Does anyone have the step by step instructions for dropping the oil pan. I may have a broken pick up tube. I have not verified that yet, but lost oil pressure.
Thanks!

I forgot to mention put transmission in gear or block the wheels to keep the tractor from moving.

Oops! Lying here at 5 a.m.thinking about oil pressure, It occurs to me that the "13/16" bolt I refer to in my previous messages is, I think, actually a 15/16th. It can be tricky for someone trying for the first time to locate that bolt to remove and squirt in oil. I'll double-check after the sun is up, but I apologize if I've made what is actually a fairly easy task impossible with the wrong wrench. Again, oops! with my embarrassed apology.

It was 15/16th. Not a problem. I just keep trying until i find one that fits. It was easy to find. Tricking putting the bolt back in wearing rubber gloves. Slippery to be sure. Took them off and got it done. Thanks again for all the help from everyone.
I am starting it every day and have oil pressure every day...so far so good!

Hey, good news! Ain't it a GREAT feeling to squirt in the oil, wrangle that bolt back into place, crank the engine up and see the pressure gauge climb? I'm so glad you tried the easy fix before taking off the pan. Don't be surprised if you lose pressure again if the tractor sits for an extended period, but now you know an easy fix that can get you by for a while. Again, my apology for mixing up 15/16 with 13/16 (the latter, of course, being the size I keep handy to take out spark plugs).

The way I do it is: Drain the fuel tank and remove the hood/grille/gas tank, then drain the radiator and the crankcase, remove the radiator hoses.( put a piece of cardboard between fan and radiator to protect radiator fins) Jack up the tractor just enough to take the weight off the front end and support it under the bell housing/transmission. Disconnect the tie rods at the steering arms on the front axle and fold them back. Unbolt the radius arms from the sides of the tractor, unbolt the front axle support from the front of the engine and roll the front axle away. It helps to have an assistant to do this especially the hood. If you’re not going to remove the whole engine at this point then support (don’t lift) the oil pan with a small floor jack or a transmission jack and remove the pan bolts. Tap the pan with a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer to loosen it. The pan is very heavy. Be careful. Check YouTube for tie rod disconnecting method. Dan and Rachael Gingel’s videos may show that, I have it on a vhs tape from years ago.

I have seen some posts and others on facebook have said that you can do it without taking off the hood. Having never done it, I have not idea if it can be done.

Was the pressure loss all of a sudden while running or was it noticed after the tractor had been sitting for a while? I assume you'll drain the oil and reach up into the drain hole to verify that the pickup tube isn't intact. Lots of things can cause a loss of pressure. One of my 8Ns sometimes loses pressure if I let it sit for weeks without running. This is especially true in cold-weather months. It's an easy fix by removing the 13/16 nut near the water pump and shooting in a few squirts of heavy oil. I may have worn oil-pump gears, but it's not bad enough to justify tearing things apart to fix. (My normal oil pressure is 35 pounds on startup and 25 pounds when warm.) You may have other problems than the pickup tube and screen; I'd hate to see you pulling off that heavy pan without checking other things that may be easier to fix. (Gauge, lines, etc.) Good luck with it.

This engine was just partially rebuilt by the guy I bought it from. I had it for less than an hour of running time. I noticed after it had sat for about a week. I was working on getting the alternator working, so it was not running much. I noticed that there was no oil pressure. It had been over 40 the last time I saw it. I have not drained the plug to feel if it is loose. I am just trying to get as much info as I can so I know what I am up against.
It has break in oil in it not. Feels very thick. Could that in any way cause a problem? This is all kind of new to me.
Thanks!

Just rebuilt engine looses oil pressure after sitting.

There has been an ongoing issue with some aftermarket oil pump rebuild kits.The gears are undersize and you get that exact behavior. I suggest once you get the pan off you remove the oil pump and measure the width of the driven gear. Narrow gears should be wiwithin a thousandth of .562 and wide gears should be .725. If the are undersize you have probably found your problem.

TOH

Thanks! At least I know how to get oil pressure now when I go to move it to the garage to work on itt!

Got home from work, fired it up...50lbs oil pressure. I guess I will just start it every day....which I like to do!

As Ed and I have both suggested, please try priming through the opening as shown on Ed's post. That would be by far the easiest way to get your prime back. A first-timer may have trouble finding the big 13/16 cap/bolt to remove, but it's there and not hard to access once you locate it and figure out whether to reach it from the right or left side. Use a strong flashlight to peek in to find it. I do mine from the left side with a big box-end 13/16 wrench. I use a squirt oil can with a plastic tube 8" or so long. Once I take out that 13/16 plug, I use my fingers to guide the tube into the hole an inch or so; you can feel when it goes in. Then a few squirts (maybe five or six) of heavy oil is all you should need. I've used 30-wt. oil as well as 80w-90 gear oil. It has NEVER failed to bring my oil pressure back up within a few seconds of cranking once I put the big plug back in. I doubt whether your heavy oil could cause your pressure loss; the heavy oil would actually be less likely to leak down to let you lose prime, although sometimes cold weather can do unexpected things. If squirting oil into the hole doesn't restore your prime, you almost surely have a problem elsewhere in the system. Keep us informed.
M. Rossow, Minnesota

I finally had the time and decent temp to prime the pump. I squirted 90W in until it was running out the front. I took the line off at the t so I could see it. Started up and in a few seconds I had a mess of oil running down my engine. Hooked everything back up and had good oil pressure again. I guess the real test will be if I start it after work tomorrow, will I still have pressure. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for the help!

Hi Marshel!! Been a long time. Nice to see you on the forum.

Hope all is well............Ed

Hi to you, Ed. I always enjoy your posts and am flattered that you remember me. I still hang out here and on the "other" N site. Here and on several other boards I've been using the user name "littleguns" for a few years to reflect one of my many vices -- .22-caliber boy's rifles from the early 1900s. I still mess as needed with my 8Ns -- four of them (early '50, late '50, '51 and '52). They are all works in progress, and I feel lucky if any two are functional at the same time. Such seems to be the nature of old tractors in general. I also have a '51 Farmall Cub that needs some work, but that's a topic for another forum. So much to do, so little time.

We still have your tutorials on building your own hydraulic press and lifting boom here in our How-To's. Great to see you posting here!

You may just need to prime your system. It's not that uncommon for folks to encounter this. Before you drain your oil or drop the pan, remove the large bolt on the front cover of the engine (watch out for the spring) and squirt some oil in the opening and reinstall the pressure relief valve and bolt. See if that gets you oil pressure. The bolt in question will be here and look like this:

>

This 3D animated video produced by Just 8N's shows how to assemble an 8N engine. If you go to the 18:30 mark, it shows how the oil pan is installed. It may be helpful for this task.

Good luck with it............Ed

• Click here to view the video

Jim, you can download a free copy of the I&T FO-4 Service Manual from our Manuals Library and it covers what you are looking for.

• Click here to download this manual