diesel fuel in engine oil

[Cobey Williamson]

Hello all. I have an early 60s Ford 861 that I have had for several years. I have some experience working on machinery but I don't know much about diesels or tractors.

The tractor hasn't been run in several months, and when I went to start it today, it would not fire. It turns over rapidly but made no indication of firing whatsoever. I checked the engine oil and the level is over the full line and appears very diluted. I suspect diesel fuel has been entering the crankcase.

Typically, the tractor starts and runs well, however last time it was ran it was behaving strangely. The engine either wanted to die or race and I had to constantly adjust the throttle to keep it going.

As I mentioned, I have little experience with these kinds of machines, so I'm not sure where to start in diagnosing the problem. If anyone has any ideas on what might be wrong and how to repair it, I would sure appreciate the education.

Thanks, Cobey
 

[souNdguy]

if it's getting fuel into the crankcase it's usually from something like an umbrella seal or a fuel return..
 

[Larry NCKS]

It's time for a minor overhaul of the injection pump. The governor retaining ring has disintegrated. Likely the input shaft seals are also leaking. The leak could, however, also be from injectors or return lines.

You can buy a kit for that pump for around $30.00 and do the job yourself if you study up on it and know what you're doing.