Ford 4500, first start in 6 years, need advice

[davo727]

I have a 68 4500 and somebody told me that the front axle mount casting would have to be loosened up to allow the oil pan to be removed

 

[Mikefromcny]

A light honing and a new head gasket and she should be up and running! I've seen much worse run.

 

[HardmanGT]

well that sounds encouraging

 

[HardmanGT]

I have been soaking the cylinders for about 2 weeks now. Last week I set up a bottle jack in the worst cylinder and tried to get it to budge. Nothing. I have let it sit with pressure on it for over a week now. The piston has a lot of erosion and it will have to be replaced. The bore is likely junk and boring or sleeving is probably in order. I think it is time to yank the engine out.

I have no fear of splitting it but I would really like some input on how to manage the 2 pieces once they are separated. Since this is not mobile I will have to do this where it sits in my yard.

 

[jimg984]

have tried removing the starter,,,,,,,,,,,,, sometimes the starter drive has spun out and not returned to its resting place and blocking the engine from turning worth a try

 

[HardmanGT]

the starter has been out. Flywheel doesn't budge. The pistons aren't budging with a bottle jack on them. I will probably have to break the piston to get it out and then start the machine work

 

[BlazinSS934]

Looks like a fun little project. At least it had green antifreeze and not plain water.

 

[HardmanGT]

I have avoided doing any work to this for the last 3 weeks but it's got to get done. The FEL is down and I need to raise it out of the way to be able to split the front end off. Since there is no hydraulic power, how can I raise and support the FEL while I split it? I know that we had tried to release pressure on the bucket during transport but it didn't move. I don't know if the valves and hydraulic circuit work differently than the hoe. I was able to move the hoe around usung another tractor and then relieving pressure with the control sticks.

 

[HardmanGT]

pulled the front bucket and was able to jack the FEL nice and high using my engine crane. I cut blocks of 2X10 to use for blocking when the hydraulics creep down. I am going to try to get the front end separated tomorrow. From there it should be very easy to get the engine out, torn down and to the machine shop.

 

[HardmanGT]

 

[sheepfoot]

It's bad when you have a piston all the way down to make it bust loose and turn the crank, make sure you look when taking the engine block loose from the front casting for shims between them, may look like thin washers, note for the reinstalling of engine. May get a surprise after its out and pan is off if you can pull the rod caps and bump it from the lower end and get it moving. Looks like my bring home projects, cut your axle wedges and have your cribbing ready to support the front casting, it can get away from you in a hurry if your not ready.

 

[rust farmer]

View attachment 102719

I have been following your progress on your backhoe for a little while. I have a ford 5500 backhoe that I just got done tearing completely down to nothing. It has a leaking transmission, so I had to pull the hoe, the cab, and the loader so I could fit it in my garage to work on a hard surface. When you get the motor pulled out of your machine take a look at the torque converter as long as your that far into it. The 5500 were known for transmission leaks, I'm not sure about the 4500's. I'm still waiting to hear from brockhouse on transmission parts. I hope you have better luck than I'm having with my machine.
I had a lot of fun taking it a part , my wife said she couldn't see what was so fun about getting really dirty. They just don't understand. Good luck with your project.

 

[Carolee]

Good advice,I think.

 

[HardmanGT]

Front axle is off! There were no shims. I took the radiator and shroud off to get some better access and make it a little easier to move around. Going to take the rad to get hot tanked and pressure tested while its out

 

[rust farmer]

If you have not done it, you might want to put some hose clamps around your cylinder rod and that 2x4 just in case. Somebody said on this forum that you can get hurt worse on machines you feel the most comfortable working on. That statement really makes you stop and think about safety.

 

[HardmanGT]

Engine is out! Took off the rod caps and tried to get the pistons to budge. No luck but I did not get too aggressive. Bearings looked very nice but its still going to get a full rebuild

Found a hell of a nest behind the torque converter!

Does anyone know what this line is? Is this supposed to be routed down through this hole?

 

[rust farmer]

Looking at a parts book for the 4500, it says its for checking pressure in the tranny.
If you don't have a parts book and have a smart phone there is an app you can get that will show you a parts layout and part numbers

 

[HardmanGT]

A block of wood and a BFH took care of the 3 rough pistons. Off to the machine shop for a bath, new sleeves and a fresh set of bearings!

 

[HardmanGT]

The bad news is that the head has a crack in it and the crank is too pitted to grind. The good news is that I was able to get a crank and head online

 

[HardmanGT]

Rotating assembly is done