# Ford 3000 Hydraulic and/or Transmission Issues



## kramanoel (May 4, 2016)

Gentlemen.

I have a '71 Ford 3000 diesel. Tractor sat unused for about 3 weeks. Checked fluid condition and levels in rear axle and transmission. Everything looked good. Cranked tractor and 3 point hitch was unresponsive. Engaged pto, no response with draft arms. Drove tractor around the yard and draft arms began to rise after about 5 minutes and was slow and jerky. I assumed that the hydraulic pump lost its prime. I checked the fluids again. Rear axle looked good. No evidence of air bubbles or a milky color and the level was good. Not so for the transmission. Transmission fluid was milky and looked like it had air bubbles.

Used a 5 foot finish mower for about 2 hours. Hydraulics seemed to be working fine. Axle fluid still clear with no evidence of bubbles and no indication of fluid loss.

What's going on? Can the hydraulic pump loose its prime without loosing fluid or sucking air? Is it possible for the changes with the transmission fluid to be related to the hydraulic system? Also, I forgot to mention that I partially removed the transmission drain plug prior to cranking tractor to check to see if water was collecting in the bottom of the transmission. No evidence of water. Please advise.

Thanks


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Howdy kramanoel,

Welcome to the tractor forum. 

Milky fluid in the transmission indicates water/condensation in the fluid. Time to change transmission fluid.

Regarding the lift problem, the hydraulic pump may have lost prime, which normally indicates a leak in the suction line. Do you have any oil seepage spots on the suction tube (the larger tube)? The seals are o-rings at both ends of the suction tube. You might have a pinhole in the tube?

If you cannot find a suction leak, you may have has a sticky unloader valve or some other component in the lift system. When was the last time you changed fluid in rear differential reservoir? Might be a good time to change fluid as well.


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## kramanoel (May 4, 2016)

Thanks. Changing transmission fluid this afternoon. I was thinking that I should flush it to make sure all the moisture is out of the casing. Any recommendations on a flushing mixture?

Hydraulic fluid has about 140 hours on it over a 2 year period.


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## mississipiboy (Oct 16, 2016)

My 3000 ford had troubles with the lift like you described. And like sixbales said, I had a hole in my pickup tube.


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