Fitting a repair kit to a C type lift pump as fitted to, MF35, 35X and early 135.
(Newer MF135 tractors have a lift pump without the glass bowl).

Start with turning the fuel off at the tap on the bottom of the tank, clutch pedal side.
Undo the plastic and metal pipe going into the lift pump, 1/2″ AF spanner size, then undo the two 1/2″ nuts holding the pump to the engine. Dismantle the pump and clean all the parts for inspection. To remove the diaphragm, hold the bottom body and push and turn the diaphragm a quarter of a turn to remove, this gives you access to the spring and top hat seal. The two old valves will flick out of the housing with a screwdriver, any marks left in the housing can be removed with the back of a half round file.

List of parts to be reused
The two parts of the main pump body, glass bowl, and bracket for holding glass bowl, the five screws and the rubber top hat seal. Some kits don’t supply this seal.

New parts supplied in the repair kit.

Parts of the dismantled lift pump.

Tools required for the repair. A small socket that fits over the three legs of the valve, a small 3mm punch to tap the valves fully home, a screwdriver, a half-round file, a centre punch to pin the valves in and a small hammer.

After checking the new parts, the next job is to fit the two one-way valves. Valve one is the suction valve shown on the left in the picture below. This valve opens when the pump draws the fuel from the glass bowl and closes when the pump makes pressure to push the fuel to the filters. The valve on the right in the same picture works in the opposite way, closing under suction and opening under pressure. Each valve has a small gasket under it to help seal it in the housing. The best way to fit the valves is to use the small socket to start the valves into the housing then tap fully home with the small punch. The valves are held in the housing with three small centre punch marks around each valve.

Both replacement valves now fitted.

To reassemble the pump, place the top hat seal and spring into the bottom housing then carefully push the diaphragm into place and turn a quarter of a turn. Then carefully place the top cover onto the bottom half and fit the five screws, tighten all five screws evenly till tight then slacken off half a turn, now move the lever on the side of the pump 2 or 3 time to centralise the diaphragm then retighten all five screws. Now fit the new gauze and rubber seal into the lift pump, place the glass bowl onto the seal and hold in place with the wire bracket, do not overtighten the glass bowl.
On an original A C lift pump, it has a small drain hole in the bottom section on the left hand side, this is to give you warning that the diaphragm has started to leak diesel into the engine.
If you have air in your fuel system on a tractor, or any vehicle fitted with this type of lift pump, the air can only get into the system through the pipe work before the lift pump or the lift pump itself. After the lift pump if you have a bad connection, you Dirty fuel filters can also cause air in the
will have a leak rather than sucking air. system at the injection pump.

The orange arrow indicates where the small drain hole is on the original A C lift pumps.

The pump is now ready to refit to the engine with the new gasket.

Published in Journal No.104, Spring 2023 : Sandy Donald – Technical Team

Keith has been an avid repairer, fabricator, welder and restorer of countless agricultural tractors and machinery, not forgetting his involvement with old cars, especially Rover’s and Wolseley’s. Going back some 40 years he converted a Fordson N to diesel power using a early Perkins L4 engine, rescued from an MF780 combine. No mean feat considering the Fordson has an oil immersed clutch in the bell housing. Keith has also been involved in overhauling a David Brown 2D row crop tractor and converting the pneumatic lift system to hydraulic. When the David Brown parts become obsolete he converted several to Kubota engines. He also became the go to man for baler problems, especially Massey balers.

So it came as no surprise to me when he told me of his idea for an Electric Fergie.
His original idea of using a fork truck or milk float didn’t work out. After talking to different and helpful people he decided to use a second-hand airport tug, the ones used for transporting baggage at airports. A suitable Fergie was also sourced locally. It had a seized engine, so an ideal donor to receive electric power. A used Bradshaw TS 45 volt tug was also bought locally.

Work started on this project in Spring 2022. The first job being the removal of the tug’s motor, batteries, wiring and switches etc., This is when the first problems arose. The motors backplate was part of the tugs axle. After some head scratching, swearing etc. Keith decided to try to find someone who could fabricate a new backplate. A company in Runcorn was entrusted with the job (ERSL Electromech Ltd). On receiving the backplate it allowed Keith to make some progress. The Fergie engine was removed but the sump, flywheel and clutch were retained.

The sump kept as part on bearings and remained in the bell
of the chassis of the tractor and to keep the housing. The tractor gearbox was also
original dimensions and to look the same. retained, thus enabling the tractor to be
The flywheel and clutch were re-mounted driven the same way as a normal tractor.

The remainder of the batteries are carried either side of the driving seat.

The voltage gauge, stop button and on switch located on the dash board.

Most of the electrical control gear resides behind the original dashboard.

The electric motor could now be mounted, this took time and patience, aligning drive shafts etc., The next job was mounting the 24 2 volt batteries. Some would fit in the original engine space, the rest would be mounted down each side. Raising the bonnet height to allow more batteries was not an option, as Keith never liked the raised bonnet position on the P3 conversions.

Eventually the Fergie was complete and ready to try out. Unfortunately the motor would not run, leading to more frustration and swearing. Luckily he has some good friends and neighbours who got involved with the project and the problem was found and rectified. At last the Fergie moves and first impressions are favourable. The speed and gearing are close to the original Fergie. It’s also been tried with a plough and performs well.

This is an ongoing project and Keith would like to improve the Fergie by fitting a Ferguson reduction unit behind the gearbox. This would make the tractor 5 inches longer, allowing more leg room and taking some weight of the front end, as well as providing more gears and live drive.

If anyone has or knows or a genuine Ferguson reduction gearbox for sale, please phone Keith on 07801 241467.

Published in Ferguson Club Journal No.104, Spring 2023