I was checking/changing the oil on my case 1840 where the chains are. One side had a white thick oil come out. It was not water mixed with oil, looked allmost like a white paint. Any idea what this lube may be?
More than likely water. With enough time, the ajitation of the drive chains will emulsify the water with the oil. Look for any sources that would allow ingress of water into chain cases.
Thanks for the post. I've seen water in oil before and this looked NOTHING like that{??} I may be wrong. Also wouldn't the oil and water seperate over time? This was a real thick oil, allmost grease and real slippery. It also did not seperate at all, I'll check it again in the morning.
That's what happens in the emulsification process when two immiscible liquids, such as water and oil, are combined. It can happen, and that's most likely what your looking at, water that has been combined and bonded with the oil molocules via emulsion.
What you need to do straight away is drain that crap out and then flush the compartment with diesel. You would have to drive the machine a little to thoroughly clean it out, and it may take a few go's. Emulsified oil is a pig to get out. But you need to get it out before it starts doing damage.
It is quite a pain when its the hydraulic system!! Sometimes I save my "unknown" oil mixes in empty water bottles, after a few week some will separate and become obvious.
Okay thanks everyone, I'll drain rinse and refill. I just became the owner of this machine and am in the process of changing all fluids{what a pain}. The machine calls for 1.5gal of oil in each side, this had over 5 gal in each side It is sad when a machine is not treated with proper maintenance
Well I finished cleaning out the white goop side, washed it out with diesel, and put knew oil back in. I'm still going to drain/change it again and in about a month just to make sure it is ready for snowblowing. I also fixed a leaking hose, and ran it for a while. Thanks for all the help, when I saw the white slop I thought maybe someone filled it with bio grease or something. The one side had allmost 10gal of the crap in it
a few years back I was given a few 55gal. drums of fireproof hydraulic oil. It was pure white just like paint. I remember using it in a koering 366 . It was ok in the summer but got a bit thick durring the winter, however it never did freeze up.. . I used to get all this free hydraulic oil from an insurance co testing lab. The stuff even mixed with the normal hytran brands. I ran it for two years and it never caused any problems. Most water damaged oil I have come across has a tan tint to it, all I am saying is that white oil was out there at one time. And the stuff would not burn,
That is what i was thinking Smokey1, this stuff was pure white looked like house paint. It had NO tint to it at all???? Oh well better to be safe then sorry. I did put the white goop in 5gal pails, going to watch it for awhile and see if it seperates.
You could also use a Hydrosorb water removal filter to get rid of the water in the fluid. Depending on the make and model of your equipment it may be cheaper than draining and refilling and if you have not found the source of contamination you might just have to repeat your steps all over again in a short period of time.
white chain oil in Case 1840 I just discovered the same whitish matter in my machine (1994 Case 1840). Picture attached here, same stuff in all four chains. Did yours looked like this also? Anything interesting happened with the stuff your stored in a container? Do you recommend using 10W30 for winter (I am in the Rockies on Canadian side) or something thinner? Have you done anything with the oil covers to prevent water getting in the tanks? I am thinking applying silicone on the rubber oval seals after replacing the white stuff with proper oil. Thanks
I'll bet you lunch for a week that's mostly water in a detergent oil.
looks like water soluble cutting oil that you use in a steel band saw etc??
make sure that the gaskets are on the chain case covers & the covers are intact as well, if they are good, then go the the axle shaft seals. As others have said, i think thats alot of water and a little oil, and it isnt good for everything expensive in there.
That's water in the oil that is .......... I prefer flushing compartments that are supposed to contain oil with a low-viscosity hydraulic oil rather than diesel. The diesel is a bit agressive, especially on bearings. I'll second stumpjumper's comments and say go looking for how the water got there in the first place. Bad cover gaskets, bad shaft seals, (although if the seals are bad oil should be leaking out as well as water getting in) breathers not working right, loose or missing fill plugs, etc. It got there somehow, and especially if you plan on pressure washing the machine with any sort of frequency you need to make sure that water's not going to go where it's not wanted. Regarding oil viscosity I think I would use a single weight oil designed for power transmission rather than a multigrade engine oil. An SAE 30 power train oil or even an 80W/90 hypoid gear oil would be OK for your temperatures I think.
Left side's like chocolate!
Right side's like thick white paint!
funny this thread should pop up, i just purchased an 1840 as well with oil/water emulsification, it created so much volume it leaked into the battery compartment... cleaning will not be fun, has anyone tried to use atf fluid as a solvent? i've been told to drain the sucker, pour 4 liters of cheap 10-30, and 2 liters of atf run it for a short time then drain and replace with new oil. I was thinking drain, was down as much as i can with diesel then dow a flush with atf/oil mix, drain again and put in fresh. Does this sound like overkill?
The diesel works good. Just run it on blocks with wheels off the ground, for a while & then see how it looks. Maybe a second rinse, then put the proper oil in it. Check the cover seals & be sure they are all OK.
Any type of cheap low-viscosity oil is the best. ATF, hydraulic oil, etc, buy whatever's cheapest. Or if you happen to be changing hydraulic oil in something else (or can find someone who is) use the old oil from that machine for your flushing. Diesel is too agressive on seals & bearings IMO.
If you really don't think its water test it. Put a little in a pan and put a torch on it. If it crackles (like bacon)then you have water in your oil.
Send it out to an oil testing lab if you want to get down to the bottom of it. Just do a google search. Will probably cost you $40-50 bucks. You'll get a comprehensive report back with the levels of contaminants (if any).
looks like water in your oil to me as well. Looks just like water contaminated gear oil from the gearboxes in batwing mower from a farm where I used to work.
Hey again folks, The stuff that I drained and left sitting stayed allmost the same looked like white grease. I'm sure it was water an oil as many have pointed out. I no longer have the machine but did make sure it was clean and ready for work when I let it go. Thanks again for all the replys and education
Couldn't you put some in a tray on a stove or barbeque, to see if the water cooks off. That will tell you if its water pretty quick. Ken