1941 John Deere Model H

[Brian King]

I just rebuilt the engine in this thing after it had sat for about 30 years. Runs like a champ! But I cannot get an answer on a particular question. There is a housing that the magneto mounts to as well as the fan drive. It has a large threaded cap on it that some sort of fluid goes in. What type of fluid goes in there and how much?
Thanks!

 

[44B@Ohio]

That is a fill spot for engine oil i do believe. The oil capacity is 4.5 quarts. Don't quote me for sure on that, its just what I found after a google search.

 

[bill mart]

could it be the powerlift assembly you are describing? bill

 

[leon]

If it runs like a champ after rebuilding, where did you put oil into the engine after rebuild, before running, if not through the opening that the big screw-in cap closes? That housing contains the governor drive, fan drive and if so equipped, the hydraulic pump drive. It is pressure lubed from the engine oil pump. It opens/drains right back into the engine crankcase so when the engine isn't running, you'll never find oil in it. Take that cap off when running at full engine speed and you should find plenty of oil!

 

[MSD]

If it is #1 in the picture it is where you fill it with oil as others have said. Where did you put the engine oil in it when you got it going?

 

[Brian King]

Thank you for all the replies. When I inherited the tractor it had the engine apart down to the crankcase. I assembled it and poured in the oil through the breather as my manual said to. It only took 2 qts. before dribbling out the fluid level check spot next to the flywheel. I assumed there was more in the crankcase that didn"t drain out during the rebuild.
When I fired it last week it had oil pressure, but if you took the cap in question off, there was no oil in there while running. A little bit of splatter, but no visible oil level.
So my next question is, am I checking the motor level at the wrong spot? Should I add more oil?
Again, thank you all very much for your time.

 

[Larry Baker]

the H hyd pum is bolted to the gov. housing and you may be filling it for sure but dont see how the engine dripped if you emptied it,rebuilt and just put two qts in,something funny here????????

 

[dan_41jdh]

Brian, the answer to your first question is shown in the illustration above. The answer to your second question about adding more oil is more complicated, so here's a little more information for you to consider: The total engine crankcase oil volume is 4 ½ quarts, one of which is for the oil filter. I assume you replaced the oil filter when reassembling the engine. Naturally, the engine must be started for the oil filter and its housing to fill with oil. So if you checked the level without ever allowing the oil filter housing to fill, that would explain part of the mystery. And common sense tells one the tractor should be on a level surface when checking oil levels. The only other thing that would explain why so little oil was required for it to come “up to level” is that the crankcase might be filled with a lot of sludge that would displace the normal oil replacement volume. But 1 ½ to 2 ½ quarts of sludge is a lot!

Regarding the engine oil fill location, the parts illustration furnished by MSD showing item #1, H415R Cap, is one of two points where engine oil may be introduced – and that’s where the first three of four owner’s manuals Deere printed for the model “H” suggest putting the oil. However, the last and latest manual – OM-R2011 – instructs you to refill engine oil into the engine breather, which apparently you did. Either place is acceptable since the oil ends up in the crankcase from either opening. Most people find it easier to pour oil into the H415R cap.

Leon mentioned that you should find "plenty of oil" inside that cap when running the engine at full speed, but what he meant was what you found - there will be a fair amount of splattering of oil being flung off the governor assembly during engine operation, but there is never any "oil level" in that cavity except the spray lubrication flowing through on its way back to the crankcase.

Good luck with your "H" and keep us posted about what you find.