam plug.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Thank you for all your comments. It will probably be a week or so before I get at it but will post when I get more info.

H

 

[bucktail]

I was one of the lucky ones. It was a bad sender in mine. I think that the the tester was about 30 bucks at Harbor Freight.

 

[D2Cat]

I think the oil pressure light comes on at less then 7 PSI.

 

[Bountyhunter]

A quick update. Just got the tractor in and did an oil pressure test. 15psi cold. I did not run it long enough to warm up.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

A quick update. Just got the tractor in and did an oil pressure test. 15psi cold. I did not run it long enough to warm up.

Yep your looking at a front of engine tear down.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Took the front cover off and there is definitely a hole in the front of the cam. Little smaller than a 1/4" . Is it best to turn down a rod and locktite it in there or should I attempt to thread it and put a bolt in there? It seemed very hard and I would be concerned about breaking a tap.

H

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Took the front cover off and there is definitely a hole in the front of the cam. Little smaller than a 1/4" . Is it best to turn down a rod and locktite it in there or should I attempt to thread it and put a bolt in there? It seemed very hard and I would be concerned about breaking a tap.

H

The best fix is to put a short rod in there and weld the end of it.

 

[D2Cat]

Yep, weld something in the hole. I used a taper roller from a bearing. When it's welded in you have the satisfaction of knowing it isn't going to fall out again!

If/when you weld be absolutely positive you have a good ground. And as close as possible to the work area. This prevents any lack of ground going back and finding a bearing.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Well it is back together. I machined down a 1/4 rod and made it a press fit. I used red locktite and an instalation tool I had in the tool box. (hammer) I did not warm it up but have 60psi at cold idle which is a great improvement from 15. 0w40 Rotella synthetic oil should be ok? Thank you again for the brain trust out there. Now to decide whether to build a loader or a front 3pt for it.

H

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Well it is back together. I machined down a 1/4 rod and made it a press fit. I used red locktite and an instalation tool I had in the tool box. (hammer) I did not warm it up but have 60psi at cold idle which is a great improvement from 15. 0w40 Rotella synthetic oil should be ok? Thank you again for the brain trust out there. Now to decide whether to build a loader or a front 3pt for it.

H

Come on down, I've got a loader that would fit it perfectly!