inherited a Farmall C, help and info?

[tater1337]

(storytime)

sometime in the 70s my dad bought a C and had used it for a number of things, including welding up bits for implements and such

(50+ years later)

A year ago dad passes on, he still had the C, and ma pretty much said anything outside of the house is mine to deal with as I see fit. while I was busy getting settled into living with my 90 year old mom and sorting thru stuff, the C sat unused. Even less used than before because dad had picked up a second tractor (lowboy) and use that unless he needed the C specifically.

a couple days ago, I had time to take a look at it. cleaned points and sediment bowl. hooked up a battery and got it started, even drive it around and pulled out a flatbed trailer that I need this summer from the weeds. my childhood had me play with it and all the skills came back.

(storytime over)

when starting I saw the oil gauge pegged, and oil was seeping past the oil filer housing seal. also the sediment bowl leaks. after running a bit the oil pressure dropped down to "normal" and I tried to do some looking for manuals and such. most sites for PDFs for the C are all outdated, websites long gone.

also one of the big tires was flat, added some air. dad had mentioned that the tires needed replacing, but the cost was not justifiable. the clutch feels a little more worn than I remembers, but I hadn't driven it for nearly 30+ years(I think he got the newer lowboy for the same price as a pair of rear tires)

so at the least, I need to find info for
sediment bowl gasket (found plenty on amazon)
oil pressure gauge, and to see why the pressure was pegged when starting, clogged oil passages over time, cleared up after running for a bit?
maybe a new oil filter gasket
rear tires in the future, but probably not now. very badly cracked, but one held air, and need to watch over time to see how bad the leak is on the other
better 12v battery. converted to 12v a decade ago, but dad never used the starter, as he kept using old car batteries
look into clutch. maybe just adjust, maybe replace

after we got it up and running, I was able to start it the next day with out even trying hard. I mean, gas on, choke, and just leaned on the starter crank. not even a quarter turn

 

[MM-TX]

Welcome to YT. Very good it starts and runs! I would suggest each decision you make you try to clean/ tune / evaluate each old part instead of replacing first. They are made better than any replacement will be. Look and see where your sediment bowl is leaking. The cut off just has packing. The bowl might be several sizes. The gasket has a seal and a mesh circle. If you get them separate and it still leaks take it back off and look for why it doesn't seal as the mesh can cause the gasket to leak. That clutch may improve with a little driving. a parts manual will help you a lot looking at diagrams and identifying correct part names and numbers. Good luck and have fun

 

[560Dennis]

Check air filter and crankcase for mouse nest

 

[tater1337]

Welcome to YT. Very good it starts and runs! I would suggest each decision you make you try to clean/ tune / evaluate each old part instead of replacing first. They are made better than any replacement will be. Look and see where your sediment bowl is leaking. The cut off just has packing. The bowl might be several sizes. The gasket has a seal and a mesh circle. If you get them separate and it still leaks take it back off and look for why it doesn't seal as the mesh can cause the gasket to leak. That clutch may improve with a little driving. a parts manual will help you a lot looking at diagrams and identifying correct part names and numbers. Good luck and have fun

one would say that gaskets should never be repaired but always replaced. since we took it off and cleaned it, I am betting we disturbed the gasket enough to cause a leak. when valve is turned off there is no leaks. oil pressure gauge is not stock, and no idea how accurate it is.

I also inherited a whole fleet of other gas powered, leaky tired machines that all need a good once over, I also think I'll be getting rid of 90% of them. not sure if I am gonna give up the C or the lowboy. I don't like the sound of the lowboy. it don't sound right.

 

[DaveBN]

You may have two gaskets under the oil filter housing. The old one will be hard and brittle and you may not have seen that it was there. You'll have to dig the old one out with a pick or something else sharp then clean that groove real good. Some new O rings do leak also so try another one. I ALWAYS install a new gasket when removing the sediment bowl as the old one usually leaks if reused.
Sorry about your dad passing.
Good luck with the C.
Dave