Repair Hole in Transmission Case

[Marada]

I have an Iseki 1700TU. Been a good running tractor however this winter while I was using it, a leak developed. After it warmed up to where I could get outside for longer then 5 minutes I found that I had a hole in the bottom of the transmission case. It looked like there was a bolt laying inside the case, across the hole. I tried to fish it out but no luck. I've attached a picture. Since it was still cold outside I decided to wait till it warmed up. Today was the 1st warm day and so figured I'd remove the top of the transmission housing to see what I could do. JB Weld figures high on the fixes right now. Anyway, 1st problem. I need to remove the shifter and I'm not having any luck. I've attached a picture of the shifter. There appears to be a bolt holding the shifter to the transmission shaft. I loosened it and tapped it with a hammer but it wouldn't budge. Any suggestions?

 

[JDdude]

Soak that shifter with penetrating oil over night..I would think the bolt-threaded part would have to be drove out to the other end to get it off of the shaft.. the case holds oil I assume..you have a serious problem there if it does..

 

[fixit]

Not sure about the shifter but to fix the hole i would be temped to cut a plate and to drill and tap four holes to fix it then screw it in place with gasket sealer

Oh and don't forget to find out where the bolt came from otherwize the hole in the case could be the least of your problems

 

[Marada]

Not sure about the shifter but to fix the hole i would be temped to cut a plate and to drill and tap four holes to fix it then screw it in place with gasket sealer

Oh and don't forget to find out where the bolt came from otherwize the hole in the case could be the least of your problems

Thats why I'm trying to remove the transmission cover. Get the object out and see if something broke inside or if somehow a bolt got dropped into the filler tube. My plan was to use JB Weld to fill the hole then a plate underneath to add addition strength.

 

[Pipestone Kid]

That bolt with the nut and washers has to be removed to get the shifter off. It probably has a groove in the vertical rod that the shifter sits on. The bolt fits passes through that groove

 

[tommu56]

like every one said pop the bolt and a pitman arm puller or tie rod puller (not pickle fork)should pop it off.

 

[Marada]

Hurrah, got the shifter off. Patience, WD40 and time. So here is what I'm up against. I've attached a picture showing where the hole is and the only way I can access the bottom of the housing. I probed the hole with a piece of wire and can hear the object moving around. So I guess I'll go buy a flexible magnet or parts grabber and see if I can pull it out. If I'm not able too, can the gears be removed?
The gears look to be in good shape. From what I see it appears that the top had been off before because I see some kind of sealent running down the inside of the case. Makes me think that whoever worked on it dropped a bolt and never got it out. Finally it got caught between the housing and gear.

 

[kebo]

Is it possible to rotate all the gears closest to the hole and inspect them closely to make sure no teeth are damaged? Maybe the bolt got wedged between a geartooth and the housing somehow and tried to push through the housing?

 

[Marada]

I tried to rotate the bottom gears but had no luck. I figure their coupled to the engine and PTO. If there is damage it would have to be 1 or 2 teeth on the bottom.

 

[jimmysisson]

Is this a machine you've owned for a while? Are you the only operator? A casting pop that size would make some noise, plus the gush of oil onto the ground would be obvious?
Magnetic retreivers are pretty cheap, look for one that's flexible near the magnet - looks like that's where you need it. The magnet is good for chips, too. Do you think ice could have busted the casing (I don't)?
I agree it looks like something got caught between a gear and the case, and good luck finding it.
Jim

 

[wdchyd]

It's too bad it is on the bottom, it would be a good fix to weld (Heli-arc) if you had the right equipment.......

 

[JDdude]

If A guy took all the gears out he could have it welded from the inside..or puddle it with JB weld.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

I am guessing taking the gear cluster out would be a whole new can of worms. I never was a transmission guy though. I think the best bet is a flexible magnet and then a inspection mirror to look around. Is that tranny case aluminum? There are plenty of guys on here that can give you advice on cleaning up the hole and prepping it for JB weld. You might be able to bump the starter and spin the gears a little to look for more damage. Or just take and pour diesel or kerosene over the top of the gear cluster to flush down debris through the hole.
Keep us posted

 

[JDdude]

Could you shield the gears from the JB weld, duct tape the outside and kinda pool the stuff in from the top? Just putting ideas out there.

 

[Soundguy]

fish out the bolt with the grabber or a magnet on a flexible stick.. piece of wire.. etc.. whatever.. just get it out.

Do inspect the gears. might have to roll engine over depending on where they are.

clean sump out real good.

use an epoxy rated for fuel/oil wet metal, as the cast will be impregnated.. use masking tape and a wad of the epoxy to fill the hole from the bottom and let cure, sand smooth.

I like the idea of using short fine thread bolts and drilling / tappin 4 holes and cutting a plat out of 3/16 or 1/4 and loading it up with rtv and then bolting in place as a backup.

choose short bolts that don't go above the surface of the casting.. washers can be used ont he bottom of the plate to help with height issues. tap the threads and go..

soundguy

 

[fixit]

Hi i was just making sure as it sounded like you were going to fish it through the hole

If you jack up a back wheel as long as it is in neutral and the diff lock is not engaged then turning the wheel will turn the gears for a closer inspection:thumbsup:

It sure looks like the gear cluster pushes the bolt through the bottom

as long as there are no teeth missing then just file off any burs on the teeth where the bolt hit flush out the case and seal her up

Ps if the hole has a crack leading away from it don't forget to stop drill the end of it with a 3 mm drill

 

[Marada]

I've had the tractor a couple years and never had a problem other then running out of fuel and having a dickens of a time getting it bled to start again. I had used it to blade our road about a week before this. Then another snow and it happened. I noticed the oil and shut the tractor down. Checked the level and saw that it was in fact the Trans/Hydraulic fluid leaking. The next day I drove into town and picked up 5 gallons. As soon as I started putting it in, it started coming out. I overfilled it and drove the tractor home about 2/10's of a mile. Seemed to run ok. Parked it and it has sat till this last weekend. My plan right now is to see if I can get a thin piece of wood, covered with plastic wrap, over the hole from the inside. The from the underneath, drill some divots into the sides of the hole. The case is Cast by the way. Then use carb cleaner and a metal brush to clean it up. Fill the hole with JB Weld and hold that in place with another piece of wood from underneath. After that sets up, remove the wood and sand the underneath smooth to the surface. Get a 1/8 inch piece of metal about an inch bigger then the hole. sand the case and the metal patch to bare metal, cover both with JB weld and place the patch over the hole. After that sets up. tap screws into the corners. Geez, sounds like a ton of work.

 

[JDdude]

Carb cleaner leaves a film ,, use brake cleaner or alcohol

 

[biggerten]

Maybe ream that hole out and use an expanding plug? Dorman makes several sizes. Dorman Products - 02482

 

[Marada]

I got it out with a small magnet. It's a 7/16's bolt about an inch and a quarter long. I'll get a picture on it this weekend. It came out intact other then being beat up. And I can find no damage to the gears.