L2900 4x4 front axel bearing / seal

[ddudeck]

I've owned my L2900 for about 7 years and when doing a front axel lube change I noticed alot of play in the front right wheel. I'm assuming wheel bearings.I contacted the local dealership and they estimated $600 to $1,000 plus pick up and drop off.

I'm pretty mechanical and am considering tackling this repair myself. Has anybody done this repair? Does anyone have schematics or service manual instructions for this repair? Anyone have tips / tricks for any tough proceedures? Any other suggestions on what may be causing the wheel play?

Also, while I have the axel disassembled I want to replace the axel case seal (where the axel rotates for stearing). This may have been the cause of the wheel bearing failure. Any tips / tricks, schematics for this repair?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Dirk

 

[kevinj]

I've owned my L2900 for about 7 years and when doing a front axel lube change I noticed alot of play in the front right wheel. I'm assuming wheel bearings.I contacted the local dealership and they estimated $600 to $1,000 plus pick up and drop off.

I'm pretty mechanical and am considering tackling this repair myself. Has anybody done this repair? Does anyone have schematics or service manual instructions for this repair? Anyone have tips / tricks for any tough proceedures? Any other suggestions on what may be causing the wheel play?

Also, while I have the axel disassembled I want to replace the axel case seal (where the axel rotates for stearing). This may have been the cause of the wheel bearing failure. Any tips / tricks, schematics for this repair?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Dirk

Do a search. There are pics and descriptions of the repair.

 

[KennyV]

Dirk...
Looks like it should not be too big a problem. For those labor prices I would certainly do it myself.
Here is a print from my WSM. KennyV.

 

[kevinj]

Dirk...
Looks like it should not be too big a problem. For those labor prices I would certainly do it myself.
Here is a print from my WSM. KennyV.

I have done a couple of them. It is easy if you have a few tools. Good snap ring pliers are a must. A couple hours per side will pretty much take care of it. The WSM is very helpful and everyone should have one for there tractor if for no more than keeping the bad dealers honest.

 

[ddudeck]

Thanks to all for the help.
I'm well into the repair with $48 inparts and a few hrs labor.
RH side completely disassembled, new knuckle seal in. Assembly waiting on the new bearing & seal I purchased today. LH side bottom plug removed. Need to replace knuckle seal and reassemble.
Should be able to finish up tonight or tomorrow night.
Thanks again.

 

[ddudeck]

I completed the front axle seal repair last night wanted write down the proceesures while still fresh. Here goes.
-First off always follow basic safety rules. 1. Put tractor on jack stands (you'll need your jack later). 2. Never get under a jacked up vehicle. 3. Protect your eyes and skin.
-You will need basic mechanical skills, tools (heavy duty internal & external snap ring pliers are a must and some parts cleaner), and replacement parts (replacement seals and new axle lube oil at minimum)
-Go online and down load a schematic diagram of the front axle case. This will show you all of the parts and assembly order.
Proceedure:
1. Break loose the lug nuts, jack up tractor and put on jack stands, remove lug nuts & wheel. Clean outside of axle & gear case. Push down on end of the axle your working on and insert 2x4 wood block (near frame point under engine) so that this side is lower than the other side. Drain oil.
2. Remove seal/plug from bottom of Front Gear Case (no need to open Front Gear Case unless axle bearing damage is suspected), remove internal snap ring & shim, remove bearing/bevel gear/shaft.
3. Remove external snap ring from the end of the Bevel Gear Case **Be prepared for the HEAVY gear case to drop/watch your fingers**. Lower Front Gear Case off end of axle. It will still be attached to the steering tie rod.
4. Pry upper half of seal off of the Bevel Gear Case (end of axle). Pry lower half of seal from the top of the Front Gear Case. Clean & lube seal seating surfaces, clean 2 bearings visible in the Front Gear Case. (They should spin freely)
5. Install new seal onto Bevel Gear Case (end of axle) until fully seated.
6. Lift heavy Front Gear Case back onto Bevel Gear Case. (I balanced the Front Gear Case on a floor jack and slowly jacked it into place while checking bearings inside aligned with Bevel Gear Case.) Jack up Front gear case until it is fully seated on seal (Check that you can see snap ring groove).
7. Install external snap ring on end of Bevel Gear Case. Install shaft, bevel gear, bearing, shim, snap ring and bottom plug/seal.
8. Add recommended type & quantity of axle oil. Check for leaks. Take tractor off of jack stands and drive around for 5 minutes while observing for any unusual sounds/shakes/wobbles. Inspect for leaks again.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[SteveV]

Hi
I started to do the front seals on a L2900 and chickened out when the fluid contained metal flakes. The original problem was leaking oil on the floor. There were two reasons to take the front gear cases to the dealer: they had seen one before to know the wear points and what to look for on the castings around the seals and two- to be able to evaluate the gear set that was making me nervous. They returned the case assembled. So far so good. Sometimes the dealer is the best route too. (Milford NH). I delivered the pieces in two 5 gal buckets which didn't seem to phase them. In the future, the front gear case fluid will be changed like every other motor oil change on this machine. Unfortunately the drain plug leaves the sludge on this design. It's best to pull the outer case and clean 'er out. Steve