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Need help w/ '72 Ford 3000

6K views 22 replies 5 participants last post by  Nouveau Redneck 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
My sister and I have about 70 acres that we want to keep brush and saplings mowed down after having the land cleared. Since we didn't have a tractor, we had friends look for one for us. We bought a 1972 Ford 4000 3 cylinder Diesel. No lights,and the only thing working on the instrument cluster was the tach. The previous owner had disconnected all the wiring because his battery was discharging and he thought he had a short. We also got a box blade and a brushhog with it. Tractor started right up and I brushhogged for four days. Then the fun began. Tractor wouldn't start. Since I didn't know anything about diesels, I had someone tell me what to do. He said to jumpstart the tractor and pull the negative terminal off and if the tractor continued running it was the battery. $150. for new battery. Tractor started. Brush hogged 4 days, then tractor wouldn't start. Checked generator. It was bad. Replaced it $200-30. Ran it out of fuel. After 2 days of purging I got it running again. Worked good for about a month then I noticed that the fuel injection pump was leaking. It wasn't too bad so I continued using tractor. Unfortunately it got to be that almost as much was running out as running through.Took it to mechanic. He took pump off, I sent it to rebuilder and $550. later it was fixed. Tractor was brought home. I saw diesel on and around pump. Thought it was just from purging fuel system. Mechanic told me that there was a big rats nest by instrument cluster and they had chewed all the wires off of the cluster. So I needed a new wiring harness. New wiring harness(restoration quality) $300. One that would work $60. Got it ordered and arrived. Put it in following very good instructions. It worked. Tractor started right up. Drove down to sisters house and back to my house. Shut it off and on a few times. Connected instrument cluster. It would turn over but not start. Disconnected cluster. Same thing. Jump start works fine. Check generator with light. Nothing. Check battery. Of Course light bulb shines. Recheck generator. very dim light. Increase RPM bulb glows a bit more. Rewire cluster with just lights and tach. No luck.I can jump start tractor but my pickup has to be running. So right now I am using tractor, but I want it fixed and I'm not sure where to begin.
 
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#4 ·
Measure the voltage across the battery when it is not running and when it is running.

It should measure around 12.5 volts when not running and between 13.4 and 14.5 volts when running.
 
#11 ·
So did I fry my regulator when I connected the wiring to the cluster?
Possibly. How did you connect things? I just re-read your original post and this last post. What do you mean by "connected the wiring to the cluster"? There is not a single wiring connector for the instrument cluster. There are a number of individual wiring connections for different parts of the the instrument cluster (a wire from light switch to the cluster illumination bulbs, a fused wire from the key switch to the voltage stabilizer, a ground wire for cluster, plus sender wires for oil pressure light, fuel gauge and temperature gauge, and the wire from the regulator to the charge warning light). Are you sure that you got all of those connected correctly?
 
#12 ·
I think i replied to you about wiring but in case I didn't. The cluster had no wires attached to it of any kind. The voltage stablizer had the letter "B" on it and that is where the instructions said to put the wire. I also connected the wire for the temperature gauge. Then I tried to start it. It wouldn't start without being jumped. It still won't start and the battery isn't charging according to the light for the cluster that I put a bulb in.
 
#17 ·
The books do say that there were both 11 amp and 22 amp generators & regulators available on those 3 cylinder thousand series, but every one I have ever seen was 22 amps.

The only thing that needs to be polarized is the generator. Installing the battery with one post or the other (positive or negative) connected to ground tells you which way the generator needs to be polarized. The regulator works no matter which way the battery is connected, positive or negative ground. Your 3000 was originally (and hopefully still is) a negative ground system.
 
#20 ·
Sorry for the confusion. The title of your thread says 3000. A 4000SU has the engine "transmission and rear axle of a 4000 and the front axle and steering from a 3000

All models of that era were made in all 3 plants. The letter at the beginning of the serial number tells you which plant it was assembled at. Serial numbers beginning with the letter "A" were assembled at the plant in Antwerp, Belgium. Serial numbers beginning with the letter "B" were assembled at the plant in Basildon in the UK and serial numbers starting with the letter "C" were assembled at the plant in the US.

The electrical system was the same between all 2000/3000/4000 series models,except that the ones made at the two European plants had an extra fuse in the back of the light switch and they also had more lights (brake lights, turn signals, etc.) because of stricter regulations over there at the time.
 
#23 ·
Depends on if you have a tire shop that makes house calls nearby. If the tires aren't filled with liquid ballast, it would definitely be less expensive to remove the rear wheel and take it to a tire shop than to pay them to come to you. If the tires are filled with liquid ballast then you need someone who is experienced in handling them and you would be best off having the entire tractor flat bedded to a shop that can do the work. Liquid filled tires are extremely heavy and dangerous to handle if you don't know what you are doing.
 
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