IH 454 Hydraulic Issues

Newbie here.

I've got an IH 454 with the gas engine, 3pt, and a loader. I was using the 3pt mounted snowblower last winter and I lost my hydraulic pressure and was unable to lift the 3pt or the loader. The first time it happened, I shut it off and let it sit about 15-20 minutes, then it was fine when I started it up - for a while. Whet it happened the next time, I tried shutting it down again, letting it sit, and starting back up, but no luck. I removed the filter canister (thinking it might be plugged, as it sat for a while before I got it), and it was filled with dozens (maybe hundreds) of small rubber chunks about 1/4 or so. Cleaned off the filter and screen, put it back together, checked the fluid level, but nothing. Tried it a couple of times since, but it still wont lift. The power steering seems to work, and the 3pt will lift the amount of play that there is in the connections, but it wont lift the implement. The loader and bucket have no perceivable movement.

I have only had this tractor a little over a year with the intention of using it infrequently for year-round chores at my hunting camp Up North in the Woods. I've got some summer projects coming up that I'd like to use it for, but I'm stumped as to what the problem might be.

I have some basic mechanical skills and tools, but am not a professional mechanic my any means. I grew up on a farm and had some limited experience with the old 2cyl JD's growing up, but have been a city boy since I left home decades ago. So, some things that might be common sense to those familiar with these tractors might be unknown to me (which means I might have accidently shut off the hydraulics, if that is possible).

Any thoughts, suggestions, or links to similar discussions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
-UNITW

Welcome to YTD, some questions:
1) Does the rubber material look like rubber from inside a hydraulic hose or is it like brake band material?
2) Does the hydraulic system whine or make buzzing noises when you rev the engine to about 1800 RPM?
3) If you turn the power steering to maximum left or right will the hydraulic system whine or buzz?
4) Does the tractor have rear remote hydraulic outlets? Are they used? What happens if you dead head the remote hydraulic, pull or push the lever with no connection on the outlets, is there whine or buzz?
5) How is the loader connected, via remote outlets, connected under the seat and returned under the rear right axle?

You should replace the hydraulic filter. Alot of auto parts stores should be able to get it for you. Lots of questions about your tractor, as JimB2 asked. System relief valve could be suspect problem. It is located in the mcv block where the filter is located.on the bottom of the casting I believe it is the rear plug and 1&1/8 socket to remove it. Also, what kind of shape is the fluid in?? Dirty?? Milky??

1) Does the rubber material look like rubber from inside a hydraulic hose or is it like brake band material?
-My thoughts were that it might be from a hose on the loader. They don't look that great from the outside. What would brake band material look like compared to hose pieces?

2) Does the hydraulic system whine or make buzzing noises when you rev the engine to about 1800 RPM?
-I didn't notice any whining or buzzing noises at 1800+ RPM.

3) If you turn the power steering to maximum left or right will the hydraulic system whine or buzz?
-Sorry, can't remember for certain, but I believe there was noise while turning the steering to max. My work truck is having power steering noise right now too, so I might be confusing them and mis-remembering. I do remember that the steering wasn't perfectly smooth through the full range.

4) Does the tractor have rear remote hydraulic outlets? Are they used? What happens if you dead head the remote hydraulic, pull or push the lever with no connection on the outlets, is there whine or buzz?
-Yes - the tractor does have rear remotes, but I have not used them. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to properly connect or use them (or which lever will activate them). I would like to be able to use them in the future though.

5) How is the loader connected, via remote outlets, connected under the seat and returned under the rear right axle?
-I am fairly certain that the loader is connected under the seat and returned under the right rear axle. I will need to check to make verify that it isn't T'd off of the remotes.

The tractor is at my property about 100 miles away, so I'm going off of memory for these answers. It might be a couple of weeks until I get up there again to verify the answers I wasn't sure of.

Fluid looked pretty clean. When I removed the canister to look at the filter last winter, I snapped a pic of the screen on the filter. Not Pretty! It got cleaned out before reinstalling the existing filter. I did pick up a new filter last weekend, but haven't installed it yet.

One the common problems on this series of tractors is the Operator forgets to release the parking brake and chews up the brake band that is inside the differential and the chewed brake band gets in the hydraulic system.
It usually is a greyish mud like deposit.
Tomorrow I will post a couple photos of the hydraulic flow of the 454 series tractors.
There is a suction filter in the bottom of the transmission case that is before the replaceable filter that could be clogged but usually the pump whines at high RPM when it is being starved of oil.

Get a good gauge and screw it into a male coupler tip. You will need a bushing or 2 to accomplish this. Using a gar or other means clean out the coupler if it is open no plug in it. Most get lost or swell with the oil and don't fit well so either not used or chain is broken and they are lost. So with coupler clean inside by the ring of balls and to ball or tip inside there seen by eye pull the body of the coupler back and insert the tip with the gauge now with tractor running at 1000 to 1500 engine speed there should be 1or 2 levers down by your right foot and behind pull up on it watching your gauge, might need a helper to watch or pull the lever. If no pressure then push it down some but not all the way. Your gauge should read something like 2000-2500 PSI if lower than that you have a problem. Now to fix start with washing that screen out again and changing filter. Wipe out the canister clean and check for a rubber square o-ring at the filter base and in the groove where the canister sets when tight. those will need changed will need to probably dig the one where the canister sets out with a screw driver or such. I would also probably drain out the old oil if screen looks like it did again and at the very least strain the oil to get the pieces out. then with the cover off the right side you can reach in there and wipe some of the debris out of the case. Do this with the tractor shut off. The gears would be spinning in there if it is running and ruin the bearings and gears with no oil in there. If all this is still no pressure then report back to us. there are other possible issues that could be. Some are a shot spline at the clutch pressure plate, bad pump, relief valve, or even the gear came off the pump shaft. some pretty easy and some more involved.

Hi, Cat Guy has some good advice.
Link below has download of free IH UK, 54/74 Service Manuals, Operator's Manual and engine manuals.
The Service Manual has a good section on the hydraulic system and trouble shooting.
In the first photo with Forward/Reverser Pump your 454 will not have a Forward/Reverser pump but that hydraulic line will go to the oil cooler in front of the radiator.
The most common problem when there is dirt in the system is for the Flow Divider on the bottom center to stick in either the up or down position.
Its purpose is to divide the 10 GPM pump flow into 3 GPM for steering and PTO and 7 GPM for 3pt and remotes and probably on your 454 the loader is on this hydraulic circuit as well.
If the flow divider sticks in one direction there will be PS and PTO but no 3pt, remote or loader, if it sticks in the other direction there will be 3pt, remote and loader but no PS and PTO.
The other not so common problem with dirt in system is the System Relief Valve sticks open and there is either no hydraulics or very weak hydraulics.
Also as Cat Guy mentioned, the hydraulic pump is driven by the PTO shaft and the shaft splines go into teeth in the pressure plate and these teeth can become worn off but you usually hear rattling noises by the clutch housing for a while before the teeth go completely. There is an inspection plate that you can remove on the bottom of clutch housing and look up in there but difficult to see anything other than clutch release bearing.

Second photo is the IH 54/74/84/85 Hydraulic Flow diagram, third photo is notes on the MCV behind the hydraulic filter.

PS, how far north is UpNorthIntheWoods?









IH 74 series manuals

(reply to post at 07:57:32 06/07/23)

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Thank you all for your help so far. It will be a couple of weeks (after 4th of July) before I get up there to do anything with it, but at least I've got some good places to start.

P.S. - "Up North" is in Northern Minnesota - in the woods within 50 miles of Bemidji. Home is a few hours south of there - not in the woods.

Just to give everybody that helped an update - I have been "Up North" where the tractor is a couple of times since my last post, but finally got a chance to work on it last weekend. I drained a little bit of the old hyd fluid (a little dark, but no chunks, and it smelled OK), changed the filter and o-rings, and pulled out and re-installed the pressure regulating valve. I'm not sure what the problem actually ended up being, but it works!

Now for the next question: It seems like the loader and 3pt. (with an implement mounted) will not raise until about 12-1300 rpm. Is that normal, or is it a sign of an issue somewhere else within the system (I didn't have access yet to a guage to check hyd pressure at the aux. ports as a previous reply suggested).

Also, when the tractor is first started, the steering wheel slowly rotates for a few seconds, but the front wheels don't move.

Thanks for all your help so far!