Help with grease in hydraulic system......

[hutch4472]

I pulled a major bonehead manuver the other day (comes natural to me).......I was greasing my 2000 L35 I had recently purchased and wound up with grease in the hydraulic system. There was a grease zirk just behind the front axle that I was "tending to" and I got frustrated because I could'nt see where the excess grease was coming out.........so.......in my infinate wisdom I kept on pumping and pumping till, after about 1-1/2 tubes of grease, I FINALLY thought "somethings not right".

It seems I pumped grease down the front driveline tube, past an oil seal (I presume) and into my hydraulic system. Within an hour of operation the hydraulic filter clogged (it had less than 15 hours on it total). I could hear the pumps starving for fluid and the hydraulics were very jerky. When I drained the hydraulic/transmission fluid there was grease on the plug nearest the front driveline tube. I felt in the drain hole and it was loaded with grease. When I cut the filter open it was loaded up.

I filled with new hydraulic fluid and changed the filter and fired her up and everything worked fine again for about two hours. Then plugged another filter. Replaced just the filter and she went right back to work. Ive got about 2 hours on this filter and I think it is close to clogging also.

I am fairly handy with a wrench and I do have a pretty good tool assortment BUT.......tearing the tractor down to muck out the grease in the bottom of the case would put me in over my head on time, money, and experience. Can anyone suggest any other options? Anyway to flush it out without making things worse? Should I just keep buying filters ($25 each) and occationally changing hydraulic fluid ($150 each time)?

Sure appreciate the time of all you good folks here reading my LONG post........Hutch

 

[r0GuE]

Man.....

I don't know a dang thing, so take this stupid suggestion at that. I guess I'm throwing it out there for some smart people on the board to toy with.

Could you leave the filter off, and pour (cheapo) fluid in while starting it. Then the pump would maybe flush the grease out (all the while you keep feeding it fluid)?

Good luck man. I'd be so flipped out, I'd be buying a new tractor to dig a hole for that old one. Hide my mistakes.. just about as good as not making them.

-- I also wonder if there is a generic filter for $3 that would "fit" just for the clean out period?

 

[kmdigital]

Other then plugging up the filter, the grease won't hurt anything. If you've plugged up several already, you probably have most of it out by now. Just keep a few spares on hand and change them as soon as you notice any change in the hydraulics operation. It sure isn't worth opening things up and trying to clean out, as by now there probably isn't a lot left in there.

As the fluid warms up with use it will pickup the grease and carry it to the filter, and after a few filters there will be hardly any grease left as hydraulic fluid is a pretty good cleaner. Cheaper filters would be nice, but I doubt that is possible for something as specilized as a tractor's hydraulic system.

 

[Dusty]

Weight the tube of grease and then weigh a new filter and a clogged one. When the net weight difference of the filters equals the weight of a tube of grease, you will have approximately one tube of grease removed. Keep doing this till you get all the grease out. I would take a filter to NAPA and see if they can match it up to something less expensive. You are going to be going through a lot of filters, but it will still be less expensive than tearing it down.
Dusty

 

[hutch4472]

OK, well sure appreciate the replies. It does make me feel better that the grease shouldnt HURT anything other than my ego and the cost of a bunch of filters. Good idea on the weighing the filters too, hadnt thought of that. I was able to cross reference a Napa filter. It calls for a #7098, which makes it handy since we do have a Napa (small town) that can get them "next day". Problem is the Napa filters are about $34 a piece. Kubota filters from Messicks were $25 plus shipping. I was able to cross reference some Lube Finer brand though which I can get for $19 a piece. CRAP.......sometimes I underestimate how dumb I can really be........

Anyhow thanks again for the replies.......Hutch

 

[Doc_Bob]

That is a great story.
Bob

 

[hutch4472]

...........Not from where I'm sittin....... , but I hope it at least gave you a chuckle....

 

[Doc_Bob]

...........Not from where I'm sittin....... , but I hope it at least gave you a chuckle....

Sorry, I mean't no offense.
Bob

 

[hutch4472]

Sorry, I mean't no offense.
Bob

No no, none taken Doc, I didnt mean to sound that way, I am already laughing at myself about it........Cheers,....Hutch

 

[ksmmoto]

I don't think that all 1 1/2 tubes would be in the hydraulics. Most of it should still be in the drive line tube.

I worry about this on my L3430 when I grease the back front axle zerk because no grease comes out. I give it about 15 pumps every 20 hours. Is this too much?

ksmmoto

 

[hutch4472]

I don't think that all 1 1/2 tubes would be in the hydraulics. Most of it should still be in the drive line tube.

I worry about this on my L3430 when I grease the back front axle zerk because no grease comes out. I give it about 15 pumps every 20 hours. Is this too much?

ksmmoto

I dont think all 1-1/2 tubes would be in there either, unless the axle tube was full before I started pumping........which may very well be the case.

Based on my current situation I would say 15 pumps every 20 hours IS in fact too much. I will probably never grease that zirk again on mine! Should be plenty in there for a long time. I personally would recommend more like 3 pumps over 20 hours TOPS..........Hutch

 

[Dusty]

LuberFiner filters are a quality product. I have used them in the past and never had a problem with them.

As for greasing, I probably shouldn't say this here on TBN, but I don't grease my machine any where near what some of the other people do. I do believe in greasing, but I don't do it based on hours of use of the tractor, but hours of use of the implement. I cut 3+ acres at least once a week, and sometimes twice if the grass is growing like weeds. I give the mower deck spindles a few pumps and when I checked them today after cleaning the mower deck for the season, they were still full of grease. Here is the thing that many people don't ever think of. Where is all that grease going? The front hubs on your automobile or truck have grease in the bearings, and you don't pump them up every 20 hours of driving do you? They are filled with grease, and that grease is doing its job for thousands of miles without being touched. Same for the tractor, some parts of the tractor don't need greasing as often as others. Pivot points on the loader and backhoe get greased more often, but based on there hours of use, not the tractors. If I were to grease the backhoe every time that I greased the tractor loader, then I would be wasting grease, since the backhoe is off the tractor most of the time. The problem that I see is that some people take the written page as gospel, and don't apply common sense to the application that goes beyond what the printed page says. If the printed page says to change the engine oil every 5 hours or 500 hours by mistake, there are some people that would still believe that because they saw it printed in the manual. Doesn't matter that it was a typo error. They will still believe that information. Same with greasing the tractor, give it a squirt once in a while, but don't go overboard.
Dusty

 

[john_bud]

I still have a hard time understanding the path the grease took from the gun to reservoir. Seems odd, but "stuff occurs".

I would suggest that you run that puppy HARD dragging a big box blade full of rubble for a few hours to get it real hot. Then dump the fluid and filter. That will probably get most of it cleaned out. You may need to bleed the lines to the cylinders on the loader / hoe to really clean it out. It's messy and probably overkill, but the fluid in the loader and hoe are pretty much dead ended and don't freely drain.

Luckily you don't live where it gets cold. Otherwise, it could get ugly when the grease solidifies.

 

[hutch4472]

I still have a hard time understanding the path the grease took from the gun to reservoir. Seems odd, but "stuff occurs".

I would suggest that you run that puppy HARD dragging a big box blade full of rubble for a few hours to get it real hot. Then dump the fluid and filter. That will probably get most of it cleaned out. You may need to bleed the lines to the cylinders on the loader / hoe to really clean it out. It's messy and probably overkill, but the fluid in the loader and hoe are pretty much dead ended and don't freely drain.

Luckily you don't live where it gets cold. Otherwise, it could get ugly when the grease solidifies.

I have a hard time understanding it myself, and I am looking right at it! There is a housing just behind the front axle with a zirk on it, then a "tube" in which is the front drive shaft, that goes rearward and into what I guess is considered the "transmission case". Well the grease apparently followed that tube back (not sure if it was supposed to or not) and pushed through an oil seal that was designed to keep low pressure oil IN, and not high pressure grease OUT, as mentioned be another poster, (again I am presuming).

I am HOPING that all (or most) of the grease is staying in the case (supply side) and not allowed past the filter and into the pumps and loader/backhoe plumbing (pressure side).

I agree with you, I need to get it good and hot and then do another fluid/filter change. I dont have a Box Blade yet but I need to dig for a french drain and also some footings so hopfully that'll heater up good enough.

Your right about the temps.....its been getting down around 28F the last couple nights which is acctually pretty cold for this time of year around here. We occationally see lows around 16F ish but its rare. It feels awfully cold though when it gets there, it's NOT a dry cold. I often think of how hard it is on equipment when it gets down to those temps, then I laugh at myself.........nothing compaired to some parts of the world............

 

[machmeter62]

HUTCH and other L-35 OWNERS: I purchased a new L-35 in Sept. 95' in Northern Calif. The serial # is L-35 5075 and it has no zerk fittings located on the driveshaft housing; however, a couple of years later I received from Kubota a new "stronger design" front pivot bushing. Kubota said, "under severe stress conditions there were reports of the original pivot bushing housing failure!" Did this result in the zerk on Hutch's L-35, and what year or serial # was it changed? There is no zerk fitting on it also. I assume the zerk fitting was to grease the pivot point and not the drive shaft? Just my thoughts?

 

[machmeter62]

Correction on the L-35 serial # L-35 50575.

 

[ovrszd]

Hmmm, I wonder what the seal looks like now that you pushed grease thru?? I'm sure your description of it is correct in that it's function is to hold in low pressure hyd fluid and keep out contaminates from the driveshaft tube. But now that it has been breached, what keeps the low pressure hyd fluid from entering the tube?? This may be one of those things that never shows itself. Then again, it may show itself in the oddest places.

 

[techman]

If you got most of the grease out, the remaining will disolve in the hydraulic fluid. Do a couple of fluid and filter changes in the next couple of hundred hours and the system should be clean.

Hydraulic manufacturers use grease when assembling some components, and it readily disolves in the oil.

paul

 

[N80]

Hmmm, I wonder what the seal looks like now that you pushed grease thru??

Yea, I'd be worried about that too.

 

[BobRip]

I am sure most people here have done dummer things. I left the jack stand under my 66 Chevy and tore a hole in the transmission pan when I backed up. I took it off an soldered the tear shut. No major damage, but I sure felt stupid and now double check under a vehicle after maintenance.