Simplicity Legacy XL, 4x4

[daisyman]

My son has a Legacy with the B&S diesel in it. It runs fine, but about 3 months ago the power steering decided to stop working. The tractor will go forward and backward and the 3 point will work although maybe slowly. He doesn't have anything hooked to it, so it's kind of hard to tell. I looked at it today, trying to figure it out, with no luck. He changed oil and filter in the hydro with the proper oil and filter as a routine maintenance item, but he can't remember whether it worked before or after that. ( I know that makes a huge difference on what to look for but he's got a lot on his mind and just can't remember). I thought maybe it was an airlock problem but have tried every method to work the air out of it to no avail, if that's what it is. Is there a pressure relief valve somewhere that might have stuck, or a broken spring, and just where do I look for that??
(It's been really dry in this area for three months with no need to mow, so it just sat)
I can find very little on these tractors on the net, so here I am looking for help!! I don't know of ANYONE that has one around here to discuss it with.
Thanks for any help!
Irv

 

[Spanner]

How many hours on the clock?
How much oil did he put in the transaxle?

More Q's to come.

 

[daisyman]

How many hours on the clock?
How much oil did he put in the transaxle?

More Q's to come.

He has the book for it, and he put in the recommended amount, he thinks was 9.5 quarts of type F automatic transmission fluid. It's a 2006 model, but I don't know how many hours it has on it. He bought it at a John Deere dealership that had it for a couple years. They inherited it from the previous dealership after a change in ownership. He got a heck of a deal on it but I had to totally rework the deck. It was a mess, (as in cheaply built), and the PO didn't do it any favors. :confused2:

I just talked to him and he said he power washed it after he changed oil in it and the thought it didn't work after that but he can't remember for sure. He couldn't see what that would have anything to do with it, but just some more information.

Irv

 

[Spanner]

Thanks Irv.
I'm not sure that ATF is the correct oil for that transmission. What does the manual say?
Can you/he loosen (but not remove) one of the fittings on the Steering Ram and see if oil is forced out when you turn the Steering Wheel? (Engine running.)

 

[daisyman]

Thanks Irv.
I'm not sure that ATF is the correct oil for that transmission. What does the manual say?
Can you/he loosen (but not remove) one of the fittings on the Steering Ram and see if oil is forced out when you turn the Steering Wheel? (Engine running.)

Type F is what's recommended in the manual. I held my hand on the hoses going to the cylinder as I turned the steering wheel and there's no pressure on either one of them. You can about always tell if there's pressure on a hose.
The fittings on the front axle go in at 90 degrees. You about have to jack the front end up so you can tilt the axle from side to side to get to them, and I didn't have a jack at his house. I'm going to have to bring it home to work on it further.

Irv