# 1996 MF 231 - Restoration Journey



## Guy Incognito (3 mo ago)

Alright - I just got hold of a 1996 231 (only 805 hours) and am working on getting it back to to where it needs to be. Overall, it's in relatively good shape, but has been sitting in place for 2-3 years and maintenance was not done well for about the past 10 years. She starts - but doesn't run as well as I need it to.

It's running moderately poorly now - it won't rev above 1600 rpms. It drops RPM's and power under any sort of load (gearing, power steering, hydraulics, PTO). To my untrained eye, that is screaming fuel starvation, but I am not tremendously experienced with diagnosing diesel issues. Other than bleeding all the fuel lines and changing the fuel filter, is there anything else I might expect to work on given its age and relative condition?

And yes, I'm greasing the snot out of all the zerks.

One more thing - picture of hydraulic levers attached. Should I presume that "Constant Pumping" is just in the middle? I've seen some pictures that have an indentation in the metal housing, which this one does not.

Thank you to all who read this - and special thanks for anyone who provides a useful and informative response!


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## Guy Incognito (3 mo ago)

For reference, here is a picture of my new project...


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

Have the inj pump and injectors gone thru.. THAT may very well take care of your rpm problems.


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

Agree with the thepumpguysc, but I would start with having the injectors serviced first (less expensive) and check results.


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

I’m doing a pump now that had the same symptoms., won’t rev past “x” rpm’s.. I found that the insides of the inj pump is rusted with a stuck metering valve and stinks of Bio-fuel..


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## Busted Tractor (May 22, 2018)

The decal is hard to read but the quadrant appears to be without pressure control. Just checked on www.agcopartsbooks.com and they did have pressure control on the 231.

If the tractor has pressure control then the constant pumping would be about centered in the quadrant.

If you don't have pressure control then the stop at the back keeps you from going into constant pumping. Bypassing that stop will put it in constant pumping. Just be sure the oil has somewhere to go if not you will be blowing the relief valve.

To get a manual go to www.agcopubs.com search for 231 tractor. They are genuine manuals and you can get the operators manual, the service manual --warning the expensive one is the same as the cheap one it just has a binder -- and a parts book. Usually cheaper than aftermarket and has particulars that the aftermarket leaves out. As for the parts book I cheat because I print it from the parts site.


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