Hope somebody here can help, I recently purchased a 544g from an auction and when I got it the hydraulic reservoir was low. I filled the tank to the line and my axle seals especially the left front started leaking until the tank got back to where it was when I got it. The problem is I can't understand how the hydraulic fluid is filling the axles I figure the seals are bad but don't want to change them if fluid is building up causing seal to push out. So I guess my question is what can cause this with the machine parked? it does have a front differential lock but the back is leaking also. Also the brakes seem to work fine so I can't figure it's them. Thanks in advance for any insight.
I think the only way it could be getting to axles is through brake seals. There should be some brake lines going to axles I'd cap the lines and fill the hyd oil back up and see if it still leaks? Maybe that will be somewhere to start. Odd that both axles are doing it unless they're just junked internal but something should show with brake operation.
There's actually 5 lines going into front axle I'll have to go tomorrow and pick up some caps and plugs try one at a time. Shouldn't the brakes have no pressure unless pedal is applied? Maybe brake valve leaking?
This might be wrong, but the loader may have been driven on the road a long distance or many times. I seem to recall that Deere had/has an axel cooling package for those circumstances; brake drag caused overheating and the problems like you describe. You should drain the axels and see what comes out and how much. PS: Do any of the five lines return to the hydraulic tank?
It's possible the machine was municipal owned. I didn't see any coolers in the books but they read like a foreign language so I could have missed it. I'll drain it down tomorrow then cap the brake lines. At least that will narrow it down to the brakes or the diff lock.
Not sure on the return line, the schematic shows a return line but I was alone and couldn't chase them.
As I said, I could be wrong about it, but I seem to recall there was an axel cooling package as an option or a retrofit. If one of the lines returns to the tank part way up the tank, from the bottom, that would explain things...
Not about a 544 but in general, deere sometimes had a supply, return and leakage return port for a diff lock or brake cylinder in an axle. See if that makes sense on the machine, maybe the leakage return got switched with the return? and allowed oil to leak into the axle.
I see four lines for the front axle, maybe I'm missing one, but: 1) Brake line 2) Diff lock line 3) Air boost line. This one comes off the intake manifold and tees to both axles, uses turbo boost to push oil back to the reservoir if overfull. 4) Return line to the reservoir. The return lines go into separate ports on the reservoir and should be high up. If both axles are doing it I would guess that you need to replace all the seals and also look for a brake leak, the rear is a no spin axle right, no diff lock?
Sorry, you are correct there are 4 lines to the front axle and also correct there is no diff lock in rear. I am going to get some help today try to route those return lines, and air boost lines. If the brake packings are bad would it leak while machine is off? I only thought it would leak while brake was applied.
You should be able to determine axle cooling because there should be a pump on the side of the engine I believe and two extra cooling packages. And brake seals would leak with engine off or on same concept at a cylinder leaking past the seals with machine off just oil getting past seals.
Just an update, I had a combination of several problems, the brake packings were bad allowing brake (hydro) fluid to leak into the axle which was keeping the axle full of fluid all the time. The outer seals were totally rotted slowing the fluid to leak out at night while the machine sat. Also I took the rubber mat out of cab and brake valves were leaking fluid also. So after rebuilding front axle, and brake valves all is good. No missing fluid. Thanks for advise and sorry it took so long for me to follow up I had been running it as is with diapers under it!