MX6 Gear Box Oil Change.

[dmccarty]

OK, I have read the MX 6 manual twice and I still don't see the answer.

How in the heck do I change the gearbox oil on my MX6? I checked the oil this weekend and it looked like margerine. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I'm guessing condensation got into the gearbox so I want to change the oil.

I don't see a drain plug. Is it under the cutter? There are four bolts on the top the gear box. Do you take these off and remove the top plate? How often is one supposed to change the gear oil? I did not see that in the manual either.

Thanks,
Dan McCarty

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Dan,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I checked the oil this weekend and it looked like margerine. )</font>

I have an MX5 which has the same gearbox. I looked in the technical manual (MX5 - MX10, HX10, HX14) and the only instruction that I can find for draining the oil is listed under the Disassemble Gear Case section.

<font color="green"> 1. Remove four cap screws (A) and cover (B).
2. Drain oil from gear case. </font>

This takes place after the gear case has been removed from the mower. Looks to me like there is no provision to drain the oil as a part of routine maintenance.

Looking at the design of the case, I suspect that it will have to be inverted to drain completely. Water is heavier than oil and will go to the lowest point, which is the bottom bearing. Even if there was a drain plug in the case, you would only be diluting the water with a drain and refill.

For what its worth, the gear oil in my MX5 has looked like margarine (light yellow in color - almost white) since I bought the machine new three years ago.


Jim Fisher

 

[mainiak1]

What I do is use an old soap dispensor pump from hand soap. attach flex tube like vacuum hose from automobile or gas line from small engine. Pump it out. If it has a large enough hole use suction gun or adapt a smaller hose to suction gun.

 

[dmccarty]

Jim,

I figured I would have to get a handpump like mainlak1 suggested. The only way I could see to access the oil was to remove the four bolts and take of the plate. I guess I'll call up the dealer and ask about the color. I sure dont remember the oil looking like this in years past. You would think one would have to drain the oil from time to time.....

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Dan,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I guess I'll call up the dealer and ask about the color. I sure dont remember the oil looking like this in years past. You would think one would have to drain the oil from time to time..... )</font>

I'm sure that it should be changed at some point in time, particularly if it appears to have have some condensation in it.

I checked the oil in mine today and it looks the same as the day it arrived.


Best,


Jim

 

[dmccarty]

Jim,

I talked with the dealer and he said it can look like butter if it has been running due to air getting into the oil.... But I had not
run the cutter I had moved the tractor before checking but I doubt that would have done anything. I'm going to check before I move the tractor and see if there is a difference.

I'm sure I'll be chaning oil. He said to remove the four bolts at the top of the gear box and take off the plate as I suspected. Then it is hand pump time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Later,
Dan

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Dan,


Let me know if you run into anything interesting. I suspect that I'll need to change mine one of these days.


Jim

 

[dmccarty]

This past week I stopped at WallyWorld and bought two quarts of GL5 grear oil for the MX 6. I could not find my old gear case hand pump so I stopped at NAPA and had two spend $12 on a real nice metal hand pump. If I don't loose this one it should last a lifet time.

I had other chores to do and it was the end of the day before I made it to the tractor. Get everything setup to change the oil and I pulled the bolt/dip stick one more time. This time I get an idea. Sure wish I had this idea a couple weeks ago.....

The idea was to, get ready for this, TOUCH the oil! So I did. It felt like oil. Smelt like oil. Ran like oil. The tractor has been sitting for a couple of weeks so if there was water in there it should have seperated by now. Looks like this gear oil is yellow in color. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

One thing that did bother me as I looked at the bolts holding the cover to the gear box, is I did not have a gasket or the gasket in a tube stuff. I think my new hand pump could have taken the oil out of the dip stick tube if I had to remove the oil....

Later,
Dan

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Dan,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It felt like oil. Smelt like oil. Ran like oil. The tractor has been sitting for a couple of weeks so if there was water in there it should have seperated by now. Looks like this gear oil is yellow in color. )</font>

Mine has looked that way from the get go. I wonder if it is some sort of synthetic.


</font><font color="blue" class="small">( One thing that did bother me as I looked at the bolts holding the cover to the gear box, is I did not have a gasket or the gasket in a tube stuff. )</font>

According to the service manual you should use a cure primer of some sort to clean both surfaces and Ultra-Blue RTV or equivilant for the gasket. The exploded drawings don't show any type of paper or cork gasket.


Jim Fisher