12 Common John Deere 1026R Problems (How to Fix)

Using a John Deere 1026R on your own requires you to have the basic knowledge. Some issues require no machinery expertise to get them fixed.

You will face some hydraulic system-related issues, engine issues, transmission problems, 3-point hitch bugs, steering difficulties, and electrical problems mostly. 

Don’t be afraid. All the mentioned issues are explained below with the reasons and solutions. 

Quick Overview of John Deere 1026r Won’t Start and Solutions

Issues	Troubleshooting
Engine not starting	Clean fuel filter element, bleed out air, and ensure proper fuel injection.
Engine stops while running or idling	Adjust low idle speed and recover damaged fuel injector nozzles.
Noisy engine	Sufficient engine oil, proper fuel injection timing, recovery of damaged crankshaft or main bearings and piston rings.
Overheating engine	Refill coolants, fix thermometer and cooling components.
Engine stops after starting	Clean fuel and air filter, fix fuel injection timing .
Battery not charging	Change battery cells fix the wiring and belt tension.
Battery draining fast	Fix leakage in the battery wiring, and terminal clamps.
3-point hitch issues	Check your hydraulic system and replace worn hitch parts.
Transmission problems	Broken gaskets or seals, issues within the linkage of the transmission system, and maintain enough transmission fluid.
Steering is hard	Fix the steering column and relief valve, bleed out air, adjust the toe-in, and proper inflation.
Steering pull to the right or left	Adjust tire inflation and toe-in, fix the power steering valve and cylinder.
Hydraulic system getting overheated	Adjust the system pressure, use proper hydraulic fluid, and fix the main relief valve and pump seals.
Transmission fluid leaks	Clean oil return tubes, and fix broken gaskets or seals.

John Deere 1026R Problems, Reasons & Troubleshooting

You’ll find some random and common issues while driving a JD 1026R in the following discussion. Know the reasons and troubleshooting as well.

1. Issues with the Electrical System

As your John Deere 1026R has an electrical system to get the power running, you will most likely have issues with the system without proper maintenance. The problems are mostly with the battery and starter motor.

For instance, out of blue, you might find that your battery is not charging. To find this, you will have to look for faulty battery cells, poor wiring in the system, malfunctioning cable harnesses, dirty or loose terminals, and cables, or defective belts having improper belt tension.

There might be another issue known as the battery draining fast. 

The starter motor might start acting weird in a way of being slow or stopping working. If it turns slowly, the basic reason is low battery power or the battery draining fast. Either way, it’s related to battery maintenance. 

The slow-starting motor will eventually end up stopping working. As previously mentioned either of the stuff would play a factor.

Troubleshooting:

Faulty battery cells must be replaced with new and fresh ones. You need to examine the battery cable harness if it malfunctions, and followed by repairing or changing it.

Dirty or loose terminal cables need to be taken care of by cleaning or tightening them. Improper belt tension requires you to adjust it or replace it if necessary. These will ensure your battery is charging properly.

To fight a slow starter motor, keep your battery charged up to necessity. If it appears that your battery is draining quickly, have a servicing of the charging system.

And check the stuff mentioned in the last paragraph to keep things aligned. 

With a view to avoiding the issue of your starter motor is stopped, you need to change your damaged starter motor. Keep your battery charged and ensure the battery cable connections are connected correctly. 

2. Engine Not Starting

The fuel filter might be dirty, the fuel supply valve might be closed, there might be air in the fuel system, etc.

The damaged or dirty fuel injectors, malfunctioning fuel injection pump, or poor compression might also stop your engine from starting. 

Troubleshooting:

Clean the fuel filter element, open the fuel supply valve to ensure fuel injection, bleed out the air from the fuel system, repair or replace the fuel injectors, fix or install a new fuel injection pump, examine your cylinder block and replace the damaged parts to make your engine start. 

3. Engine Stopping While Idling or Running

Misadjusted low idle speed, worn fuel injection pump, damaged fuel injector nozzles, and incorrect valve clearance will make your engine stop while stalling or at idle.

On the other hand, your engine might stop while running because of a cold engine, the air being leaked from the fuel line, misadjusted fuel injections, dirty fuel filter, or damaged or dirty fuel injectors.

Troubleshooting:

Adjust your low idle speed, replace damaged fuel injector nozzles or pumps, and adjust valve clearance according to the necessity to get rid of the engine stopping while idling.

Warm up the engine, bleed out the air from the fuel line, adjust fuel injectors, and clean or replace it if necessary to prevent the engine from stopping while running.

4. Engine Stops After Starting

The engine might stop after starting due to improper fuel injection timing, clogged fuel filter, damaged or faulty fuel injector nozzles or injection pump, or the air cleaner element is dirty.

Troubleshooting:

Fix the proper injection timing, clean the fuel filter, repair or replace the fuel injector nozzles, injection pump, and air cleaner to ensure your engine runs after starting. 

5. Reduced Engine Power

Reduced engine power is caused by having dirty or damaged injectors, misadjusted fuel injection pressure, clogged air and oil filter element, overloaded engine, jammed fuel hoses, lack of compression, etc. 

Troubleshooting:

To prevent your engine power from being reduced, clean or replace injectors, adjust your fuel injection pressure, clean air and oil filter element, don’t overload your engine, ensure proper compression, and clear your jammed fuel hoses.

6. Noisy Engine

Your engine might start making weird noises because of improper fuel injection timing, insufficient engine oil, fuel injector nozzles being dirty, crankshaft or main bearings being worn out failure of piston rings, or loose flywheel mounting screws.

Troubleshooting:

If you want to fix your noisy engine, fix your fuel injection timing, ensure a sufficient amount of engine oil, repair or replace your crankshaft or main bearings, replace piston rings, and keep your fuel injector nozzles clean.

7. Overheated Engine

Lack of coolant in the cooling system, insufficient engine oil, malfunctioning thermometer, damaged cooling system components, or broken fan belt will get you an overheated engine.

Troubleshooting:

Prevent your engine from overheating by filling the cooling system with coolants duly, having sufficient engine oil, fixing or replacing your thermometer, servicing your cooling system components, and keeping your fan belt sound for ensuring the proper belt tension. 

8. Excessive Oil Consumption

Excessive oil consumption happens if there is any oil leaking, improper type of crankcase oil, damaged piston rings, or cylinder liners or pistons are scuffed.

Troubleshooting:

Fix any oil leaks, use the exact crankcase oil type, replace your damaged piston rings, and install new parts of cylinder liners and pistons to get rid of excessive engine oil consumption.

9. Issues with the Hydraulic System

The hydraulic system of your JD 1026R might have some issues like the system getting too hot, lack of hydraulic fluid pressure, etc.

There might be misadjusted system pressure, defective or loose main relief valves, dirty hydraulic fluid, or air leaks in the hydraulic system to make your hydraulic system too hot.

Hydraulic fluid pressure might be insufficient because of the lack of hydraulic fluid, the fluid filter being clogged, malfunction of the hydraulic pump, damaged hydraulic cylinder, or any leaks in the hydraulic pipes. 

Troubleshooting:

To take care of an overheating hydraulic system, adjust the system pressure, fix or replace the main relief valve, change the contaminated hydraulic fluid, examine the suction line, fittings, and pump seals for any leaks and fix them according to necessity.

Ensure sufficient hydraulic fluid, clean the dirty fluid filter, fix your hydraulic pumps and cylinder, and fix any leaks in the hydraulic pipes to maintain proper hydraulic pressure. 

10. 3-Point Hitch Issues

3-point hitch issues are mostly related to the hydraulic system of a JD 1026R. Therefore, you need to check your hydraulic system first to find out what the problem is with your 3-point hitch.

Followed by, there might be an internal mechanical malfunction, damaged lift arm shaft, broken hydraulic spool valve, disconnected suction lines, or cold oil in the hydraulic system to hamper your 3-point hitch from working smoothly. 

Troubleshooting:

Check your hydraulic system first to find out the fault and fix them in the previously mentioned ways.

And afterward, replace worn hitch parts, replace the arm shaft, fix or install a new spool valve, connect the suction lines properly, or let the fluid warm up in your hydraulic system according to requirement. 

11. Hydrostatic Transmission Issues

The hydrostatic transmission might be noisy, the oil might get overheated, transmission fluid leaks, or there might be low power in it.

The reasons for noises are low fluid level, misadjusted or damaged speed control rod linkage, defective relief valve, overloaded transmission, or damaged transmission parts. There might be an issue with your clutch as well

Transmission oil might get overheated due to insufficient level of oil, clogged transmission fluid filter, damaged cooling components, or overloaded transmission as well.

If you have broken gaskets or seals, or clogged oil return tubes, there might be transmission fluid leaks.

The hydrostatic transmission will have low power because of an insufficient level of transmission fluid, insufficient charge pressure, or worn-out relief valve.

Troubleshooting:

With a view to getting rid of the hydrostatic transmission noises, maintaining the fluid level, fixing or replacing your speed control rod linkage, repairing or changing the relief valve, avoiding overloaded transmission, and finally examining your transmission system to change damaged parts.

Check the components of your clutch, and fix or change them if required.

Maintain sufficient transmission oil, clean the filter, repair cooling components, and avoid excessive load on transmission to ensure no overheating of the transmission oil.

Avoid transmission fluid leaks by replacing broken gaskets or seals, and cleaning oil return tubes.

Sufficient transmission fluid, adjusting the charge pressure, and changing the worn relief valve will ensure enough power for hydrostatic transmission.

12. Steering Difficulties

Though steering issues are rare, they appear due to non-maintenances or ignorance.

You might find it hard to move your steering while running your JD 1026R, the steering wheel free play might be excessive, or you might feel a pull towards the right or left from your front wheels.

Heavy steering happens due to various reasons. They include incorrectly fit or worn steering columns, the air is stuck in the steering system, improper toe-in adjustment, improper inflation of the tires, damaged or stuck relief valves, insufficient steering fluid, or leakage in the system. 

Steering wheel free play appears excessive because of the worn steering shaft, damaged power steering valve, malfunctioning steering pump, or damaged steering linkage.

Improper tire inflation, misadjustment of toe-in, worn steering linkage, or defective power steering valve will get you a pull towards the right or left.

Some other cases might be worn steering cylinders, and misadjusted or damaged front hub bearings.

Troubleshooting:

Fix your steering column, bleed out the air from the system, adjust the toe-in, inflate the tires properly, repair or change relief valves according to necessity, maintain enough fluid level, and fix the leakage in the system to have smooth steering.

Prevent excessive steering wheel free play by changing the steering shaft, power steering valve, and steering pump. Try fixing the steering linkage.

Inflate your tires properly, adjust the toe-in, fix the steering linkage, and repair or replace the power steering valve to ensure no pull towards the right or left.

If the issues are with your steering cylinder, and front hub bearings, have them fixed or changed.

FAQs

What is the difference between a John Deere 1025R and 1026R?

The JD 1025R possesses a three-cylinder diesel engine: Yanmar® TNV Series that provides 18 PTO horsepower and 24.2 gross engine power. Whereas, the JD 1026R provides 25.2 horsepower. 

How much can a 1026R lift?

You can expect a JD 1026R to lift 380 kg even at full height according to the specification. The JD 1026R performs smoothly within the range.

Final Words

John Deere 1026R is a durable tractor to get by on your own. And now with the given info and insights above, you must be feeling handy and confident yourself.

With the aforesaid knowledge, you should be able to inspect and troubleshoot some usual issues that you might face with your JD 1026R on your own.