John Deere 4400 driveshaft seal leaking. need advice

[Ewasson]

So I recently noticed a small leak from the drive shaft seal on rear end of driveshaft exiting centercase? next to hydraulic oil filter. it seems to be getting much worse very quickly.

The seal is number 19 in image and I was wondering if that can be removed and replaced by just removing center driveshaft section. Has any of you gents tackled this job? it looks kinda tight in there but with some picks, I'm thinking it may be possible. any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.
Man it seems like right when i get one seal fixed another starts leaking.... sheesh just completed all the front end seals.

 

[sisupower]

So I recently noticed a small leak from the drive shaft seal on rear end of driveshaft exiting centercase? next to hydraulic oil filter. it seems to be getting much worse very quickly.
View attachment 524194
The seal is number 19 in image and I was wondering if that can be removed and replaced by just removing center driveshaft section. Has any of you gents tackled this job? it looks kinda tight in there but with some picks, I'm thinking it may be possible. any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.
Man it seems like right when i get one seal fixed another starts leaking.... sheesh just completed all the front end seals.

I believe you can get to it. Use a chisel and small hammer and knock seal in to get it sideways and put new one in. If memory serves me right that’s what I did on the same model!

 

[Ewasson]

Ok great thank you good to hear. Its tight in there but i think with middle shaft piece out it should be pretty easy. so the shaft coming out of transaxel stays right? I don't
see how that could be removed with all the snap rings. new seal is on the way so I guess I will find out soon

 

[sisupower]

Ok great thank you good to hear. Its tight in there but i think with middle shaft piece out it should be pretty easy. so the shaft coming out of transaxel stays right? I don't
see how that could be removed with all the snap rings. new seal is on the way so I guess I will find out soon

Yes shaft stays. You can slowly seat seal by tapping it all around

 

[pmsmechanic]

So my question on something like this is "Why did it happen?". Is the bearing loose? Did some string/junk get wrapped around the shaft and take the seal out? Did some water get in and make the shaft rusty?

I like to figure out why a part breaks, not just replace parts. I also look at what the situation is and ask "What can I change here so this doesn't happen again?". If you cut a piece of rubber belting so that it fits tight on the shaft would it help to keep foreign material out?

 

[Ewasson]

Man much more difficult than I thought, got the drive shaft apart this am to get a better look and it is clearly impossible to get to that seal without pulling the 2 main parts of the case apart. does anyone have a service manual that would show how to get to that seal I have a 4400 2001 model serial is LV4400H440010. any help would be much appritiated.... thanks guys

 

[Ewasson]

 

[sisupower]

View attachment 526518
View attachment 526519View attachment 526518

Yea I couldn’t remember if it was a 4400 or 4200 that I did. But you will have to split it to do that seal. It really not that hard. I can send you some instructions if you like. Shoot me your email in a private message if you want. And I’ll send it over Monday

 

[Ewasson]

No worries sisupower, I got in there today and realized after removing axel to get a good look that there was no way to get to it with out splitting. any pics instructions and help would be greatly appreciated. you would think that the seal with so much use would be more easy to access but whatever. good to hear it is not that big of a deal, i got a full shop and pretty confident mechanically. just always feels overwhelming when I realize its not gonna be quite as easy as I thought.

 

[Ewasson]

email sent to private message

 

[sisupower]

Ok bud I’ll get some info sent your way Monday!!

 

[Ewasson]

any other info? its leaking pretty bad, but I found if I keep it in 2wd it leaks less.

 

[stingray1]

Good luck with your repair.

 

[texasranger556]

any other info? its leaking pretty bad, but I found if I keep it in 2wd it leaks less.

What else do you need? I bought the service manual for my 4400. Is there any play in the shaft? Might want to replace the bearing while you're in there.

 

[Ewasson]

I don't feel any play in the shaft(side to side) it just goes in and out during engagement and disengagement of the MFWD. I haven't gotten the manual yet but I should. you make a good point I was actually was just thinking about that. sisu was gonna run me through how to disassembly, cause it looks like a pretty big deal to get in there. it sure is leaking and the work goes on so I'm just topping it off as I go...... how good is the manual? does it walk you through procedures like this one?

 

[Ewasson]

I also got the manual, and it looks like I will need to split tractor(front) and remove hydro-static transmission to get to seal. It doesn't look to hard but I wonder about splitting, do I need the JD wheel stands or could I use my jack stands and hydraulic jack? I also have mini excavator that could help to support one halve if needed.

 

[texasranger556]

I've split several tractors between 15-50 hp, with a combination of blocks of wood, jack stands, floor jack, bottle jack, and/or engine hoist you can always find a way.

 

[Ewasson]

Ok so I got the manual, but to be honest kinda not been motivated to get into this tractor split just yet. anyone have pictures or videos of splitting one just to get me over the scaredy cat hump.

 

[beenthere]

Ewasson
Can't blame you for being a bit apprehensive about the task.
Can you describe or post pics of where you will be working on the 4400? May help to give suggestions on how to proceed.

Doing some rigging with stands that can roll and at the same time maintain balance and control of the front and rear parts is basic to the splitting. The front part will tilt about the front axle so control of that tilt is important. Some may be done with simple wedges on both sides of the axle housing and some times the stand can have built-in support to prevent tilting.

But pics as you go will bring good advice from TBN members, on both how to proceed as well as warnings of any potential problems.

Will look for some videos.
How To Split A John Deere Tractor (443 Part 1) - YouTube

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/john-deere-ag-tractors/201150-splitting-2355-a.html

And my tech manual has sections on splitting the 4400 front and the rear... hopefully yours has that as well.

 

[dfkrug]

Ok so I got the manual, but to be honest kinda not been motivated to get into this
tractor split just yet. anyone have pictures or videos of splitting one just to get me over the scaredy cat hump.

It is great that you have the mini-X. I always use a working tractor to help me split one, then an overhead
hoist to help me put them back together. If it is still running, take the FEL off under power, or it is a PITA
otherwise.

Note that support for the split halves do not have to be very stout, but having wheels on the stands
are important. Just a furniture dolly and a jackstand is enough. Hydraulic jacks leak down, so beware
of that.

My 4300 project, more than 8y ago:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...re-4300-complete-rebuild.html?highlight=deere