1965 4020 diesel fuel overconsumption

My dad just had the diesel engine rebuilt at a dealer (mistake#1) $12000 later and a few trips back it still isn't what it was before he had the engine rebuilt. It has a power shift tranny, and could pull a 5row-14"bottom plow no problem in 5th (we live on brookston clay - known as concrete) and run about 8 hours on a full tank of fuel. So obviously the HP was up to about 105 or so. He even pulled an 8 bottom plow in 3rd gear.

Since the rebuild (new injectors, pump, etc.etc.) the tractor runs about 5 hours on one tank and the HP is now only 86!!!!!They can't squeeze more out at the dealer. (I told my dad to go to someone local who does excellent work! This guy has a 4020 running at 130HP no problem!)

What should the fuel consumption be back when it was original and would we have any way of getting the dealer to keep working on the tractor till it was horsepower wise before?

Thanks

Paul

You might know who it is but we still do a fair bit of business there but being loyal is one thing being taken is another.

Thanks

you can reach me at my email:
pennsylvania@hotmail.com

Paul

The nozzles were very close to new but the motor needed a rebuild, so he brought it in. It had 105 HP appx before and I will ask him about the nozzle size now.

The first time the tractor came back to our place, from the shop it was dyno'd at about 80 HP or so. So my dad took it back to get them to look at it and they put in new injectors (nothing wrong with the old but they sent them back in exchange for the new ones so we will never know anyway. (My dad had asked them to give the old ones to him so he could put those in.

They managed to squeeze another 5 or 6 HP and the tractor came to our place. Then we sent the tractor back because we still were short about 20 HP from before we brought it in the first time and they must have screwed something up. (All the while, my dad is being billed for all the extras!) nice eh?

So now the third time, my dad had sent the tractor back (after about 30 hours) then they replaced the injector pump $1500 canadian) and a few other things of which the original one was sent for a rebuild the first time.

Now they claim to have dyno'd about 91 or so. Maybe a little better since we've put 400 to 500 hours on the motor. But still chews through the fuel and bogs easily with no recovery.

My dad knows that the distributor cannot be moved (very little) and if it is moved, the engine either spark knocks like crazy or doesn't start so we can't go that route on our own. Now since talking to my dad, he asked the easiest method to set the timing of the pump and whatever else we can try on our own. (Maybe the dealer put spark plugs in it, who knows? haha)

My dad is pretty complacent and has complained to the dealer but as long as they get the tractor close to spec horsepower wise then they are not obligated to do anymore work on the tractor. and its not they are doing it for free anyhow, my dad gets soaked everytime. Nothing short of tearing the motor apart we want to try the other things first.

Also (i have listed in the 4020 link on this site the model numbers of the two 4020's we own, if that helps)

It's been a rough few years for plowing but still, the tractor shouldn't bog down plowing 6" of corn ground with lots of moisture and a 4 bottom - 14" plow. It was boggin in 3rd so i had to plow in 2nd. We had the dual on the left side as per normal and there wasn't much slippage but the RPM's would drop from 2250 down to stall (if we let it go that far). As far as i remember, growing up, (i am 33 now), we always pulled in 4th or 5th gear plowing or whatever field work.
Now its drop 2 gears or put the tractor away. Even the gas 4020 (which needs a rebuild, burning way to much oil and gas) can do a comparable job.

Well I hate to waste any time of yours, I just want to do what i can for him because i know he is planning on getting a 17' or 18' high clearance triple-k with packers so we need something in the horsepower department. Right now we use a 3point hitch mount triple k (13'wide) with a land leveller (for the finishing pass) and a set of packers. It has a hard time in 5th (if you want to get into the soil deeper than a couple of inches).

Thanks for all your help,

Paul

Thanks

Paul

That wasn't the worst, it's been back 3 times since the first shot at it because my dad complained but only a little better each time. Unfortunately, unless I take these emails in WITH my dad and confront them at the dealer, nothing will get done. Also, that is $12000 Canadian dollars but unnecessary as far as I am concerned. The dealer claims that they are only obligated to get the bare minimum for horsepower not what every one else has.

The injector pump is new and has been sent back twice for tweaking, the injectors, motor internals, etc are all new. You would think they could dyno more than 91 hp...at first all they could get was 84!!! We just need some ammunition to get somewhere further.

Thanks,

I appreciate the response and will be talking to my dad later this afternoon about it and maybe we can get a game plan before spring starts!

Paul

It has no turbo. No junk. I can't really say too much because he's a very knowledgeable man in his own right, and everyone has praise for his perfectionism.

I know, it is hard to believe. a 4320 puts out that and i believe a 5020 was 135 hp stock.

oh well.
i am not callin, anyone a liar, just what i've seen and heard. not sayin it would be good to crank it to 130 but if it works more power!

paul

People 'overclock' they're computer processors to run the processor at 700 mhz instead of the 566 mhz they bought it at and you just have to watch the heat.

Thanks

Paul

My dad is an automobile mechanic by trade but can't do alot of the heavy work on the tractors like he used to and we don't have a reliable diesel pump rebuild guy around the area.

We live in southwestern ontario near windsor/ detroit michigan border. We just need some ammunition so we can get it fixed cause its killin my dad to spend the extra dollars for fuel and still not have the same tractor as before.

Thanks

Paul

As for pulling 18" bottoms, that's alot to ask! I know of one guy that was pulling 7 16" bottoms with a 225 HP 4 wheel drive white and it was luggin in marshy ground!

They tend to beat the soil around here a little in the nicer ground, but when you've got tomatoes or green peppers it's too much to leave just becuase it's wet.

Plowing wheat is no problem but corn ground tends to be tougher to plow and not usually under ideal conditions. We have started to use a 9 row chisel plow set at 12" centres and left/right shovels (no coulters or disk in front) and it seems to do a good job as well. But still rely on the 4 or 5 bottom for corn.

I'd like to do some deep tillage but we don't have the horsepower to pulling some of these newer contraptions (subsoilers, offset disks w/deep tillage points, soil savers) you almost need a 7400 or 8400 jd for that!

Man you must have some tough ground with no organic material to make it that tough! Our ground is renowned as something to really farm! Silt sand clay loam soil with just under 1% organic matter, a lot of times we can't get the plow into the ground and stay there unless we get a few inches of rain beforehand!

Most guys in our area run 14" bottoms or in the tougher ground have better luck with running 12" bottoms (kongslide or triple k). I would switch from the 18"'s if its that hard to pull and get 6-14"'s.

Thanks

Paul

Ours used to be about 105 or so but not anymore.
It also doesn't smoke that much and it is smooth running but there isn't the umph like before and the fuel should be in the 7 or 8 hour range before refueling...

I appreciate the posts and responses from everyone and have tried to respond in kind to all. I will talk to my dad (75 years young!) and see what we can do. I and he knows he got fleeced but we needed the tractor (he took a while to pay them back) but there really isn't a lot of info to go into the dealer with. Now I have a lot and we shall see!

Thanks

Paul

Just wondering if some guys i have heard about have added 'special parts' to they're 4020's to get 130hp or just tuned it perfect. My dad is not convinced that a stock 4020 can be tuned to 130 hp (would be nice)!

We don't want to 'break' anything either, like the tranny, 3 point hitch etc.

How do you manage not to break the main chassis on yours running over 125hp?

Anything technical would be appreciated. We need to freeze our butts off this winter in the barn doing something productive!

My dad is generally a skeptic, so anything I tell him from this board he has kind of kept quiet about. But I understand what you guys are doing, I just need to get this hardcopied and have my dad read it.

Do you have a heavier 3point hitch for pulling so much?

My dad wants to get his fuel mileage and horsepower back. Money back would have been better. Farming is tough to get any money back but we love it!

and no you aren't rambling, i enjoy reading!

Thanks

Paul

I appreciate it very much!

Paul

Paul