# IH 484 - bring it again back to life



## alourinho (Feb 28, 2016)

Hi all,

I'm trying to have an IH 484 work again - this is a tractor that was always stored under a roof for 30/40 year and rarely used - probably once or twice a year - to do little work - it still has a perfect original paint and no rust at all, except for the fuel tank.

As the fuel tank was rusty i removed it, had it sand blasted, welded to cover the lower end where the holes were and repainted it again with the best color match i managed to find.

As the fuel tank balance fuel line was also pretty much wasted with rust i replaced the two taps with modern ones (in replacement of the original copper taps), used a flexible fuel hose to balance fuel and then reinstalled the fuel tank - no leaks were detected after all this.

After having installed the tanks i bled the primary filter (in the right side of the tractor) and all went ok - then i bled the secondary filter (on the left side of the tractor) and no fuel came out - thought that it could be some kind of clogging in the fuel line between the two filters so i used a bicycle pump (i have no compressor ) and fuel came out - after all it was just air in the fuel line - so, i managed to bleed the secondary fuel filter.

At this point i unscrewed the fuel pump inlet and fuel came out - as such, fuel is getting into the fuel pump.

At this point i though - well, the tractor has been idle for about 5 year - as such, the injector fuel lines are empty - as such, i will have to crank it a lot in order to fill the fuel lines to each of the 3 injectors - so, i started doing that.

Now comes the problem - we have a 110Amp battery - nevertheless, after cranking for about 3 seconds we start feeling that the starter engines gets weak a lot - as if the battery was depleted although it had been fully charged just then.

I have the feeling that the battery might even be depleted even before starting cranking - is this possible?

If anyone out there has a 484 - of how much Amps is your battery? - for how much time are your able to crank before the battery starts to become weaker?

Additionally, how can i troubleshoot such a thing?

In these conditions i will have to be cranking for weeks 

Additionally, i noticed that the tractor owner keeps the battery charger connected to the battery while cranking - is this a good practice?



Thanks a lot for your help.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Howdy alourinho, welcome to the forum.

Diesels require a battery with large ampere reserve capacity for starting. For example, my Ford 3610 tractor has an oversize battery with 820 CCA at zero degrees F and 970 CCA at 32 F. That's overkill, but will give you an idea
of what you need. 

Alternatively, you can try tow-starting the tractor, if your clutch is not stuck. A stuck clutch is a common occurrence with a tractor that has sat idle for many years. The risk/danger is that if the tractor starts under tow, you cannot stop the tractor with the clutch..... have to pull the kill rod....you can run over your tow vehicle.


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## alourinho (Feb 28, 2016)

Hi,



Finally managed to start the IH 484 after a few years fully stopped.

The battery was ok and also the cables (checked for resistance with a multimeter). Just took the ends off and on again after cleaning to make sure proper contact was being made to the starter and chassis. Also checked for continuity between the positive battery cable terminal and the chassis and there was none.

After bleeding one of the injector fittings and a lot of cranking finally fuel started to come out.

After a lot of cranking again it finally started - at first uneven but then stabilized.

Incredibly mechanically it sounds quite well after all those years stopped - alternator, starter engine and fuel pump seems also ok.



Thanks for the help.


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## Couch (4 mo ago)

Hello , I too have a 484 I bought it new many years ago . I can tell you this about the original starters on that tractor they are geared really LOW meaning they turn slow regardless of battery strength. I had to replace my starter several years ago and found that I could replace the original starter with one just like it only the new one is higher geared so it turns the engine over faster which results in the engine being much easer to crank especially when cold ( these tractors are hard to crank cold ). This may help you some day if the starter needs replaced. Ive kept my 484 in top condition all these years still looks great & works great . I’m sure the one you spoke of is well worth any time & $ you put into her. I have had a couple hyd. issues but they were a easy fix ,did them myself , you have a well built piece of equipment,GOOD LUCK.
* Red Power !! Red Power!!*


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## joninva (Aug 15, 2021)

These tractors have a cold start assist. Look at the stop cable on the injection pump. You will see a small plunger. From the run position, pull the stop cable ( or move the stop lever if yours has it ) until the arm on the injection pump just touches the end of the plunger. This is the cold start position. I believe later models don't use this function.


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