140 Touch control issue

[Festus]

I hope I'm not asking a question that has been asked before. I did a search and didn't find a thread about my problem. I recently checked fluid level in touch control on 140 with one point hitch. It was low and engine crankcase was overfull so I bought the seal and oring kit from IH and put it in the pump. Pulled screen from TC and cleaned it and replaced fluid with Hy-Tran. I bled the system per instructions in manual and all was good. Yesterday, the unit just stopped working. Both levers moved with no restriction at all. I rechecked fluid level and tried bleeding again to no avail. Periodically the left (rear) lever will move with resistance and will not stay in forward position - it will move rearward on its own but the rockshaft remains stationary. I don't have a gauge to check pressure and all the troubleshooting guides require a pressure check. Any ideas what to try next? Are the high pressure gauges readily available and should I invest in one? Any and all help is appreciated.

[Jim Becker]

Try pulling out the orifice and orifice screen and cleaning them. They are accessible through a pipe plug in the Touch Control head.

[Festus]

Thanks Jim Becker. I will give that a try this afternoon.

[Festus]

Finally got a chance to look at the touch control. I removed the battery and box then removed the pipe plug. If there is anything beneath the plug, I cant tell what it is or how it would come out. It's hard to see anything with the location of the hole and my limited ability to move. I see the orifice and screen on the IH parts site but it just feels like a solid obstruction under the plug. What am I overlooking here?

[Jim Becker]

The "solid obstruction" is the part you are after. It should have notches at each side, effecting a screwdriver slot. It may be very tight, but should unscrew. Use as big a screwdriver as will fit through the hole. I suggest using a hex drive screwdriver bit with a socket and handle. That way you can keep it straight and put good pressure in on the tool while breaking it loose.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

The "solid obstruction" is the part you are after. It should have notches at each side, effecting a screwdriver slot. It may be very tight, but should unscrew. Use as big a screwdriver as will fit through the hole. I suggest using a hex drive screwdriver bit with a socket and handle. That way you can keep it straight and put good pressure in on the tool while breaking it loose.

I got a small tie rod end socket, which is a large screwdriver bit that fits a ratchet, and ground the end down so it would fit the orifice on a cub Touch Control. Also works great for such things as carb float seats that have the screwdriver slot, etc.

[Festus]

Jim Becker, I really appreciate the help but I don't have to worry about stripping the slot in the orifice - someone beat me to it. It will turn just slightly before the driver slips. Evidently someone has been in there before. My father in law bought the tractor new but he is no longer around to ask who worked on it. Is there anything else I can try before I remove thee TC unit and take the head off of it? The pump sounds to me as though it is whining some and it gets pretty warm. With the tractor running, the control levers both in the rear position, and the TC fill plug removed, you can see the fluid churning. With the levers forward, I don't notice any fluid movement.

[Jim Becker]

I originally suggested starting with the orifice because it is fairly easy with a pretty good chance it would fix it. Since doing anything with it just got more involved, I suggest maybe a change of course.

A couple options:
1) You may be able to clear the orifice in place with a fine wire or using a spray solvent with an attached tube. Not optimistic, but easy to try.
2) You can get a pressure gauge and test according to the serviceman's Guide. An inexpensive gauge is adequate. (Northern Tool is one source, probably have to order online.)
3) At this point, you can guess that any repair will require pulling the head. You can pull the head and inspect for a bad head gasket. Once the head is off, you have better access to the orifice. You may be able to get at it and unscrew it or you may have to drill it out and put in a new one. If you can turn the orifice at all, maybe the head gasket is a little out of place and blocking it from unscrewing. If the orifice or head gasket isn't the problem, you are started into a deeper fix, that ever it might be. In that case, the pressure readings from option 2 would be helpful in figuring out what to dig into next.

[Festus]

I think I get the Bozo Award. I tried everything suggested and nothing helped. Pressure reading was 1250 lbs but fluctuated a lot. Decided to remove the Touch Control unit and remove the head, possibly order a kit to rebuild it. When I removed the manifold from the unit, there was a blue shop rag plugging the suction line. I removed the rag, unfolded it to see how much of it was missing and floating around the system, and saw that it was a complete rag. Checked the pump and the interior of the TC unit, as well as the screen and found no remnants of the towel so I put it all back together. I have no idea how the towel got in there but as of now, everything is working like it should. I will remove the screen pretty soon and clean it and refill with fresh Hy-Tran to make sure no pieces are left. I feel like an idiot but I cannot imagine how it found its way in there. Thanks for the help Jim Becker.

[Jim Becker]

I originally suggested pulling/cleaning the orifice because of the possibility some bit of junk got in the system when you had it open to work on the pump. I didn't imagine a piece of junk that big.