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The 2-50 Field Boss

17K views 63 replies 7 participants last post by  Matt / Ontario 
#1 ·

1976* 2-50 Field Boss FWA
5480hrs
2.6L 3cyl Fiat
47HP @ PTO
*thought it was a 79 but double checked the serial and I was wrong

Normally I probably wouldn't do something like this thread but I've been scouring the internet for extra info or even pictures of this tractor but it's scarce. The more conversation/information I can put into this thread the better for anyone else following in my footsteps in the future I suppose. This is going to be very much a learn as you go process for me.

Initial thoughts: I'm partial to the Fiat diesels for some reason and despite the appearance of this one, the price allowed me to look past it. I was wasn't originally looking for a "project" more simply for a 4wd loader tractor around 50-80hp. This one is what I brought home. It came off a farm where it was worked daily and put away...well probably never put away. The fenders are shot from rust, nose cone patched, it has underslung exhaust :tango_face_sad:, seat is pooched, water temp gauge doesn't work etc. but nothing that can't be repaired/replaced/improved. Mechanically the motor is solid, started well, clutch is smooth, power steering works well - all the good stuff. Fix a few leaks, freshen up the fluids, spend some money on parts, paint her up and put her to work - that's the plan anyways.


First Experiences: The float dropped it off last Friday with the new rear tires I had put installed, tubed, and loaded. After two hours of being quite impressed playing with the new oldie plowing snow, I went to back it into the shed and heard a 'clunk' and there I sat. Upon further inspection I realized I had sheared off the bolts holding the FWA drive shaft onto the plate coming out of the transfer case. No big deal I thought. After looking at it I realized there were only 2 bolts in it to start with. My bad for not checking it over, however in order to get the sheared bolts out I had to drop the case and take it into the shop. It sucked but I was planning on changing the hyd/trans anyways so it didn't really matter. Got the sheared studs out, bought some M10x1.25x20mm 10.9 bolts at Fastenal, made a gasket for the transfer case (couldn't get it), and hit up the local AGCO dealer for some fluid and bought all the filters while I was there. Voila! or so I thought.



Got everything back together and was ready to fill with hyd/trans. I went to clean and/or replace the internal filter element but quickly realized that with the loader on the tractor, the element physically cannot be removed completely. Carrying on, I consult the handy dandy Operator's Manual and it turns out the filler cap is a PITA to get at with a 5 gallon pail (red arrow in pic below). Turns out the return line for the loader circuit uses the filler hole to deliver the fluid back to the trans reservoir. So I tore that apart and got it filled up with a lot of extra time. However, ended up with a couple things I want to change now i.e. quick couplers on the feed and return line for the loader since I don't plan to have the loader on it all the time and if I get a small chunk of hose and an extra male/female quick conn. I can plumb it into a pail pump for easier filling in the future.



After the bit of hassle and fact-finding there I noticed the big plug on top of the hydraulic lift unit (yellow arrow in pic). The service manual refers to it only once as a port to put a wrench in to remove the rockshaft, but you can see the hyd/trans fluid from it. So it got me thinking, could I fill the transmission from that nice big plug and never have to touch the other one again? I don't know. Consulting the service manual I found that there is a small tube that returns the fluid from the lift unit back to the main reservoir (pictured below).



Is this an option? If anyone has an answer I'd appreciate it

During the same operation I noticed something funny with the dipstick on the tranny. There is the regular line for "normal full" and then further up the stick another line that says "Sollevatore" (pictured below). A quick google of the italian-english translation of "sollevatore" yields "lifter" or "heaver." So is this the level it should be at if you have a loader? Neither manual makes reference to this. Anyone come across this before?



I'm optimistic moving forward and having fun despite having to do this work outside in -14c weather. Next step I want to take the loader off, get it in the shed and proceed. The only thing bugging me is that I know these Fiats had issues leaving the PTO engaged it would mess up the cranks and crank bearings and with this being a loader tractor with a PTO driven hydraulic pump, it's likely that the PTO has been engaged for almost all hours of operation. Cross that bridge when I get there I suppose.
 
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#2 ·
Changed all the fluids today, quite an ordeal but feel more confident in it now.

I also pulled the loader off yesterday. I took the loader brackets off the tractor since they were loose. I was worried that the holes would be stripped in the casting but I bought all new M16x1.5 40mm 10.9 bolts for them and they threaded right in and torqued to 100 ft-lbs with no issues. A little red loctite and I shouldn't have to worry again since I will actually take the loader off when not in use.

I also bought an elbow for the exhaust to convert it to regular exhaust and removed the underslung. A bit of a bugger to get the old studs out of the manifold but it was worth it. The new exhaust makes quite a difference. The elbow seems a little large though so I'm hoping the loader will clear it.

The fluids were surprisingly good. I was worried about the final drives, FWA differential and the front planetary but all were sound, properly filled, and not burnt.

Bought a new top link for the 3 point, new-used fenders off a 640 universal, and a fransgard skidding winch but I'm going to have to make an adjustment to the travel of the 3 point since the blade of the skidding winch doesn't quite touch the ground (shy by about 3 1/2 inches). The fenders are in pretty good shape (a lot better than the ones on the tractor right now) so I'll have to clean them up and fix a couple bent edges - no big deal for less than half the price of new ones.

I took the air filter out and the precleaner and it is in terrible need of cleaning so that is first on the list for tomorrow morning. Grease all the points and she's ready for work.

I discovered a fairly significant coolant leak on top of the water pump but I ordered a compete rebuild kit for the water pump from import tractor parts a couple weeks ago so it should be in soon (The temp gauge doesn't work so I ordered the whole gambit just in case - sending unit, thermostat, pump rebuild etc.)

I also got a quote about getting the tin sandblasted and powder coated - still undecided what to do there. Nice thing with powder coating is I probably won't have to worry about the tin rusting out ever again or at least as long as I have the tractor.
 
#3 ·
Looks like you've had your hands full. I hope you get lots of use out of that machine as reward for saving the old girl, all your time, funds and effort! Neat old machine, keep the updates coming. And maybe a few more pictures of the tractor too! :)
 
#4 ·
If it were mine I know it wouldn't see that kind of work until it was short sleeve weather. Just can't stand working out in the cold any more. Real thorough job on the maintenance. Probably more that a working farm tractor like that has ever seen.
:ditto: on more pictures of the tractor.
MikeC
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yeah, there were a couple long cold days. Fluid doesn't like to flow very quickly at that temperature haha. This weekend I took it to a heated shop and did the work thankfully. I had an issue last week with the ignition sticking on in that the starter would continue to roll over even after the key way taken out of the keyswitch and the ignition switch was released. After a bit of trouble shooting and battery charging I took the solenoid off and cleaned it up. It tested fine on the ground but once back in the problem persisted. I filled the ignition switch up with penetrating oil and the next day the cold streak snapped and it was +3C when I got home from work and it fired right up no problem and hasn't been a problem since. Next step was tearing the dash out which I didn't really want to get into at this point.

I snapped a few more photos tonight before it got too dark. As you can see my woodshed has been invaded by the tractor and is likely to be it's new home until summer when I build it, it's own home.

I have a few hydraulic hoses out getting repaired right now and plan to pick up a new seat this weekend. Other than that I'm waiting for the water pump gasket set to come in and a nice weekend weather-wise since it will probably take a whole weekend to do the prep work on the tin. I should have taken a picture of the "new" fenders but forgot.

I wish I had my phone with me this morning when I cleaned the air cleaner out. I don't think it was cleaned since it rolled off the assembly line in 1976. Being oil-bath it's generally messy looking but the 3 1/2" pipe was so caked full of oily mud that the airway was choked down to no more than 1 1/2". I'm surprised it ran as seamlessly as it did.


The Fransgard. Need to adjust the 3-point travel yet to get it to sit on the ground.


The new exhaust setup. So much nicer than the underslung. I might get a long piece of exhaust pipe to bring the muffler up a little higher though I roaded it for about 4km today and never noticed the exhaust. I just cut the flanged end off the underslung pipe to adapt it to the cast elbow and old muffler.


The lonely loader. I don't have a shop so I have to improvise haha.

One thing I have left to sort out is that the skidding winch is PTO driven and so is the slave pump that runs the hydraulics for the loader. Chances are likely that if I'm in the bush bringing logs out I'm not going to have the loader on since it adds another 4ish feet to the front of the tractor and significant reduction in turn radius and general maneuverability. Hence why I got a tractor with a quick attach loader. However, if the loader is off then I'm thinking I'm going to have to make up a hydraulic hose that comes off the output side of the pump and straight back to the reservoir (transmission). That way I can run the PTO for the skidding winch and the pump can function as it should. Anyone have a better idea on this? Some people have suggested just to plug the output side of the pump but I don't want to damage the pump. If i remember I'll take a picture of the pump this week but it basically looks like this one:



Only that one is powered by a front PTO shaft on an Aliis Chalmers but exact same idea.
 
#11 ·
I had an issue last week with the ignition sticking on in that the starter would continue to roll over even after the key way taken out of the keyswitch and the ignition switch was released. After a bit of trouble shooting and battery charging I took the solenoid off and cleaned it up. It tested fine on the ground but once back in the problem persisted. I filled the ignition switch up with penetrating oil and the next day the cold streak snapped and it was +3C when I got home from work and it fired right up no problem and hasn't been a problem since.
Probably had water, which froze, that might have been affecting it. Taking it inside to thaw, then displacing the water with penetrating oild probably fixed it. Next step was tearing the dash out which I didn't really want to get into at this point.




Only that one is powered by a front PTO shaft on an Aliis Chalmers but exact same idea.
IF the pump on your Field Boss is hung on the front like this one, then I would suggest some sort of cage to protect it while in the woods skidding logs. Especially since the FEL isn't on it for use as a bumper guard. Doing a heck of a job, considering fitting it all in between work and the "balmy" temperatures. :tango_face_smile_bi
MikeC
 
#8 · (Edited)
Back at it again today since the weather was nasty and I got my shipment of parts from ITP. I'll start things off with a picture today:



The glorious water pump. The gasket in the picture (#11) that goes between the pump body and the adapter to the thermostat holder or whatever you want to call it has been leaking since I got the tractor. It is a cork gasket and is fairly thick. I was hoping to be able to get to it without taking everything apart and after some attempt I determined that it was better to take the rad, rad holder, belt, hood, rad cover, air cleaner, battery etc. to do a better job and to avoid wrecking the new gasket.

The aftermath:







So...after taking about an hour to remove all that stuff which really wasn't too much of a chore I was easily able to get the water pump off and slide that hardened rubber/plastic tube out (#10 in the parts diagram). Upon further inspection (which I was cleaning it up to put the gasket on) I noticed it's junk with 4 significant cracks in it. That obviously made me wonder if it was the gasket leaking or this part. Either way I called the dealer and ordered another one.




It won't be in until Tuesday so I figured I'd clean things up a bit with some degreaser and a hose. From the one picture you can see the healthy pile of greasy dirt under there and most of that came off of the front of the engine here and in the cast under the rad where the power steering cylinder is. I also took the time to spray the rad out which was extremely dirty, it looks great now.

I also got the feed and return lines/hydraulic hoses for the loader back today with the quick couplers installed.
 

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#9 ·
The Good

Got the coolant leak under control today finally. I went and picked up the plastic tube part on Tuesday and reassembled the tractor to the point that I could fill with coolant and it was leaking worse than ever. So after a short fit of rage and disbelief I took a flashlight and notice that where one of the two bolts go into the cast of the pump from the plastic tube the cast was cracked... AWESOME. So I ordered a new water pump and gasket set and picked it up today. I reassembled the tractor and ripped around a bit trying to get the temp gauge to work since I haven't really used it enough to rule out that the engine hadn't gotten all that warm. While I was that deep into the cooling system I decided I may as well put a new thermostat and temp sender/sensor in it. I ran it for probably 15 minutes at road speed and the needle did come up but not to where I would say it should be registering for typical operating temp. I'm going to put on the new quick connect feed/return lines for the loader tomorrow and I may put the loader back on. Hopefully the exhaust clears it!

The Bad:

I noticed a small puddle of oil under the inside of the right front tire today so that's fairly concerning since I'm thinking it's a seal for the planetary or front differential. I also noticed a leak under the transmission coming from where the cotter pins are hanging down which typically indicates an issue with the input shaft and can screw the clutch and/or flywheel eventually and means splitting it at the bellhousing. BUT I filled the tranny to the higher line on the stick and am wondering if that's the cause. It didn't leak before I put more fluid in so I'm just going to monitor it for now and see if it stops once the level comes down - realistically if I was going to split it to fix the input shaft seal I'd do the clutch while in there so it is what it is. The fuel lift pump is leaky and the primer doesn't operate properly so I was considering ordering a rebuild kit for it but the new pump is like $70 so at some point I'll just replace the pump and fuel filters at the same time.

Next on the list (getting longer by the day :p):
-Sorting out the temp gauge
-Adjust the clutch since the throw on the pedal seems to be significantly long before disengagement
-Adjust foot throttle since the throw is extra long and foot gets stuck under brake pedal when pushing to full throttle
-Address leak in front end (new)
-Monitor tranny leak
-Lift pump replace
-New seat
-Get a knob for the 4wd shifter
-Replace boots for gear shifters
-Find a nose cone/rad cover used (new one is $375) and then redo the tin.
-Electrical: head lights and tail lights/rear light for plowing

The first picture below is the three broken parts forgot to add the thermostat which looked pretty ratty as well. You can see the broken casting on the water pump (I broke the chunk right off taking it out). The small brass piece is the temp sender. The O-ring and round plastic part were broken off of the tube and stuck up in the thermostat seat.

The second and third pics are from after I pressure washed the greasy dirt and crap off the motor.

The other three pics I got off of my phone and are from at the dealer the day I bought it since I haven't posted many pictures of it together.
 

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#10 ·
Haven't had much time or cooperative weather to get much done the last few weekends. Broke down and bought a new better battery for it this weekend since the old one was weak and I thought inadequate for the job.

I figured I'd put the loader back on yesterday but ran into an issue that I was wondering about. The cast exhaust elbow I got to turn the underslung exhaust upright has too long of an arch on it and the loader arms don't clear it. It makes sense since every similar tractor I've seen with a loader has the OEM tight 180 elbow that extends up above the hood. Trying to find one like that has proven tricky.



Found this one and inquired about price/availability but may end up having to get one custom made at a muffler shop.

Nothing to exciting or productive for the last little while but haven't given up.
 
#13 ·
Had a nice day weather-wise today with not a lot else to do so I decided to spend it with my tractor haha. I cleaned out my bigger shed the other day and have turned it into my temporary shop; it gives me a roof to work under at the least.

I originally set out to look into the leaky front planetary but didn't end up doing much with that since I'll have to order seals or a gasket etc. I thought it was a bad trunion seal but it looks like it's the seal on the stub shaft on the outside of the planetary. I opened the differential level plug and the oil level was spot on still which was a relief since I thought it might be one or both of the axle seals. I'll save that job for next weekend I guess.

After narrowing that down I decided I'd take the fenders off since it looks like I'm going to have to pull the final drive carrier off of the right rear side of the tractor to address the transmission oil leaking into the dry brake chamber AND I have the new fenders almost ready to go onto it so it kills two birds at once. As I was working on that I pulled the electrical out of the fenders for the lights and started looking around at the electrical in general and ended up diving into that instead.

I figured there were some issues with the wiring since not much of it worked - no lights, no warning lights, temp gauge etc. not functioning. So I pulled all the tin off in one piece and found a nice grapefruit sized mouse nest perched atop the fuel tank. Nice! Only one chewed wire fortunately but I found a lot of PO mess once I started going through it. One of the leads on the voltage regular was off, which may explain the frequent low battery issues. The main ground for the dash wiring harness had been cut and was wrapped around the tachourmeter gauge. The lighting wiring was just a complete *&^% so I just pulled both T harnesses out and dead ended them for now until I redo the lights. I had ordered a new dash harness from ITP a few weeks ago and it came in the other day so I'm going to put it in tomorrow morning. I cleaned up a lot of the mess but there's still some more to do. All in all though fairly productive considering I spent the majority of my time figuring out what half of it was for haha. I have a pretty good handle on it now anyways.

The red wires you see dangling there in the one picture below are the wires for the neutral safety switch that had been disconnected by a PO.

EDIT: Got the new aftermarket exhaust elbow from the 540 Fiat and it still doesn't clear the loader arms what a hassle but I won't be beaten by it.
 

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#14 ·
Well day 2 of messing around is done. I put the new dash wiring harness in which was simple and the color codes were very close on the wires. The only thing I noticed is that on the 3 prong quick connector the yellows and greens were reversed which basically means the alternator light would go off when the parking light should be on and vice versa. I just pulled the blade sides out of the new connector on the harness and put them where they should go.

The main ground for the dash harness was cut as I said yesterday so I connected it on a common ground with the fuel sender ground and it blew the fuse. No big deal I thought...



Being a resident of North America and not being alive in the 70's or early 80's I've never seen such a fuse - nor had a few people I asked. A good old google search told me that these fuses are called "torpedo" fuses which were used in Europe through the 70's mostly in automotive applications by BMW, VW, Mercedes etc. I guess Fiat decided to use them as well. Anyways I ordered a pack of 100 various amperage fuses for like $9 on Ebay and I just borrowed the fuse from the lights for now to get by.



Not wanting to blow my last fuse I just disconnected the ground and held a jumper wire between the blades in the fuse box. With the ground disconnected all was well. I'm not the most handy guy with electrical but with a negative ground system it made some sense. Then I consulted the wiring diagram again and it just showed it going to ground as expected. All the individual grounds in the harness went to the back of each gauge and/or warning light holder so I put it on the back of the pressure light holder as it seemed to make sense there. Good to go. Electrical cleanup complete at least for now until I get to the point where I want to put lights on it again.

I pulled it out of the shed and gave the whole tractor a thorough power wash and then proceeded to change the power steering filter since it's the only one I haven't done.


looks a lot nicer after a pressure wash. I also degreased, scrubbed, and pressure washed the tin in preparation for anticipated tin work in the next few weeks (hopefully).

The power steering reservoir joins all the rest of the reservoirs on the tractor for being a mess-making ******* to drain. Can't really help but get it all over the place.



And one last picture of the very leaky lift pump. I ordered a new one today.

 

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#15 ·
Mark,
Thanks for the updates. Was sort of wondering how it was going but knew that inside space to work on the White was at a premium so figured when the weather turned a bit warmer. Great that you are paying such close attention to all the small details. Of course you and I both know that those small details are the ones that morph into full blown major problems if left unattended. It's great that you are able to get all the parts you need, and it seems, even have the options of new or used. You are gonna have a great machine when you get all done. Of course, when all the refurb is done, then you'll have to decide whether to take it all apart again and make it pretty with a new coat of paint.:tango_face_devil: Somehow I don't think you'll be turning it into a trailer queen. Gut tells me you want a dependable worker. But one never knows.:tango_face_grin:
MikeC
 
#16 ·
Hey Newsman, thanks for following the progress it gets pretty lonely in the big tractor forum haha. Yeah, I'm not "restoring" the 2-50 by any stretch just getting it up to the point where I can work it "reliably." I know things are going to happen, it's an old tractor but there's no way I would consider working it with a leaky water pump and stuff like that. I can say probably 50% of my time thus far has been fact finding more than anything and then uncovering the next thing. The guy at the Massey dealer where I get most of my parts thinks I'm restoring it but I'm just getting it to where I want it basically. I got a "deal" on this tractor that ran strong and everything works but still needs some work in my eyes. A lot of people would say well it's 'old iron' just run it but that's not my style with anything. Most people my age would probably buy a newer or new tractor and I considered going that route and wasn't impressed with new stuff for what my intended work plans are for this tractor in that it will probably spend 50% of it's time in the bush using the skidding winch and doing some heavier duty loader work. This old girl is built as solid as they come and has literally no plastic on it, most of the systems are simple and I can work on it and probably figure it out. I look at a new massey or something and see a flimsy loader that I know I will break the quick attach arms off of and all plastic body panels that a whippy limb on a frigid day could turn into a pile of splintered plastic. Plus I generally enjoy working on the tractor, I know when I'm done I'll have something worth my time and monetary investment. My biggest hold up like you mentioned is lack of shop space and poor weather but I have it a little better now with a roof over my head and much more enjoyable working temps.

I'd love to restore a 420u one day, not sure why but I really like those JD's but that will be once I have a shop all set up haha.

I had a few hours today so I decided to start going at the used fenders I picked up at the salvage yard. They came off a 640 universal so they are the same but are painted blue. That's fine since I plan to either paint the tin myself or have it done locally. I honestly don't want a show piece since it will get scratched and dented but the tin is on the verge of rusting to the point of no return so I need to do something with it. The fenders are not salvageable whatsoever hence the new ones and the more I look at the nose cone/rad cover the more I think I'm going to have to find one or order a new one for big bucks.





As you can see, not worth the time and aggravation.


I'm not good at taking before and after pictures but I did grab my phone part way through the sanding process on the first fender. They do need a bit of work, the one looks better cosmetically than the other but are very worthwhile to get a little welding done on.





"before"



"After" of the first one that needs more welding but the paint was in better condition on.

On the second one I grabbed the weird paint scraper and started knocking the loose crap off and it was amazing how easily it was taking the paint right off of it. So with lots of elbow grease I ended up basically sandblasting it with a paint scraper.



Shameless plug for Milwaukee. I find their tools to be the toughest and as a personal preference only own their power tools. The new box is nice too for the price.


This one is still solid down where it hooks to the tractor on the final drive carrier but has the same hole from what looks like a tire rub and has some swiss cheese going on on the real thin metal up top. Still should be no big deal to patch up.

That concludes the tractor work for now, hopefully I'll be back at it next weekend. If I had a welder I'd tackle these repairs myself since my welding is serviceable. Fabricating is a different story all together. I'll hopefully take these fenders to the welding shop next friday but will have to wait and see.
 

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#18 ·
Hey Newsman, thanks for following the progress it gets pretty lonely in the big tractor forum haha.
Yes Matt, the big tractors sure don't seem to get the attention that the others do. I'm sure that the mindset of a lot of members is that they are for farmers and because of the size the don't have the space for one and won't ever own one.
Well I don't have any either but do like seeing what folks like you are doing to keep them working. Might say though that I sure do think about the benefits of working on one. Sure having to split one is a lot of work, but the appeal to me is the space. At my age my hands just don't flex and bend like they use to and I sure have trouble getting them into the tight spaces of small tractors. Same goes for today's cars although all of the computer crap a whole different set of problems. Of course I remember the days of being able to sit in the engine compartment (of course with the hood off) to reach around the big block 348 in my 59 Impala or specially working around the tiny by comparison 283 in my buddies car. So work on my cars go to the mechanic down the street and my tractors sit in the various storage areas awaiting me to get off my duff and do something about them. And I've got to tell you that watching your work does get me thinking about it, but of course all the other household stuff gets in the way and the wife doesn't help by reminding me that "yes, you are working slower than you use to." To which I reply "ain't that the truth!"
MikeC
 
#21 ·
I'm enjoying your thread also. I recognized the odd fuses from my mis-spent youth when I had a '65 VW bug. The car only had 2 sizes, 8 amp and 16 amp if I remember correctly.
 
#22 ·
They sure stumped me for a little bit. I showed them to a mechanic buddy and he just laughed. Glad to see some people poking through this thread haha. Spent most of the day today working on chainsaws but did get a bit done on the tractor.

Apologies for all the sideways pictures. For some reason my phone does this when I load them on the computer. When I first started the thread I was using the ipad for pics and they came out normally.



Fenders primed up though they still need some repairs but I didn't want to leave them bare metal for too long. The bright spot on the one in the background was a color of paint I was trying out, for whatever reason it came out very bright in the picture.




Couple pictures of the stack all painted up and installed less the muffler clamp on the bottom (like the plywood hood? haha it was raining sideways so had to put something over the old girl since it's in an open front shed). You can see the welding work done on the elbow as well. Hopefully it holds up to vibration.
 

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#23 · (Edited)
Looks like the loader arms will now clear the stack. Progress, and has to be a feeling of satisfaction. Biggest problem so many of us face is how to make/replace the parts that are no longer made. Where there's a will, there's a way. Good job.
BTW, I don't do phone photos so this may be a dumb question, but... Looks like you were holding phone vertically. What happens if you hold it horizontally? Would they come out alright? As Tom Bergeron use to say on AFV, "WHEN SHOOTING WITH YOUR PHONE, SHOOT SIDE TO SIDE SO THE IMAGE IS WIDE." I don't know.
MikeC
 
#24 ·
New lift pump arrived today and fuel filters a while ago so I'll be tackling that on the weekend, probably not worth a post but it's one more thing ticked off the lengthy list. Hopefully with the new filters and lift pump the diesel leaks will cease or at least be easier to isolate moving forward. I won't be able to get at it until the weekend but I'll post the process as I go through changing it out etc.

I took your advice Mike and shot the pic side to side haha. Turned out upright and proper.
 

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#25 ·
Another rainy weekend is here >.> but it gives me a bit of time to do some small jobs on the tractor. I got the new lift pump earlier in the week and have had the fuel filters sitting here for a while since I ordered a complete filter kit from ITP when I first bought the tractor. Although I can't say I'm surprised by what I found but the tank may need a swabbing at some point by looking at the crud in the first filter with the sediment bowl on it.


not sure if it will zoom in far enough but it's filthy haha

The upper pump was quite a bit cleaner but still had some small sediment in the bowl.




The lift pump went in easily. But I was figuring on making a new gasket for it since I didn't get one with the pump, however the new one had a bit nicer setup with an o-ring and slot/quide for it to sit in - no need to make a gasket.



Just has to get four M12 copper crush washers for the two banjo fittings on the lift pump, other than that it was a pretty simple operation. Bleeding the system only took a few minutes and the old girl fired right up no problem. The only thing I noticed during this task was that the inside of the intake manifold is FILTHY which isn't very handy. I should have been thinking a bit more and got the starter rebuilt before doing this since in order to take the back bolt out for the starter you have to have the fuel filter off. Oh well cross that bridge when I get there.
 

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#27 ·
Well I guess today was one of THOSE days working on the tractor today. I went out this morning to give the battery holder and air cleaner a squirt of primer and was hoping to get a coat of paint on today BUT when I looked at the fruits of my labor from the previous day I only found rotten fruit. The glass sediment bowl was leaking on the first filter. Soooooo I tightened the bolt down a bit and the bowl exploded which made me very happy. So after that and some choice words I carried on with the planned operation since I can't get a bowl probably until next weekend.

After putting a coat of primer on the air cleaner and battery holder I got thinking that it was the perfect time to take the starter off and see what was up in there...First of all it's a bugger to get out since the power steering pump head is in the way just enough to not let the starter come out. Anyways, I got it out and found a mess


That's the ring gear on the flywheel

Drive gear on the starter

I really don't know what the **** to do with that. Either way a "new" starter is happening but if it's going to make the missing/grinding issue worse than what's the point. In no way shape or form do I WANT to split this tractor and I don't have the facility to do it in or am I willing to put the money into it to have it done by someone else. Awesome.

Anyways, here's a couple pics of the air cleaner and battery holder




I have a rather large list of things to get for the upcoming weekend so I'm sure there will be more posts and pics on the way.
 

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#29 ·
That's more or less my theory as well. If it holds up until it needs a clutch I'll look after it then, if not then I'll face that when it happens. At worst it ruins the drive gear on the new starter and goes back to the way it is now. If they only let people who look after stuff buy stuff it would make our lives easier, lol. Though there would be a lot less stuff out there to buy.
 
#30 ·
Maybe figure out how to change the starter drive on your own and just change the part as necessary. If the part is available it might be cheaper than paying for a rebuilt starter if it wrecks the drive gear again.
 
#33 ·
I was originally thinking that but I called two "local" starter & alternator shops and neither of them could source parts for the original Magneti Marelli starter. Lucas, Bosch, and Lester I guess made the same starter and parts for those are available but not interchangeable with the Marelli apparently. The only reservation I have about using the old starter is that the solenoid was sticking on me in the winter (never was sure if it was the switch or solenoid or bad battery tbh) and that maybe a laggy engagement on behalf of the original solenoid/starter caused this issue to develop? I don't really know. I thought maybe it would become crisper with a brand new much larger/better battery but it didn't, I guess 12V is simply 12V.

I ordered a new one since I want to get the old girl back together this weekend and in the meantime I'll try and source a new drive gear assembly for the Marelli and have it as a spare starter I suppose. Yesterday's Tractors I think it was has the drive gear assembly but won't ship internationally unfortunately.

I also picked up a landscape rake the other day for windrowing rocks and stuff, I'll post some picks when I pick it up this weekend.
 
#31 ·
enjoyed the thread, I have one of the Fiat predecessors to your white, it a Oliver 1355, and it is now in its 47th year of use with over 11000 hrs. on the original engine has had only one clutch change and some normal wear parts changed out

you might already know about this guy up in you part of the world, but I will share a link anyway hes been great to work with when I need something
Your White 2-50 Tractor Parts Source!
 
#34 ·
Thanks for posting and following the thread! I enjoy hearing about the high hour Fiat's, that's mostly the reason I bought one. Mine has more than a decade on me at 41 years old haha. Some people claim them to be unreliable and quirky but the majority of feedback I got before buying mine was that they are tough as nails.

I haven't dealt with Danny directly but have ordered a few parts from ITP. Interestingly they are actually only about an hour and a half from me. Very handy to have a parts distributor dedicated to Fiat's and other imports.
 
#35 ·
Thanks for taking a look at the progress! Some days I feel like I'm just standing there staring at stuff and scratching my head more than getting stuff accomplished. I live in a small town of all of about 100 people located roughly an hour North of Belleville in the middle of the Canadian Shield (not kidding). I envy your location in terms of used tractors - there's always lots of nice ones for sale over that way. Plus Fawcett's AG Salvage is close by as well.
 
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