(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

H oil level

T

Tim (UPS) Johnson

Member
Just changed the oil in my 53 H,put in the usual 6 qts. of oil with a new filter,started her up ,checked for leaks and then shut her down.Went back about 10 min. later to check oil level and i'm about a qt. over full,so i pull the plug in the bottom of the oil filter canister,and its emty.Now if i remember right the oil always stays in the filter canister instead of draining back to the pan,the filter was the same length as the one i took out,any ideas? Tim
 
Was there oil in the filter housing when you changed it? If not, maybe the oil passage to the filter housing is plugged? If you crack the oil filter cover while the engine is running, does oil run out? If so, the oil is getting to the filter, next check the drain back toi the crankcase. Just some thoughts.
Good luck,
Paul
 
The oil never stays in the filter on an H. It has a bypass filter, not a full flow system. Oil enters the filter through the small hole in the center bolt and drains back to the pan through the open drain hole. The drain hole is much larger than the orifice hole in the center bolt. Unless the copper gasket leaks under the center bolt the top of the oil canister never fills with oil because of the air trapped in there.
 
the oil canister was full when i changed the oil.cracking the canister when engine is running does produce oil,but when shut down it does drain back,i guess my biggest question is why does it show so far overfull with the required 6 qts? thanks Tim
 
(quoted from post at 00:50:47 11/12/11) the oil canister was full when i changed the oil.cracking the canister when engine is running does produce oil,but when shut down it does drain back,i guess my biggest question is why does it show so far overfull with the required 6 qts? thanks Tim
Click to expand...

Drop the pan and see how much sludge is in it.
 
(quoted from post at 07:47:46 11/12/11) It has a screw in dipstick
Click to expand...

Has the screw-in dipstick been accurate before? My 1940 M had one of those dipsticks when I first got it. The dipstick was NOT accurate, so I removed it and replaced with a petcock.
 
I think the dipstick has always been accurate.There is also a petcock just below the dipstick,cant remember if that is the 1 qt low ,or full mark,maybe i have too much oil in her?
 
Well Tim, I will be honest with you. 6 quarts is not over full in my humble opinion. Not only that, even if you do overfill these a bit, there is no drama or earth shaking fall out. Oil seepage, maybe, drama? None. I'll have to look in the book, but if it calls for 6 quarts, then it is 6 quarts, and the dipstick can take a hike...........
 
(quoted from post at 08:44:54 11/12/11) I think the dipstick has always been accurate.There is also a petcock just below the dipstick,cant remember if that is the 1 qt low ,or full mark,maybe i have too much oil in her?
Click to expand...

I always put in 6 quarts when doing an oil and filter change. In between changes, I check the oil level by opening the top petcock. If oil drips out, it is good to go. If no oil drips out, I then add fresh oil just to the point where it DOES drip out of the top petcock. Might be a full quart, might be only 1/2 quart.

The bottom petcock is for use when the tractor was burning distillate fuel. The distillate was a rather dirty fuel, and would contaminate the engine oil, so each morning before the engine was started, that bottom petcock was to be opened which allowed one full quart of contaminated oil to be drained off, and then you closed that petcock, opened the top one, and added fresh oil until it dripped out. The tractor was then good to go for another day of work.
 
Use 6 quarts. BUT, the fill level to the upper petcock is 5 quarts. I did the same as you did on my Super H and initially thought that hyd fluid had leaked past the hyd pump seal. That was not the case. The extra quart is for the filter, it drains into the pan when the engine is stopped. that said you can simply keep it at the top petcock when the engine is cold and you are ok.
 
(quoted from post at 13:42:55 11/12/11) Well Tim, I will be honest with you. 6 quarts is not over full in my humble opinion. Not only that, even if you do overfill these a bit, there is no drama or earth shaking fall out. Oil seepage, maybe, drama? None. I'll have to look in the book, but if it calls for 6 quarts, then it is 6 quarts, and the dipstick can take a hike...........
Click to expand...

I was probably 13 or 14 years old, and was getting dad's H ready to go. Opened that top petcock, and nothing dripped out, so I made the decision it needed some oil. NOW, our main field tractors at that time were both John Deeres, with dipsticks for checking the oil level, and when the oil level on those tractors was at the "add" mark, it took 2 quarts to get them full. SO, being educated on those Deeres like I was, I ASSUMED the farmall was the same way, and naturally I added 2 full quarts of oil to that little Farmall H.

What happened? Well, other than a slight tendency for oil to spatter out of the exhaust stack occassionally, NOTHING happened. That old Farmall H ran just fine.
 
Thanks for all the help guys,i am now thinking i have the short filter and am needing the long one.Napa says it calls for short 1172 napa filter,but my canister looks like it needs a longer filter to seal at the bottom.ser#390589x1
 
If the filter canister was full when you changed the oil you better clean out the filter drain back into the block. The hole in the center bolt is about 3/32 inch and the drain back tube is 1/8 inch pipe. As a result the inside of the filter will fill with oil as it is pumped in from the bolt and the resistance of the paper will slow the flow until the filter is completely saturated. Once the oil comes through to the outside there should be nothing to keep it from draining right back into the oil pan.

The correct filter to use depends on which filter canister you have. Your serial number would indicate that you should have the short one but they can be easily changed. My dad changed the one on his '45 H to the long one since it then matched the one on the '40 H so he only had to get one filter number for either tractor. The correct filter will be about an inch and a half shorter than the canister. Install the filter into the base first and then install the canister and bolt otherwise the filter may not be seated in the base and allow oil to leak past the bottom of the filter rather than passing through it.
 
Your tractor is supposed to have the short canister on it. I suppose it could have been changed. Look at some of the tractor photos under galleries if you are not sure what the canister looks like. There is a very obvious difference. You might want to look at the M's also as they have the taller one, only the very early H's came with the tall one. If you do have the tall one, there is no difference in the H and M filters.
 
(quoted from post at 19:19:10 11/12/11) Thanks for all the help guys,i am now thinking i have the short filter and am needing the long one.Napa says it calls for short 1172 napa filter,but my canister looks like it needs a longer filter to seal at the bottom.ser#390589x1
Click to expand...

Guess what? It makes absolulutely no difference which filter is installed. Long filter or short filter, the oil capacity is still 6 quarts.
 
I agree with Rusty. My 1942 H has the long canister on it. My 1953 SM has the short one. Neither one changes the oil capacity in the engine. I am not sure what year they made the switch over, but I bet if you went to the dealer for a replacement after the change, you would get the short canister.

Tim, you are a good man checking, and an even better one that you change your oil and filter on a regular basis.

Don't sweat this one..............
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Pricey Baldwin filters
Replies
8
Views
686
[email protected]
D
C
1953 Super H water in oil
2
Replies
25
Views
1K
used red MN
U
L
966 oil leak
Replies
2
Views
277
Mrfred54
M
D
Re: Farmall H MW paper air filter
Replies
0
Views
290
DR. EVIL
D
M
H oil filter replacement number
Replies
3
Views
292
JoeM(GA)
JoeM(GA)
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top