John Deere 737 Oil Leak

[ndgregor]

I am experiencing an oil leak somewhere on a John Deere 737, approximately 1100 hours. I am aware of the issues these machines have had with overheating and bending pushrods/moving valve guides/warping heads etc.

If I cut the lawn (run for 3 hours) I notice that there is a build up of oil/dust on the metal frame just behind the engine, at the top edge. There is also build up along the choke/throttle cables going to the carb. There is no shortage of power/hard starting/etc. Could this be coming from a bad valve cover gasket or head gasket? I suppose a warped head could also disguise itself as a blown head gasket? I just am not sure what my symptoms align best with. I am not familiar with head gasket leaks on air cooled engines.

Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Republic of Texas]

Locate the leak or leaks. Clean everywhere there may be a leak. Run it for a while. Check for leaks.

A clean tractor is easier to maintain & troubleshoot.