D17 Won't Go

I went to fire up my Series I D17D this spring and it wouldn't turn over. As it turns out, there was a bunch of insulation looking material packed up in the starter housing preventing it from engaging. I think I mouse got in the hole on the right side of the tractor, into the flywheel cavity, and up into the starter. I removed and cleaned the starter up and pulled a little bit of junk out from aroud the flywheel using a piece of wire. I started the tractor today and it was running fine, but when my dad was driving, he stopped for a minute, and now the tractor won't go. I thought maybe this could be a clutch problem, maybe even releated to that mouse, but the PTO seems to engage and disengage fine. I can use the shifter and it goes right into any gear without having to drepress the clutch, which is odd. When the power dirverter isn't in neutral it sounds like it's engaged as well. I don't know a lot about tractors. Any ideas on what this could be or things I should check?

That's what I was afraid of... I guess I'll have to do that to take a look though. It probably is the mouse junk. The thing that confuses me though is that if it is the clutch, why the PTO still seems to work properly. I'll have to check it again, but I'm pretty sure that when I was on the tractor with the PTO level enabled, when I pushed in on the clutch the PTO would stop. Without understanding how it really works, I was assuming that if the clutch was able to control the PTO okay, then the cluch probably wasn't the issue. 

Thanks for your help. I double checked everything tonight and yes, with the PTO enabled (small level by left foot) it powers up and I can use the clutch to engage/disengage the PTO. Also, I notice that if I try to shift into 4th gear directly without using the clutch, there is resistance, and when I use the clutch it shifts smooth. So all of this seems to indicate that the clutch is working fine, doesn't it? Basically, the tractor seems to act just like it would if I had the power director in neutral. However, when I move the power director from neutral to low there's definately a different sound within the tractor though. In low, it sounds to me like things are moving/turning inside and seems quieter when it's in neutral, but maybge I'm crazy. I guess it's possible that the power director just engaging completely, but it's odd that low and high would both not work.

You might check the bolt that locks the P.D. lever to the shaft. It is tapered and fits into a matching hole in the shaft. If that bolt backed out, you might just be not getting the P.D. snapped into either high or low even though the lever moves.

I checked the PD and the shaft definately turns - the shaft doesn't rotate very much but it rotates with the lever. I tried to back out the bolt on the bottom of the lever just to check that it's seated well, but I couldn't muscle it loose and I was afraid to bust it. I put the tractor in gear and took off the the transmission control cover. The clutch is definately working. When it's depressed none of the gears move, when I start to let it out, everything on the main shaft starts spinning. Anything in particular I should be looking for here? I played around with letting the clutch out while in gear using with the PD in low and neutral and regardless of the PD position the gears turned everytime. I'm not sure how the PD actually disconnects the drive train but I guess it makes sense for these gears to turn regardless of the PD position since this is what drives the PTO too, right? I'll have to do some reading on how the PD actually works. Anyway I guess it sounds like the issue is further back, huh? Anything else you think I could check -- after I figure out how to keep everything lined up with the shift forks while I replace the control cover.

Edited by tcarollo - 03 May 2011 at 9:06pm

OK, so let me make sure I understand you.  While you had the cover off, you manually move a sliding gear to engage a collar, started the tractor, and let out the clutch with the PD lever in low, and the gears did start to turn and continued turning until you depressed the cutch????  If all of that is true, it sounds like your problem is further back, I would say that possibly a spider shaft "fell out" and the spider gears came out of the carrier, or a broken shaft, broken teeth in a gear somewhere.  Are there any noises in the rear end anywhere?  Since the tractor has a differential, if one side of the rear end is no longer connected to the wheel, the other side won't turn.  Next test I woul do, is put it in gear, tranny cover back on, at least temped on, and stand on the left brake, then the right brake, and see if either tire moves.  After that I think you are going to have to tear into the rear housing.

Well I actually put the tractor in gear first and then took the cover off. Once I had the cover off I could see how you put in in gear manually. But yes, when in gear, when I let the foot clutch out all the gears start spinning. When I push the clutch in, everything stops. The position of the PD seems to have no affect. The gears would spin when I let the clutch out even if the PD was in neutral.

Actually I think getting into the back differential housing would be easier than splitting the tractor myself, The Power dirrector clutch is esentially two clutch packs where two different speed shafts come in the front (one inside the other, one hollow) the shafts are engages seperatly to the transmission input shaft, one when lever foreward, the other when rearward.  The otter shaft rotates slower than the inner one.  It is still possible that something in thhe PD is wrong, that is why I am trying to figure out if power is going through the tranny or not.  My theory about what happened right now, is if you didn't hear any noises when it quit, and the PD cluthc is working, the keeper pin for the spider gear shaft may be laying in the bottom of the case allong with the spider gear pin.  If you got lucky, the differential stopped the last time with the pin somewhat straight up and down, and it simply fell out, then the next time you tired to move it, the carrier simply ejected the spider gears.  This is a theory, and I don't know if there is enough room in there for all that to happen, but it would be the cheapest fix, and the one, that didn't produce any noise.

Edited by Orange Blood - 05 May 2011 at 6:33am

Well, you will be supprised by this one.  Remove the drawbar, drain the oils, disconnect the transport valve steel lines running forward.  Remove the 1/2" locking bolt/setscrew on the bottom of the right brake housing, remove the ram anchor pin through a hole in the right side of the final drive, use a 8"-10" bolt 1/2" size, remove the PTO shaft and retainer (out the back), support the housing, remover the drawbar hitch brackets, remove the housing bolts and pull it off the back.  You will need to be ready to support the lift ram as the housing comes off, or you could damage the hose or worse yet, nick the ram if the outer housing extends out as it falls.  As for what to replace, I would do all of my seals including the lift ram, and the internal lift ram hose.

Edited by Orange Blood - 06 May 2011 at 5:24pm

junkman wrote: And that's all there is to it. LOL

I was going for the TV handyman version, you know, the one where they get six months of work done in 42 minutes, and nothing more than a hammer, and a circular saw is needed.  :D

Don't worry about it, it's just a couple bolts and it slides "right" off!  :-)

How soon do you need to get this tractor running, I will have a parts tractor in July, but that may be too long for you.  If you just want to go to AGCO, most gaskets and seals for the 17 are still available.  I have heard Sandy Lake is pretty good, I think their prices are a bit high compared to my Allis dealer, but I know all have to make money to.

Edited by Orange Blood - 08 May 2011 at 1:20pm

I just wanted to say thank you for all the help with this. The tractor's been sitting fixed for a while now, but I just haven't filled it back up with oil yet, maybe tomorrow. The new locking pin I received is actually a roll pin, unlike the original, so there's no way it's coming out again.