Trying to find JimN for help w/ IH350 Utility PS

I read there was an expert on here for the IH 350 Utility (300 series).
I am trying to charity help a very older neighbor rancher who has I think one of the very first serial numbered 350 Utility with the earliest PS system.
After the engine has been running for a 5-10 mins the hydraulic fluid begins escaping out the very top of the column just under the wheel. I suspect a problem with the regulator/safety valve block or the hydra-touch valve body.
Because of the serious lack of parts availability I am VERY hesitant to open up the PS portion of the column just to investigate.
Any help connecting w/ JimN would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all.
Jim L.

Jim will be back. You have a bad o ring or seal in the column. Look it up in the parts section of CaseIH.com. Those parts are generic and can be found about anywhere.

I appreciate the feedback.
Your thoughts are similar as mine, yet I wondered if the flow/pressure regulator was acting up causing more input than return, thus the overflow up the column. It is not a trickle of fluid but a considerable flow.
I have (from owner)the original owners and parts manual from 1956, quite yellowed and only cost $1 and $2 respectively at the time.
The IHC illustrations call out several o-rings in the column shaft but I have concerns about the sandwich style thrust needle bearing assembly, the internal cylinder valve and it's small pieces and any trouble I might encounter dismantling and reassembling the upper column shaft.
I assume (and hate to) that it would easier to remove the entire shaft from the lower housing at cam sector and bench repair.
Too many unknowns to just dive in with high hopes and end up making the situation worse.
These older tractors can be cantankerous and troublesome if not dealt with care and skill.
And parts for these early PS systems are terribly scarce and extremely pricey.
Seals and O-rings I can source easily from my own inventory, IHC or locally.
And just as an FYI; the current on-line IHC catalog illustrations and PNs are still almost identical to the original publications. Don't see that much any more.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you
Jim L.

There is a seal at the top of the column. Below that is the sensor section with a valve arrangement.
The valve directs fluid under pressure through steel lines to a cylinder that has a rack gear which rotates the steering arms to the drag links going forward.
I believe the seal is the only device keeping fluid in the column. It is not under great pressure, as it is in the return (discharge) side of the valving. It will leak, I have replaced them with a seal from Motion Industries after removing the old seal (25 years ago, so memory and crisp imagery are lacking). (difficult) I used a small ice pic to make a hole in the metal
og the seal and used metal screws to pull it out up the shaft. (#6 deck screws might be best)
I put the new seal on a polished up section of the shaft that was just a little ways away from the original wear groove. I is still not leaking.
Good luck getting the steering wheel off.
Jim

Thank you for the reply,
I have already replaced the upper most oil seal with the IHC part ($15) to no avail.
The original seal had hardened into brittle plastic and I too thought it was the culprit.

Shaft was OK, a little corrosion on top but lower portion at seal lip was clean with no wear ridge. I polished and replaced seal easily thinking I had a quick fix on my hands. No such luck.
Spewed out with considerable flow within 5-10 mins.
Seal wasn't a tight a fit as I anticipated, but IH/Case indicated correct supercession of PN and had only one in southwest territory.
Thanks for the help.
Jim L.

My seal was based on shaft size not PN. I would give it a try a second time. Taking the sensor apart might be needed. Jim

Thank you,
I'm not sure what sensor you are referring to.
I am not finding a sensor call out in the illustration or parts listings.
Can you direct me a little as to where it is located?

The seal part number was taken directly from the IHC parts catalog for this 350. I assumed IHC could provide the correct seal part. I may have assumed too much.
However I could mic out the od/id and attempt to locate a different brand at one of my suppliers.
I figured the OE part would have sufficed.
I appreciate your help very much.
Jim

The torque sensing valve below the seal. Jim

Are you refer to the what IH calls the cylinder valve denoted as item number 24 in pict.
I had considered dismantling the entire shaft, cleaning up what I could and replacing all the o-rings and seals.
But had concerns about the smaller valve pieces, items 22, 23, 27 & 28 and how this would come apart. Peacefully or as a soup of OOOPPPS, where did that fall out and how do I get it back in.
My apologies, I have been snake bit by older equipment and lost my shorts. So I am very conservative and careful today. My cash flow is not so good under this new age world economy.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Jim L.

Jim,
I owe you an apology as I failed to mention the very beginning of this saga. When I first got the tractor the oil was spewing from a square plug with a small orifice hole drilled in it. I found that it was a identified as a relief check that was suppose to have a ball inside.
Illustration number 23.
When I removed the plug there was no ball. The plug however was machined with a dish to accommodate a check ball. I called various IHC to locate the ball but no luck. So I replaced the drilled plug with a solid one hoping it was a seldom used aspect of the PS and that the solid plug wouldn't cause a problem and I could determine if the PS was at minimum functional.
Could this be the cause of the trouble?
Do you recall the purpose of the check ball in the big picture of the PS functionality?
Would you happen to know what size this check ball is?
I do have an assortment of various metal ball bearings and a local machinist/gunsmith that has helped me with oddities such as this.
It is quite late here and I spent the day under a Peterbilt so I will rest and resume with this hopefully tomorrow.
I greatly appreciate your efforts and am hopeful I can get this tractor back to Mr. Breed with a useful PS system as he is quite fond of this old iron.
Thanks
Jim L.

That is likely to be the issue. I do know that there should be no real pressure behind the shaft seal at the top. Best might be to obtain the correct ball/plug from a scrapped unit. They are so delicate and problem prone that finding a useless box might be moderately easy. Jim

Thanks for trying to help.
As for scrap units, there are none I can locate. I spent a couple days calling around and searching internet. If there are used units out there they are in private.
And around here the gov't, EPA and metal recyclers have cleared out tons of older machines, equipment, trucks. Too much hassle to have a boneyard and even private landowners are attacked by local gov't to clean up or face fines. No unregistered, licensed and road worthy vehicles are permitted to sit on your land. They even go after machinery that appears to have sat up.
If I can't get it going I'll just tell the man to scrap the tractor for weight. Metal prices are decent. And the rear tires are brand new so he can re-coup a few dollars.

Thanks for the help and best of luck.

I think IH uses the latest hard copy to put on the internet. The parts are the same, except the seals are no longer leather. A lot of the part numbers have changed but the dealers computers automatically convert the old numbers. A majority of the numbers have not changed. I always give the parts number out of my parts book. Much faster than making the guy find it himself.

Jim,

Maybe it is time to think outside the box (pun intended!). The PO of my 300 U w/PS evidently had the same problem with the upper seal and solved it by removing the small pipe plug (1/4" NPT)? and installing a brass elbow with copper tubing dropping down to the tranny cover and back up to the top of the hydraulic tank with similar pipe plug there also. So the old seal leaks and the oil goes back to the hydraulic resevoir. PS works fine, and the fix is cheap and easy. Maybe if the seal is completely shot, the copper tubing may not handle enough oil flow. But mine hasn't made a mess for the 30 years I've owned it.

Good Luck,

Paul in MN

Paul,
This is bizarre and awesome.
I had a very similar idea today. I was considering removing the check valve plug (check ball is gone anyway) and installing a compression fitting and running a 1/4" to 3/8" ID hose back to where the return line enters the reservoir. Install a T-fitting and dump the overflow back to the reservoir.

But I was hopeful I could repair the system back to an original state for the owner. But I just can't find the check ball or even the dimensions to replace it with a substitute.

I am hesitant to open a very old PS system that seems to work other than over flowing fluid.
The internal working PS parts are very scarce and expensive and I am concerned I will do more harm than good opening it up. And neither of us have deep pockets to do it the right way even if parts were available.
I did replace the upper most oil seal just below steering wheel, but it can't seem to hold back the fluid.
If this by-pass works then I need to replace the outer most l&r shaft seals as they drip profusely and the left side lands on the exhaust and boy does it get to smoking a cloud.
I am excited that your system is working and I will definitely pursue the over flow hose idea and see what occurs. I figure it can't hurt anything further other than not losing expensive hydraulic oil.
Tractor steering seems to work Ok, a little sloppy from years of use with a loader and probably a worn down worm drive cam. Pump works great as it can dump a quart in thirty seconds.

This is awesome info. God is great and answers prayers.
THANK YOU for communicating this.

I feel better I can maybe help Mr. Breed get his tractor back to use. He will be ecstatic. He was so afraid and depressed that he was going to have to junk it and I was getting worried I was going to have to condemn it as scrap.
Without PS this tractor w/ loader is VERY difficult to steer for a healthy younger man, let alone a 70+ weathered hard rancher. I was exhausted just road driving the 1.5 miles back to my place.
Thank you and God Bless.
Jim L.

Amen,
I was just amazed at how much exactness carried over from a printed publication from 1956 to modern day graphics with little loss of entries or info. Pretty impressive and even the supercessions seem correct. I requested the top seal using the original part number and the dealer followed two changes to the new number and the seal seemed exact, except updated rubber lip style.
JD green doesn't come close to this level of replication and carry over.
Thanks!

I did the exact same thing on my 330. Fluid was drooling out the check plug and down on to the battery. Hooked up a line back to the reservoir, and never even thought of it again, until I started reading these posts.

I believe it is a worth while idea. Do it. Jim

Picked up the fittings today and 3/8" hydraulic hose on hand. Will fit up Saturday and reply back w/ what happens.
Thanks to all for the suggestions.
Jim L.