# Ford 4000 Black Goo



## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

I've recently purchased this tractor and thought I had the bugs worked out but now I may have a serious problem?

I have only been able to use the tractor 2 days for an hour or 2 at a time since I got it till yesterday when I used it for 5 hours. When I parked it I noticed some black stuff on the side of the engine and didn't think twice about it (black stuff Pic#1).

The next day I used it with a bush mower for about 3 hours and it started to smoke from the lower part of the tractor(could be from belt since I was in tall brush and may have caused slippage I thought) but stopped as soon as i let up on it. I pulled to the side and kept it running, PTO off and it was running fine.
I parked it and noticed more black stuff.
PIC#2,#3. Notice PIC#4 exhaust pipe with muffler removed is covered with all that black oil/gas stuff.

I removed the muffler and hood and found even more blown all over. PICs #5,#6.

I think its a lifter or something but its not knocking nor running rough.

I didn't notice the black stuff in the or around the muffler before. 

The black stuff was there before it smoked and only smoked for a few seconds when I was in tall weeds and pushing it in 3rd gear.

The temp gauge is normal never hot. Need to check it to make sure it is working. 

The coolant I noticed is full antifreeze dose not seem to be mixed with water(need to correct that). 

I have noticed each night there is a few drops of coolant on the floor right under the bell housing where the motor meets the transmission. But only a few drops and cant pin point where it is coming from exactly and wasn't concerned since it never over heated or got hot and the fluid level was the same. The oil is clear.

Any Ideas?

I have a lot of work to do and more is backing up every day.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Hey oldmanfarmer,

We country bumpkins call that "diesel slobbering". The more technical term is "wet stacking". It is caused by not working the tractor hard enough/not getting the engine hot enough to burn off the diesel residue. 

I know you have done a lot of engine work on your tractor. You may be letting the engine idle too much, or simply puttering around too much. Put it to work. Diesels like hard work. I guarantee you my diesel doesn't slobber! Run that bush hog at 1800-2000 engine rpm.


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## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

Man that's a relief. :elephant::elephant:

Do you have any ideas why there are coolant drops under it each night?


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

If the coolant is leaking out of the weep hole at the bottom of the bell housing, you have a leaking freeze plug in the block behind the clutch. You have to split the tractor, remove the clutch and flywheel to get to this plug. You might consider adding a can of "stop-leak" to the coolant. Or live with it as long as it is not a major leak.

You might also consider adding some corrosion inhibitor in the coolant. I recommend adding an anti-cavitation corrosion inhibitor to the coolant like "Fleet Guard" cavitation corrosion inhibitor. You can get this inhibitor from your New Holland dealer.

The cooling system of these tractors is very good. It will stay in the "normal" temperature range for most work. On hot days, working hard, it may get up above the normal range.


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## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

Hello HarveyW,

I don't see it out of the weep hole from the bell housing just from the rear cover plate of the engine to the transmission.

The guy I bought the tractor from said he put in a new clutch. Could he have done some thing to cause it?

I was told buy the seller that the antifreeze now comes with a cavitation corrosion inhibitor. 

If he put some in would it hurt for me to add some on top of his?

If it is a freeze plug leak and it decides to get bigger or blow what could happen? 

Would it wreck the new clutch plate?

What kind stop leak would you recommend?

Thank you.


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## harry16 (Dec 8, 2011)

Your weep hole is probably plugged with dirt and debris (should have a cotter pin in it to keep the hole open). Run a small wire up alongside the cotter pin and open it up. This weep hole is important to keep any oil leaking from the engine rear main or transmission input shaft drained and away from the clutch disc.


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

Sorry, I didn't respond to your other questions, as follows:

The guy I bought the tractor from said he put in a new clutch. Could he have done some thing to cause it? *NO*

I was told buy the seller that the antifreeze now comes with a cavitation corrosion inhibitor. *The only antifreeze with cavitation corrosion protection that I'm aware of is a Fleetguard product. Where did you get this antifreeze? Cavitation is a pinpoint corrosion process occurring in diesels only.*

If he put some in would it hurt for me to add some on top of his? * Probably not, but I do recall Fleetguard does specify how much to add to a given coolant system. I added the whole bottle to my system.*

If it is a freeze plug leak and it decides to get bigger or blow what could happen?* The leak will gradually get worse. As long as your weep hole can keep it drained off, shouldn't be a problem with the clutch. *

Would it wreck the new clutch plate? *NO, but it might damage the clutch disc if it gets soaked with coolant*

What kind stop leak would you recommend? *Bar's stop leak*


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## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

since I have straight coolant and not a mixture should I drain and flush the system then put the correct mixture in it with cavtation protection 

or do you think that would not be the best for my tractor since there is some leak even though it is small?


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## dozer966 (Dec 30, 2014)

Not sure if your 4000 is similar to my 1970 3400 diesel but there is a frost plug just above the the bell housing on the engin. I'm in the process of changing the clutch so here is a pik of it. See if it is leaking from here.


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## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

Dozzer, 

I think the 4000 and 3400 are about the same, the parts diagram shows a plug in that location. 

Besides the frost plug the only other thing I can thank of is that when they (the previous owner) replaced the clutch could they have put a longer bolt in some place and cracked the block?

I ask that because I have noticed that some bolts have space between the head of the bolt and the surface of what they are securing.
I tried to tighten them before I figured out what they did.

It seems like they were not careful of the length of the bolts and just installed them any place and when all the short ones were installed all they had were longer ones that were to long.

You can see in the pic that the bolt is to long. I looked at the parts diagram and shows the same thread bolts but different lengths are to be used.

Also in the pic you can barely see that the frost plug is not leaking. I don't see another frost plug in the parts diagram. Am i missing one?

Any suggestions?


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## dozer966 (Dec 30, 2014)

OK so I just spent a bit of time looking at my engin. In the back of the engin all I can see without pulling the flywheel off is one plug behind it. Without looking at my book I think it's the drive system for my HYD pump. It's located above the crankshaft and to the left. Besides that the only thing I can see that could leak antifreeze is the head gasket, frost plug or a cracked block. For the wrong length of bolt going in it would take a tremendous amount of torque to obtain this result. These are cast blocks not aluminum. Quiet puzzling. 

Where did the antifreeze visual signs start? Half way up the bell housing, engin side or bell side? Or all on the bottom of bell, seeping from where they mate???

Puzzling, puzzling, puzzling.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Attached is a picture I found on the internet of a Ford 3000 engine illustrating freeze plug


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## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

Thanks for not forgetting about me. I took a picture. The bolt that I thought it could be is not the culprit. 

I took it out and it is stripped. 
That's why it is not all the way in. 
They also did not put all the bolts back in that holds that plate in place(but that doesn't matter for this green issue). 
I pushed a piece of weed wacker twine in the bolt hole and it only goes as far as it should.

Also in the pic you can see the frost plug is fine. You can see in one of the pic the area that it is coming from. I pulled the hydraulic pump flange cover just for the and it looked tight in there. I could see form a gasket, but there was no juice except oil.


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## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

Sixbales :
don't know when the last time i saw a screw in frost plug was.


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## dozer966 (Dec 30, 2014)

Sixbales to the rescue. I would put my money on that bottom plug. That's awesome now I know what's back there to.

Thank


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Incidentally, we call them "freeze plugs" or "frost plugs", but actually these are core plugs. These were holes to clean out the sand core when the block was cast.


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