# Cook Island MF 165 Lift Arms



## Jaysta (Mar 19, 2016)

i just came into an issue with my lift arm, it suddenly lifted to maximum height without control. will come down very slowly when tractor is turned off but springs straight back up when on......no response from control at all. no one to turn to here. been stationary since...im going to drain oil out and look for obvious signs of disconnected links......any advice pls....thanks in advance


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Jaysta,

I found the following post written by *Big Dean* addressing this same problem on a MF35. I don't know it this is pertinent to a MF165. Check it out.

"These most common cause for that problem is a stuck control valve in the three point pump. They can usually be unstuck by draining the oil down to just below the bottom bolt hole for the assess plate with the hydraulic oil dipstick in it. Remove the access plate. Behind it will be two vertical levers hanging down from the top. Move the Position and Draft control levers to the full lowering position to move the vertical lever toward the front of the tractor. The pump control lever sticking up from the pump has a roller between the two levers that the vertical levers contact. With the engine running and the pump turning. Push the levers with the roller towards the back of the tractor as far as you can release it the lift arms should lower then if not try it again it will sometimes take 2 or 3 times to free up the valve."


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

jaysta,

Apparently the pump has been changed for the 100 series tractors, therefore the above post is not pertinent. I copied the following post by agriline.com on the internet. It covers the lift stuck up:
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"Massey Ferguson hydraulic pump MK2 - fault finding
The MK2 hydraulic pump was fitted to the MF series 100 tractors, 135, 165, 175, 178, 188 etc.

Essentially when the hydraulic system fails for various reasons the only logical solution is to remove the pump & lift cover, overhaul both & reinstall. However in may cases farm and or other production needs overide this until shutdown time allows for full maintanance. Sometimes our budgets don't allow us to spend what we should on repairs. Spare parts cost, labour if it's your own does'nt.

Fault diagnostics & solutions
Before removing the hydraulic system for repairs always check the operation of the tractors PTO shaft. Tractors fitted with a dual clutch provide the drive to the hydraulics via the transmission through the PTO clutch plate. On occasion when an obstacle is hit through the PTO shaft, for instance when cutting grass the rivets are sheared on the plate, resulting in lack of power transmission from plate - through gearbox - to hydraulic pump. Test with a PTO driven implement attached. This problem is not that common however many a hydraulic system has been overhauled only to realise that the problem is pressure plate related.
Tractors fitted with a single clutch system will present both gear selection & no drive to hydraulics. Gear & drive problems being the most obvious.

The easiest diagnostics involve removing the dipstick side cover and observing the actions of the lift cover lever & how it affects the control valve operation.

*Lift arms stuck in up position*
Control valve is stuck & can sometimes be released by manually moving the pump control valve lever back & forth. If it's really your lucky day we have on occasion 'unstuck the valve' by picking up & dropping the lift arms repeatedly when the lift control levers are in the down position. Failing this remove the pump, control valve, clean or replace.

Shuddering when lifting implement
The valve chamber valves are not sealing. Either the valves are badly worn, or normally the biggest culprit is dirt stuck in the valve seat preventing proper operation - exess silicone which we see daily - pieces of white backup O rings from careless installation. Only solution is to remove pump & repair. If you need to complete a task carry on as this irritation cannot really cause further damage.

Lift arms drop when tractor engine is stopped
This is not a serious problem & indicates general wear on valve seats, control valve or standpipe O rings.

Lift looses power as work progresses
After a while once work progresses the temparature of the hydraulic oil rises & as is the nature of oil the viscosity drops, IE becomes thinner. If the proformance of the lift weakens this is a symptom of wear. The hydraulics should perform as well at idling speed or at higher rev's.

Hydraulics will not lift
Worst culprit is normally the relief valve which becomes slack (Spring loses tension) due to incorrect operation. If you remove dipstick cover & feel by hand the bypass is obvious. Alternatively cracked ram cylinder, standpipe O rings or lift cover mechanism especially the draught control lever which operates the draught control rod via a small roll pin which sometimes snaps off."
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You should get a shop/service manual for your tractor before you delve too deeply into it. Most guys get by with an I&T shop manual. You can get an I&T manual on ebay, and from many tractor supply sources on the internet ($35-$40).


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## Jaysta (Mar 19, 2016)

thankyou sixbales, thast given me a boost to have a go....will let you know how I get on.....


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## Jaysta (Mar 19, 2016)

I have taken top plate off and yes it was the valve...was stuck...have ordered a new one hopefully here in a few days.....nothing else seems amiss so fingers crossed it all goes back together and carry on with life.....thankyou for all your help


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