Water is up to the level plug and I sure hope 80 wt. lube is heavier than water. When I drain it dry, does anyone know of a flushing procedure I should follow before filling it up and hoping for the best? I'll also get a new shift boot, that almost has to be the entry point. It takes 9 1/2 quarts, so if you see a FUND jar on your local store counter, put in a few bucks, that way I won't have to spend as much of my money. Thanks Harry
Bad shifter boots will add water to tranny for sure. I've also seen dirt build up on top of tranny until it's even with top of dipstick tube causing water to enter in through tube. Also, check if you have a breather vent somewhere on top of the tranny case, might have a problem there as well. 9 1/2 qts in a tranny/diff case??? That sure sounds like a small amount of oil. :beatsme For rinsing, find the cheeeeaapppest hyd fluid you can find. Add the fluid, drive the machine a little, drain it, and repeat process until fluid runs clear. Then re-fill with proper spec oil.
Okay, the tractor hyd fluid only costs about $1.25 qt, I'll use that. The capacity I quoted is from the tractor manual and It may be less because both left and right final drive boxes have their own supply. Thanks Harry
It appears I may have bought myself a backhoe from a flood zone, or was driven into a river/creek. What I have found so far, the trans/diff case full to the level plug with water, very little sign of lube. the left final drive case with a quart of water and a cup of 80 wt lube. The right final drive case with 3 1/2 quarts (the capacity) of water and a trace of lube. The mid support case, (reverser case if I had one) about two quarts of water, this case has no lube requirement. The engine oil seems good, I'll know when drain it. Of course if it was under water, most people would take care of the engine oil first. Atco, I cannot find a breather on the machine or in the parts book but I'll keep looking. I may end up parting it out, but I plan to work at bringing it back first. Don't forget to donate as much as you can and often. Thanks Harry
Ouch! That sucks. Drain everything and fill it up with cheap stuff. Run it a little to warm things up, but not very fast. Drain and repeat but run a little longer and listen for funny sounds. Is there any water in the hydraulics?
Now I'm not sure if I have a flood zone backhoe. After pulling the shift assembly cover and finding the input shaft bearing on both ends gone, maybe not. With the opening left at both ends, rain water could get into the mid-support case and maybe the final drives. NOW, what to do? What to do? I've got some figuring to do and would appreciate comments, warnings, suggestions or tips. I think I have the tools to handle the job except maybe a press and larger pullers. I have the books to follow. I have the time (retired). My thinking right now is like a ping pong ball. The engine starts quick, carries good early oil pressure and doesn't smoke. The loader seems fine except that leaking cylinder. The hydraulic system seem strong, it will pick up the unit on both ends. The backhoe has reinforcement plates welded all over it but looks like someone had the know-how to do it right. I have put it through all it's paces and it digs strong. If I do the Trans/final drive repair, it probably would not be anymore work than parting it out, maybe less. If I were lucky and the parts were limited to bearings, gaskets and no gears, I could maybe get by with less than a grand, but I really have no clue as to what the costs could be. Any help there? Thanks for reading the rant and again, I would appreciate input and donations. Thanks Harry
Harry, I'm having a little trouble with visualizing your machine. It must be a crawler loader with a backhoe attachment, as you mention final drives. Final drives almost always have separate lube. "After pulling the shift assembly cover and finding the input shaft bearing on both ends gone, maybe not" Are bearings missing? If yes, then you must have bought this machine not running. In that case someone has started to fix a problem and realized it would take too much time or money to fix. They have put it back together and sold it as-is to some unsuspecting guy. In my opinion John Deere parts prices on older equipment is nasty, but they are very good at supporting their old iron. If the machine was popular and the transmission or differential was not a weak point, then used parts should be out there. Missing parts indicate there may have been a failure, look for metal in the bottom of the transmission and diff case. Try to get a look at the crown and pinion(is there a cover). Look for missing gear teeth.Typically steering clutch problems are limited to one side or the other so those areas are probably not suspect. These compartments will have drains so make sure you check that out and get any water out asap. Phil