JD A Absorbing Water

[bbeardb]

I use my late 40's A for planting and cultivating popcorn. Every year, though, it seems to absorb water from somewhere. Both the engine, and transmission, will dribble water from the drain plugs for a few minutes when I crack them in the spring. Sure, the engine could be a head gasket, my radiator is too leaky to know if I'm losing any fluid that way, and my exhaust seems fine. But the transmission getting soggy makes me think there are intrusion points I need to track down and seal up.

Is this a thing for As, do they like to drink water from somewhere? I'm tired of changing out all that oil after so few hours every year.

Photo attached just for fun.

 

[620 John]

Does the tractor stay inside when parked for long term? The gear shifter is one of the main points of entry because there's no boot for those. If left outside for long term I'd try and wrap something around the gear shifter levers and PTO lever.

Very rarely do I let my tractors sit outside in the rain. I still get water in the rear ends from condensation. Unless you got a heated garage there's really no way around it

 

[bbeardb]

Nope, it's outside 365 days a year. I did try to put a rubber boot around all the levers, but to no avail.

 

[Sleufoot]

I think that to have condensation in both the engine and transmission is normal. My B and G both sit in an unheated pole barn during the winter and the first thing that I do every spring before I start them up is open the drain plugs and let the condensation dribble out. I believe that it also says that in the use and care manual though I could be wrong. Tom in Mn.

 

[JIM MN]

Condensation?

 

[Fixingfarmer]

It seems like snow is the ultimate enemy. Blows in no matter which direction the wind is. The coffee can and rain cap are your only hope and it seems like in the snow rain caps are only so so. It looks like you have something good over the air cleaner. The unstyled b a can of Green giant vegetables (shoepeg corn in my case) fits nice and tight over the exhaust on the ribs of the can. Keeping the tractor inside helps a lot transmission wise.

My A had a head gasket out most of last year each time you started it you could hear it and get a bit of sooty water fly out onto the hood. Very much one hole if you stopped on the correct cylinder correct stroke you wouldn't hear it but if not made a gurgling sound like it was wet right from the get go and starter would lug slightly. If it isn't doing all of that I wouldn't worry about it enough to do a head gasket.

 

[Resting Relic]

You need to cover your A with a good canvas in such a manner as to shed water if you can't run it under a shed. These old tractors can get water in them in various locations. If it was run in the winter in cold weather, I've seen where the transmission is locked up with ice.

 

[matthies]

Take it for a hour drive every month, that will help.

 

[bbeardb]

Thanks everyone. I will worry less, drain more!

 

[504]

As long as when you drain the water and the oil looks like oil and not creamy I just run them.