Is the small plastic line connected to the top of the steering pump? Make sure it is there and not kinked somewhere restricting flow of oil. Oil needs to have free flow back to sump through this line or it can cause seal to blow out. Also try unhooking that line and hook a small hose to it and direct it into a bucket. There should only be a few drops of oil out of this line with engine running and steering back a forth. If more than a slow trickle, the pump is worn out and a seal will not hold.
Rebuilt the pump a few years back, Hydraulics works fine until it empties most into crankcase, it looks like the gear that goes into the timing gears might be going in to far allowing the small hole in the shaft to be past the seal. It takes a while like it's a slow leak, it doesn't dump it into the crankcase fast. The gear has a small steel ball in the end that looks like it may be to far into the gear. That gear new is 400 bucks from Deere, don't mind buying it if it would fix the problem though
Tx Jim
New Member
If this was my 2020 I'd consider removing open center steering valve & pump to install closed center power steering housing & plate(T20272) to cover hole where PS pump was removed. I think I'd install CC power steering valve without installing priority valve on right side of trans case & just not operate steering & other tractor hydraulics simultaneously. JD engineers must have decided open center steering & closed center hydraulics wasn't a good idea as early yr model 1020 & 2020 tractors up to serial # -045,199 are the only models with this configuration that I'm aware of.
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If You don't mind could you send me more information on this, I would appreciate it, I have fought this problem of hydro fluid getting into my crankcase over and over again, I really like the tractor for what I use it for but this problem is really getting old and tearing it down over and over is hard on an old man.