The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

I have a 1963 super major which i acquired about 1 year ago. i was recently using it to pull an old Activ trail combine which should have been no problem to it but it lacked power and was struggling. I have thought about putting a new piston and liner kit in it but i'm not sure if that is what the problem is .It does'nt seem to be using any oil or putting any oil out the exhaust.
Could someone advise me as to what i should be checking out first,or,the sequence of checks i should carry out before going down the road of pistons etc. Many thanks

Don't go down the road of pistons and liners just yet - you wouldn't do it with a car.

Try a compression test - that may tell you if there's a problem with rings/valves etc. Check the radiator for loss of water or ingress of oily deposits. Could be head gasket.

Check fuel filters for blockages. Are you sure you're getting fuel through or is fuel starvation an issue? Has some crap got through to the injectors? Mucky fuel? Pump and timing?

You may be able to sort it before deciding on major engine work (excuse pun!)

thanks for that john, i will try those possible causes firstly, will let you know how it goes. thanks again

There is also another possible cause. 1963/64 Supers had modified cylinder heads with stronger valve springs. This caused the cam followers and the cam shafts to wear. I have pulled camshafts out of engines with virtually no lobes on them.

This would be one of the first areas I would check. Even a badly worn set of liners and pistons is not really noticeable as far as pulling is concerned.

As John says, the simplest thing first, check your fuel flow and change the filters. Also change the oil in the governor on the fuel pump.

Peejay, what about a blocked/restricted aircleaner?Might pay to clean it out,if the engine not getting enough air it will restrict power.TSG.

thanks guys, those are all good points which i will check out, all good starting points, will let yous know the outcome. thanks again.

it could be the fuel injector pump
this happened with one of our tractors, some dirt had somehow made it's way through the fuel filter and damaged the pump

cost a fair bit to have it fixed

It could well be shortage of air.
Check that the rubber tube from the air cleaner to the manifold hasn't partly collapsed. If that's OK take off the air pre-cleaner, that sticks out of the bonnet, off and see if that makes any difference.

Further to Brians point, its worth checking and setting valve clearance (often neglected) and measure cam lift using dial gauge on push rod side of rocker, should be 0.255" (note this is cam lift not valve lift as I am not sure whether rockers are 1:1 ratio)