300 fixes itself

[kenbob]

I had my 300 about 3 weeks and really wanted to take it on the Platte co tractor cruise yesterday. The tach cable was busted. I got a new one from John Saeli and put it in and it worked--I thought. I did 3 20 mile shake-down runs with the tractor to make sure it was ready for the cruise. I didn't want to be THAT GUY whose tractor craps out.

On those runs I noticed the tach worked but the hour meter did not. Seemed weird that one half would work and the other not, but another 300 owner said his was the same way. We were about 1 hr out on the cruise when my tractor started to make a whining noise. THe last time that happened on another Case the water pump was seizing up. The noise quit for a minute. Then came back. This time I noticed the tach needle was buried. The noise quit and the needle returned to operation. That's weird, I thought. The noise returned and the needle was jumping all over the place. I put my hand on the dash over the tach and I could feel it vibrating through the glass. I figured I probably should stop and disconnect the cable as the tach was seizing. But if the tach seizes, I don't need the cable (and I didn't want to be THAT GUY) so I continued on. Again the noise quit and the tach started working again and the noise did not come back.

After about 15 minutes on the road, I realized the hour meter had started to work. The tach and hour meter worked the rest of the 40 mile trip. That is truely weird, to this uneducated tractor owner anyway.

 

[kenbob]

i have witnesses!

 

[Tgrasher]

Were you able to oil the drive at the base of the gauge? Sometimes they are hard to screw out to oil the felt feeder.

 

[kenbob]

The felt feeders are gone on both gauges.

 

[Joe (Wa)]

The speedometer and tachometer are drag cup, electro-mechanical movements. That means there is no mechanical connection between the cable drive movements and respective pointers. The hour counter is mechanically gear driven. You need to take the tach & temp gauge pod off and clean, lube the hour counter gear train. Lube the drive where the oiler is missing, turning the brass end to spread the lube.

 

[kenbob]

Thanks Joe! As usual you have the answer with pictures. I will be taking the gauges out this winter and will give the thorough oil and clean like yours.

 

[kenbob]

I sprayed dry lube into the gauge and put some lithium grease on the end of the new cable when I put it in. After about 60 miles it started working.

 

[Joe (Wa)]

If you are using any type penetrate or cleaners cover the plastic hour counter. That plastic melt or deforms very easily.

Do you need the whole screw-in oiler or just the felt?

 

[kenbob]

I am missing both screw in oilers and felt.

 

[kenbob]

thanks for the tip on the spray. I will rehab when I take apart this winter.

 

[Joe (Wa)]

I can find only one vapor oiler in my junk. The felt is missing but the threads are good and that is the main thing as they are often stripped when they bond to the tach/speedo drives from years in place w/o periodic removal. Check your female threads for stripping, if ok, find some felt that you can cut up to pack in the oiler. Put it on the tach drive as it gets the most and heaviest duty.

I can't figure out how to do the private email thing, remove the slants jlb/204/@/outlook/.com. Email a shipping address and I will mail it sometime this week.

 

[kenbob]

I will try that email