# low oil pressure



## solarman

I bought a kubota B6000 on ebay. the guy said it was ready to go but as soon as it warmed up, the oil pressure fell to nearly zero. the idiot light came on. someone mentioned that maybe it was bad, i added a aftermarket gauge, yep, no pressure. it starts out at about 7 PSI and falls to maybe 2 PSI after a few minutes. the light comes on at about 3 PSI. today i replaced the connecting rod bearings.. on startup i noticed slightly better pressure but still, the same problem.. i noticed that the block looks rusty inside. could it be possible that the pressure regulator is stuck? the main bearings are a possibility but that requires completely taking it all apart. i am not sure if i can take the pump out through the pan or not. the oil was nasty and the strainer was clogged with tar-like muck so it was obviously abused... too bad.. also, there is a hole about the size of my pinky finger that looks like damage.. looking up past the crank, close to where the dipstick comes down into the pan is the hole.. maybe that is where the oil from the top end drains down?! it looks like someone knocked it out with a hammer.. hard to believe that is factory made.. it isnt losing water and seems to be running ok.. .just scared to let it run without oil pressure. anyone out there have an idea of what my next move should be? thanks!

chris


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## GaryE

Chris,

If I remember correctly the B6000 did not have a lot of oil pressure to start with. That said, if I were you I would first try flushing the system with something like Renisol (I am sure I have spelled that wrong!) and get all that gunk out of there.

I did have a manual for the B6000 I scanned before I sold it, I will try to find it for you. If Mith is around, he has a copy of it I think. If not I will check with the guy I sold the tractor to.

I would not give up on B6000 it is one tuff little machine.

Good luck,

Gary


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## solarman

cool. i will buy some of that stuff. i did change the oil 3 times already (in about 15 min run time)... the crank looked nice and shiny under the rod inserts. that hole has me worried.. it just dont look factory to me. the pressure quoted in the manual says 'the oil is regulated to a pressure of 4.5 KG per sq. centimeter......so if there is about 2.2 pds per kg that is about 10 pounds per CM so that would have to be divided by about 6 to figure it back to PSI so that works out to less than 2 PSI.. ?! can this be right? 

the book goes on to say that the idiot light goes on at anything less than .036 PSI or .5 KG per sqr CM.

hmmmm. maybe i need a new sending unit?... maybe this is just normal and my 60 pound gauge just dont read that low..

the tractor is awesome.. i just am afraid to use it until i know i am not going to screw it up. did you see the hole in the pic? whats up with that rust? head gasket or is that considered normal for an old engine? it concerns me a bit. thanks for your info!

chris


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## HarryG

Solarman, I would definately follow Garry's advise and flush that crap out. I looked at the pic and can't make our where the hole is. Can you use your "Paint" program and draw a arrow to the area?
The crank rod journal looks pretty good to me.


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## GaryE

Chris,

The oil pressure sender for those engines have been know to fail. And yes it is set to trigger at a very low pressure. So I do not think a generic off the self switch is going to work. 

I am not sure about that hole. Can you tell what is on the other side of it?

Remember that engine has no water pump, so you want to make sure the fluid level is always up and the radiator is kept clean. Let’s hope the rust in the block is from just condensation and not coolant leaking in.

Good luck,

Gary


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## solarman

i put a label on the pic however i am unsure how to edit and replace the picture i already have up so i will put it on my website, www.greenmountainsolar.com there is a link on there called 'road maintenance that i just started. i will order a kubota replacement sending unit and i will flush the radiator too. maybe a new radiator cap as well.


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## solarman

i added the Rislone and i have been using the tractor lightly, raked the road for about 45 min. and moved a few dried out stumps down the hill so they can rot in peace. the pressure sits at about 2 or 3 pounds.. no strange sounds or anything. it does seem to be losing abit of water.. i ordered a head gasket today along with the sending unit, radiator cap and some pins to hold the ripper teeth in place (dont lose those guys, they are expensive). i really need wheel weights. this thing cant put enough to the ground. thanks for the input!

chris


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## Live Oak

> _Originally posted by solarman _
> *i put a label on the pic however i am unsure how to edit and replace the picture i already have up so i will put it on my website, www.greenmountainsolar.com-- there is a link on there called 'road maintenance that i just started. i will order a kubota replacement sending unit and i will flush the radiator too. maybe a new radiator cap as well. *


Linky no worky!


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## Live Oak

Link worky good now! Did some editing. Interesting website. My next house is going to be able to function off the grid if required. I will have to read on and see what I can learn. 

A half assed idea in the event that the main bearings are shot and you don't want to tear the engine down..........you could order new main bearings and just install the lower shell halves. I have seen folks push the uppers into place by gently tapping out the old uppers as you push in the new upper half but in some cases, this is not possible. NOT ideal or the right way but better than nothing in a pinch.


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## solarman

sorry about the dashes on the link. should have known better- i will wait and see what the sending unit does. does anyone out there know where you can find a pressure gauge that reads in the zero to five PSI range? that would be really nice to have. i hate idiot lights!!!

thanks for the interest on my website. let me know if there is something that needs work.. i just tossed it together because people were asking me a lot of questions. i have been spending about 7-10 dollars per month total for all expenses (propane and distilled water). i do not use a generator anymore, just wind and sunshine.

chris


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## Live Oak

Chris, I am not aware of any oil pressure gauges in that pressure range. You may be able to adapt a fuel pressure guage to read in that pressure range.


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## GaryE

> _Originally posted by solarman _
> *i added the Rislone and i have been using the tractor lightly, raked the road for about 45 min. and moved a few dried out stumps down the hill so they can rot in peace. the pressure sits at about 2 or 3 pounds.. no strange sounds or anything. it does seem to be losing abit of water.. i ordered a head gasket today along with the sending unit, radiator cap and some pins to hold the ripper teeth in place (dont lose those guys, they are expensive). i really need wheel weights. this thing cant put enough to the ground. thanks for the input!
> 
> chris *


Chris,

Ok I had most of the letters right, just not in the right order!!!! :quiet: 

Don’t run that stuff too long, remember the B6000 does NOT have a real oil filter, just a screen. It will clog up very easily. Keep an eye on it.

With my B6000 I found hanging about 300 pounds in the front of the tractor and an additional 150 pounds in the rear really made a BIG difference. 

I am sure once you get a handle on it, it will serve you well.

Gary


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## solarman

tonight i stopped by a friends motorcycle dealership. he loaned me a 0-10 PSI gauge that is also marked off in KG per sq CM.. here is what i observed from startup, run sitting at about 1/4 throttle for about 7 min...

right after startup, .45 kg/cm or 6.5 psi.
after it warms up, .35 kg/cm or 5.0 psi.

the light comes on at .35 kg/cm and the pressure seems to level off at that point.


here is what the book says... 'pressure is regulated to 4.5 kg/cm

if the pressure falls below .036 psi (.5 KG/CM), the light comes on to inform the operator.

first of all, .5 KG is about 7 PSI... so, my guess there is some typos..? 4.5 KG works out to about 63 PSI.. i cant believe that is the normal working pressure on a tractor.. maybe i am wrong but it sure seems strange.. my guess is the decimal point might have been moved to the wrong place on that one. any ideas guys?

chris


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## Live Oak

You might try SAE 40 HD motor oil and see how the oil pressure responds after it warms up. Might make a little difference but probably not much.


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## solarman

i was told to only use 30W or 15/40 in diesels.. the B6000 says only use 30W. i use 15/40 in my powerstroke. not to sound dumb but i dont know what the difference is between 40 and 15/40.. is that the warm/cold thickness.. yeah, i am an idiot-!


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## Live Oak

SAE 40 wt. oil is a heavy duty straight weight oil that is used in marine engines and various air cooled and other industrial and consumer engines. In view of the fact that your Kubota engine is developing below normal spec. oil pressure, using SAE 40 although not the called for oil may help to raise the engine oil pressure somewhat do to its slightly higher viscosity. Definitely not the correct way to resolve the pressure problem but since you said you did not want to tear the engine down, it might be an option until you can perform rebuild. As long as the SAE 40 is a diesel rated oil, I think you will be OK with it. 15W-40 oil is a multi-viscosity oil that offers the benefit of a 15 weight oil when cold and a 40 weight oil when at operating temp. Theoretically the SAE 40 and 15W-40 oil should both exhibit the same viscosity properties at operating temp., but it is generally accepted that the SAE straight weight oils hold up better and retain viscosity better. With SAE 40 oil you need to allow the equipment to warm up thoroughly where as with a multi-viscosity oil, the cold temp lubrication is generally better.


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## solarman

*fixed the oil pressure problem!!!*

found the problem. i searched the internet for hours and finally came up with a couple references to low oil pressure because the plug popped out of the end of the cam... that was what it was. it took a few hours of messing with it but i got it replaced and now it starts up cold at about 70 pounds and when hot it drops to about 57 PSI... seems to be fixed. i put water in all 4 tires also and that sure was a pain but makes it pull so much better. i got a few slow oil leaks seeping so i can work on those next.

chris


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## Archdean

Drain the water and refil with a WSW mix ,, won't freeze and won't rust out near as fast!!


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## solarman

thanks.. what is WSW? i was going to add a bit of anti freeze to each tire. the coldest i have ever seen it here is 5 above zero... i guess a 50/50 mix is way overkill. any thoughts.? thanks to all that have written.. great help.

chris
www.greenmountainsolar.com


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## Live Oak

I think WSW=windshield washer fluid


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## solarman

yeah, that makes sense...


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