520 John Deere power steering

[J.T. Blanton]

I am putting a 1957 John Deere tractor back together. The radiator was shot. I swapped cores, rebuilding the radiator. A lot of this tractor was in boxes... I got it cheap. I bought a service manual and it shows the washers under the fan support. My book shows eight in a pack. There is nowhere in my service manual that describes how many of these shims to use under the fan support or how to determine this. I have replaced the ventilator pump rollers and rebuilt it... new seals and bearings. Does anyone know the procedure to determine the number of washers to use under the fan support?

 

[J.T. Blanton]

Oh, I left out that this tractor is a 520 John Deere. Liked my first one so much, I picked up another.

 

[J.T. Blanton]

Well, I talked to an old 2 banger mechanic. The poor fellow is legally blind and in his nineties. Still... mind is sharp as a tack. The John Deere dealership he worked in has been closed for several years. It was absorbed into one of those chains they went to. Steve says if the ventilator pump has been apart, I'll have to take off the PowerTrol pump and remove the governor. He said I might as well change out the governor bearings while I have it down. Set the heel of the bevel gear with the ventilator to governor shim gaskets. Next check the backlash between the bevel gears. Adjust by adding or removing shim gaskets on the governor drive shaft housing. He said, with all this disassembled, he would replace the gaskets and seals in the front of the shaft where it mounts to the power steering pump. Check for the fan shaft being square with the housing face. Once that is done, set up a dial indicator and check the pump mount to shaft input line up. Add shim washers to get the height right under the fan support. I think I will change the fan clutches and check the splines while I am at it. I had them to go out on a 60 I rebuilt and ended up having to weld the shaft area and cut new splines. Sounds involved but most of the top is removed. Might as well do it right while it is down.