Dipstick on pump? (Probably a stupid question)
I went to look at a used Deere 490E today and ended up confusing myself. There is a dipstick near/next to/ part of the main pump- and I don't quite understand where it goes to and what it's checking. For what it's worth, I found out that it's part # 4340855 on the Deere website. Can anyone clue me in? What should I expect to see? Where would I add oil if it's low? What kind of oil? Thanks- I appreciate any info! Adam
Dipstick is oil level for gearbox that houses gears/bearings to drive main hyd pump and pilot pressure pump. Typically use gear oil in gearbox. Oil could be added to dipstick tube, but would be far better added to some plug in gearbox housing so as to not have to pour gear oil down dipstick tube.
That's kind of what I figured based on it's location- I guess it just seems like it would take an awful lot of oil to actually get it on the dipstick. I guess that's the only downside I could find with it- there wasn't any oil on it. Kinda strange- everything else seemed so nice. Think I'd be stupid to buy a machine that didn't show oil on that dipstick? Engine oil was great, swing drive was great, final drives were great (u/c was completely rebuilt 1000 hours ago)...
Pull the dipstick out then put it back in then check it. Mine always shows low if i just pull it out and check. Not sure why but thats how mine works.
As I recall that dipstick is for the pilot pump drive. It doesn't hold a lot of oil but there should always be oil on the dipstick. Was the bell housing coated in oily dirt. If so the machine might have a rear main seal on the engine leaks and the pump drive coupler starting to break up. There is no way to tell for sure until you pull the pump. You should be concerned and use that in your negotiating if you are interested in the machine. I don't know the type of oil they use in that compartment. Good Luck!
Hindsight... Based on what I've learned in this thread I'm hopeful that it's not a huge problem. There was a tiny bit of oil on the very end of the dipstick, and I did NOT check it twice. I also pulled it only a minute or two after the owner shut the machine down (he ran it and did a small job on his land after I checked it out) so maybe there was still a little oil clinging to the housing, gears, etc. When I *thought* that the oil was low I looked around for signs of a leak and didn't see any. I happen to be going back today after work- I wanted to take a few more pictures and now I can give this a second look. It never ceases to amaze me how much information is available on this forum! It's such a wealth of information. And you know what's scary- I've never been shown (or noticed) a similar dipstick on our machine at work. It's just as much my fault for not noticing, but you'd think the more experienced operators would have shown me when I was a new guy getting the "grand tour." Thanks again!
Just got home after a 2nd look- and the oil shows perfectly on the dipstick now. I guess it just had to sit. I also checked out our machine at work and found that it doesn't have a dipstick- so at least I wasn't neglecting that... Gonna talk this over with my wife and see about making an offer on it. Here it is, for what it's worth:
From 490E