MF35 23c Diesel first start up after restoration

This is the first start up of my 35 after its restoration in May 2017. This restoration included a full engine rebuild, a hydraulic pump rebuild and a good few other bits and pieces along the way along with a thorough strip back to bare metal and a full respray. As part of the restoration I also fabricated my own vertical exhaust, along with the Ki-gass pump and a couple of other things.
This tractor has been in the family since new in 1959 and so I wanted to give it the attention it deserved and make it look like new again!
This is literally the first start up after the rebuild and restoration so there was no testing of the engine beforehand. I had tested the hydraulics before starting work on the rest of the tractor so I knew that side of things were alright. The start up was a very worrying time for me (look at the worry on my face!) as I didn't fancy the prospect of taking things apart now that everything was painted up. Luckily, the only minor problem was a slight fuel leak from No.4 injector union!
All in all the start up was a success and my new exhaust sounded fine too.

[@thatswiss1385]

Very nice tractor, it looks very neat.

[@13vmx48]

Thank you😀

[@isidroadolfolopez695]

Chulada de tractor,yo también reconstruí un motor de este modelo me impresionó la tecnología avanzada de estos motores ingleses pequeños pero muy fuertes .

[@shanemcnamara2064]

Hi! Can you please tell me what make and model the loader is that you use on the tractor

[@13vmx48]

Hi Shane - the loader is a MF735 loader. Most of these were fitted with a trip bucket, but some (like mine) had the option of being fitted with a hydraulic ram to power the bucket too.

[@shanemcnamara2064]

@@13vmx48 thank you so much I wanted to by one but I didn't know the make or model. Thanks

[@jay7605]

I have one of these my father owns with the same front loader. Gold belly one. Not been started for 20 years and its beating me.Can you point me in the right direction for the owners manual. Has yours only one fuel filter on the left hand side? this one does. Want to restore like you have. Great job you have done.

[@13vmx48]

Hi John. Sorry for the late reply as I've only just spotted your message! I got my workshop manual a few years ago now, but can't quite remember where I got it from. Here is a link to another one I've found on the internet which looks to be the same as mine and will cover the 4 cyl 23c engine. Here is the link www.agrimanuals.com/massey-ferguson-tractor-35-service-workshop-manual-all-models--engines-covered-fe35-mf35-23c-3a-152-8792-p.asp My tractor does only have the one main fuel filter on the left hand side. There should also be a fuel tap and sediment bowl fitted to the fuel tank which also includes a gauze filter. What I will say with these engines is that they need to be bled thoroughly. Firstly, loosen the bolt on top of the fuel filter housing and keep priming the fuel lift pump until fuel is running out of the housing free of air. Re-tighten bolt and then loosen the two little injection pump screws on the side of the injection pump body and prime the lift pump until fuel is running free of air from the bottom screw. Re-tighten bottom screw and carry on pumping until fuel is running clear out of the top screw and again re-tighten. Next you need to loosen off all the injector unions at the injectors, and with the hand throttle fully open, keep cranking the engine over on the starter until you see fuel spurting from each injector pipe. Re-tighten injector unions, give engine around 20-25 seconds of heat and see if it will fire up or tries to fire up! A lot of these engines had a bad reputation for starting! A clean serviced set of injectors - along with the injection pump timing can make a big difference to how well these engines will start. The injectors actually have two nozzles. One main nozzle and a small auxiliary starting nozzle to aid in starting the tractor at cranking speeds. These little auxiliary nozzles are prone to blocking over time making the engine harder to start. Compression needs to be reasonably good, and a good starter motor that can crank the engine faster the better! Another small issue with these engines were the timing chain as they do wear overtime and cause the pump timing to go slightly out. You can rectify this by loosening the 3 injection pump nuts and twisting the injection pump just a fraction so that the top of the pump is moving in towards the engine block. This will advance the timing slightly. I certainly recommend getting the workshop manual if possible. It does explain things in great detail and is a great help if doing a full rebuild. Good luck with the restoration!

[@jay7605]

Thanks so much for the info you gave. Some helpful stuff there. Will be busy this year on this old girl.

[@Taran_Punia]

rear tires of which company and which no.

[@13vmx48]

The rear tyres are grassland diamond tread tyres made by Goodyear. The size is 11.2 - 10 - 28. These I had to purchase second hand as they are no longer produced by Goodyear as far as I know.