Hi, I had an issue the last two times I ran the backhoe (~2300 hours) that after an hour the instant reverse pedal would not function or respond. I spoke to a mechanic who suggested I service the transmission. His thinking was that the filter, if not changed for awhile, might be collapsing. I mentioned forward was good, but he said that pump might be pulling harder in reverse. So, I removed the plug and drained the fluid. Removed the sump plate cover and differential housing plate to drain remaining fluid and to check the condition of the sump screen. The large copper mesh looked good, but patches of the finer mesh was gone. I found very little shavings in the sump plate/magentic plug. With diligence I was able to open the canister under the dash to remove the filter It was dirty, but I couldn't see an signs of collapse. This leads me to thinking something else could be the culprit - linkage adjustments, clutch discs etc. I purchased the OEM filter, o-rings, gaskets, sump screen and fluid. I have all the plates back together, but I haven't added the 12 gallons ($$$) of transmission fluid back in. Is there anything else I should consider before adding the fluid? I have the operator/service manuals, but they leave a lot to be desired. Just wanted to get any thoughts or advice before I take this next step. Thank you for your time in considering this.
Had nearly the same problem on my 50A. Just greased the control shaft where it goes into the side of the trans.
So, if it ran two times in a row for an hour, then stopped working in reverse, the most likely thing is the pressure is dropping from thinner fluid. You could have hooked up gauges when you had fluid in it, but we can assume the pressure was dropping. I think the mechanic that mentioned changing the fluid, filter and screen was hoping. The other hope you have is the valves, otherwise you'll probably be pulling it all apart. Are the control valves on this removable from the right side of the "bellhousing"? I'd pull the valves out and inspect them, maybe suck the passages out with a suck bucket so you can recover any debris.
Thank you. I’m pulling out the parts pages to see where that is exactly. Will definitely give it some grease.
Delmer, Thank you. Yes, I agree that I should have checked the pressures first. I need to find the pressure kit for doing this. I asked local dealership and they had no idea. Once i get the fluid back in I’ll check them. Not sure if the control valves are removable. I attached the two pages (instant reverse, differential) that I’ve been working with to identify parts. The instant reverse refers to the control valve assembly which I also attached. Can’t tell if it needs additional disassembly or if they are easily accessible. Just found a thread on the suck bucket. I’ll check that out. Thank you.
40, the zerk is #55 on your page 101. The only place to check pressure is where tube #13 comes out of top center of the bell. Mine has a 1/8 pipe plug in it on top. I have no idea what pressure should be. #s 7 and 11 are removable from left side of bell, but I don't know if that will help you. Control valve is only accessible if you split the tractor. Mine is split as we speak...
Sorry, I was mis remembering the regulator valves under the plugs on the lefts side, if those are leaking, then there might still be enough pressure with cold oil, but it will leak more with the oil up to PROPER temp. At least it's easier to check than the alternatives. You are replacing that screen, right?
Sleddog, Thanks, I'll put some grease to it. What type of of pressure gauge do you have? I've seen various ones for under $35 for cars, but they'll have different psi ranges. Why did you have to split the tractor? Do you have any pictures on here of the split. I'd love to see it. Once you have both sides supported how did you pull it apart?
Delmar, Thanks. So I should inspect the (1) #11 Regulator Cap and the (2) #7 Caps to see if it may have been losing fluid. If that appears to be leaking, I'll need to replace just the o-rings on those caps? After this go ahead and add the trans fluid? Yes, I've already purchased the new sump screen.
I was thinking 2-11, all three valves, only because I don't know what they each do, and you might as well check them all. You're looking for cut o rings inside, plugged orifices, burs or rust on a spool, any foreign matter, broken springs. Not looking for external leakage unless it's obvious. Sometimes you won't find anything, but something fell out when you pulled them apart and it starts working again, that's why I suggested the suck bucket (with a clean bucket so you can identify, recover any parts that get sucked out).
From the top down on those 3, the top is just an outlet to filter, cooler, and temp gauge. 2 and 3 are pressure regulating valves
40, here you can see how I rolled it apart, the trans pump and control valve, and the torque. Book says to use a 400 lb gauge. And to answer your question, I got all mine from Cat years ago. From -30 to + 10,000, in pairs, and all the hoses and adapters I needed.
Delmer, Thanks. I located the three valves. They were partially under the floor mat. Depending on how deep the threads are the lower valve doesn't have much clearance for a hard line. Do you put anything on the threads of the caps when you reassemble? I called the local dealer to see what o-rings, springs and pins he might have on hand, but almost all of them he will have to order. I'm eager to get started. I need to build the suck bucket and then I'll pull one of the caps off and see whats there. I'll let you know what I find. Thank you again.
SD, Thank you for the pictures. That is awesome to see. I think I'd definitely need to build or buy a cradle on wheels to support the front end. Do you have the backhoe end supported with jacks? I saw the outriggers were down.
Nice gantry sled dog ! I had a come-along slip internally and it dropped an automatic transmission on my concrete floor. Very ugly event. I never used a come-along again.
40, the hoe bucket is down, the outriggers are down, and a screw jack under the swing tower
Tinkerer, I carry 3 on my truck. 1/4 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 1/2 ton. I got to pull hard on the handle when I flip to down on all of them to get them to move. But, they are good ones and weren't cheap. But, when you normally work alone, you got to think ahead and be safe... And the gantry, just some junk I threw together to split this hoe of mine. Just needed to roll ahead, and back, so no casters.
40, the service manual shows it being split with a floor jack under the engine. That might be fine on concrete in a shop. But I'm outside, you know, the shop with the blue ceiling and natural lighting....
If you were working under a tree you would truly be a Shade Tree Mechanic, Sled Dog.
Oh man, thanks for that !!! I told the boss lady I had to build the gantry 'cause I didn't have an acceptable tree limb!!!
I was prepping my TLB for painting a long time ago. I removed the cab from my backhoe by using a tree limb. It sure sagged a lot even tho it was a big sucker !
Hi all, I dropped the ball on this work due to health issues with myself and family. Starting to feel better now, but my energy levels are still lower than desired. The MF40B has just been sitting under cover for nearly two years and I'm hoping to get it back on its feet. I removed the three regulator caps (1 through 3, from top to bottom) from the instant reverse transmission to inspect them and ended up with three concerns that I was hoping to get some help with. All the o-rings looked good, but I did purchase replacements from the dealership. If they look decent should I replace them or could this lead to more undesired issues? 1. In regulator cap #2 and #3, I found small bits of metal that I removed with a magnet and screwdriver. I found 6 pieces in #2 and 3 pieces in #3. Not sure if this is something I should be really concerned about. Would these shaving be coming from the instant reverse module? I'll try and attach a picture of what I found. 2. In regulator cap #1 there's a bore hole that I hope to show through an attached picture that had some burrs on both sides. Not sure why this is happening or if I should be concerned. Should I use a file to knock off the burr? Any thoughts would be helpful. 3. I cleaned up all 3 of the caps, and put them back in temporarily in the evening to keep dirt, etc out. I noticed that on #2, the first large o-ring is getting bunched up as I screwed it in. Is there a trick to getting these o-rings back in evenly to prevent them from getting distorted? I also replaced #3 with a new o-ring and noticed it seemed to be a bit looser. I'm guessing possibly they tend to shrink over time, but I'm concerned about getting it inserted properly as I screw it back into the instant reverse module. 4. Also, on caps #2 and #3, I could not locate the washer (part number 16). Any idea why that might be missing on both of them. Sorry for the delay and thank you for your time. Here's the 3 caps on the instant reverse transmission. I had detach a transmission line to remove #3 cap. This is the metal shaving that I mentioned found in caps #2 (6 of them) and #3 (3 of them). This is the burr on cap #1. It's on both sides.
Here's a few more pics that may shed some light. Trying to capture the burr on cap #1, but it might be hard to see. Next three pictures are inside the instant reverse transmission.
Just wondering if anyone could suggest using American Grease Stick SG-4 Sil-Glyde Lube Compound for seating an o-ring. When I installed the regulator cap with the large o-ring it bent out of the groove. You can see where the o-ring is twisted in the center regulator cap in the picture above. Just trying to find the best way to handle this rather than dealing with a leak later. Thanks.
O-rings should always have some type of oil or lube when installing. I think you would be wise to use Genuine ** transmission fluid. I think the instant reverse use Permatran the same as their tractors. I found it works the best in my tractor. I think the latest version is Permatrans 821XL.
Dave, Thanks. The Permatrans 821XL is what I'm using. I did put some of it on the o-ring. Just wasn't sure if there was anything that might work better to keep the o-ring seated in the groove or there might be some technique to keep it seated.
I'm not sure if grease or something else is better than oil for installing o-rings. The instant reverse was used in a lot of forklifts and other ** machines. It's made by Funk and I think is generally pretty reliable. I worked at a golf course years ago that had an MF30 with a manual shuttle transmission. It was a nice loader to run. There was nothing wrong with ** loaders and backhoes. Actually all the ** industrial machines were on par or better than the competition. They may not have been as popular but that doesn't mean they weren't good machines. Interesting that an MF40B is bigger than a 30B but an earlier 30 is bigger than 40. The 40 was heavier duty with what they called a hard nose around the front rad. area. The 20 had the same engine as the 40 but didn't have the hard nose and instant reverse wasn't an option on the 20.