TC 33D Hyd leak from weep hole

[Tc33DPhil]

Thanks for your post!! I am not alone lol. Do you think replacing the o-ring slowed it down any? I actually measured the o-ring I removed and it seemed close to what the nominal called for in that part. I am going to try a new one of that size or maybe one slightly bigger, as long as I can shove the pipe in. Still a little worried that it isn't this o-ring at all, and it's somewhere else in this cavity. recently it seemed to be leaking a lot more )I was using a PTO chipper and running the tractor at high enough rpm to get the PTO to 540. I will be putting it back together shortly with a new o-ring to find out. By the way, I bought a tractor freight fluid extractor (air powered) to suck the sludge out of the cavity so that it can drain from the weep hole again. Perhaps if I have to live with it a while such as you, I can rig up a little catch pan under the weep hole like a diaper for my hydraulic fluid lol

 

[Tc33DPhil]

Digging deeper on this. I've attached a snapshot of one of the pages of the service manual for the TC33D. It shows the HST pump and it's relation to the housings and piping and filters. Seeing this, it now makes a little more sense. The HST pump and motor is "inside" the cases and the lines and fittings that I have been showing go through the sides of the case to the pump inside. I think the HST pump actually "lives" halfway in one case and halfway in another. The charge pump side of the HST pump lives in the dry side where the clutch and shaft from engine are. And the HST motor side of the pump lives in the rear transmission case. The HST pump is attached to this case by four bolts. You can see in the picture where the tube from the oil cooler with the suspect o-ring goes into the HST pump. Of course there look like there are other places on that side of the pump where it could be leaking into that cavity. Again of course with no way of knowing without splitting the tractor apart. I guess there is an outside chance that it isn't hydraulic oil at all, but engine oil from the rear main seal leaking into the dry area where the clutch and output shaft are? I don't think this is the case, as I never noticed the engine oil level dropping when the tractor was spewing the fluid. Really hoping that it is the o-ring on the cooler tube, but don't have a good feeling about it. Stay tuned for results of test.

 

[skramer360]

I had the exact same leak on my TC-30 and the exact same hope of an easy fix with an "O" ring. Alas, it was not to be. If you check this thread, NH 2005 TC30 leaking internally $4000 to fix? anyone else? on the second and third pages, I have several pictures of what I found and fixed on mine.

 

[Tc33DPhil]

Yeah. I don't know if it's the exact same area leaking, but after seeing this I am sure it's not the o-ring. Your thread was super illuminating. I have the TC33D service manual and can see all the diagrams and drawings of everything, but there is nothing like seeing it in real pictures. I was wondering what the HST pump/motor assembly actually looked like. I am a mechanical engineer, and am confident that I could probably do the split. But I don't currently have the garage/shop space for it. What would be really nice on this tractor is if there was an inspection plate on the bottom of the casting where the weep hole is. At least you could remove that and see where the heck the fluid maybe dripping from. I mean that is a "dry" area, so what the heck, put a plate down there...

 

[Tc33DPhil]

The plot thickens. Finally was able to reach the dealer (I had been to this one before). Talked to their service manager. He was pretty familiar with the problem. Believes it is the seal on the input shaft to the HST pump. Without prompting he told me that what happens on these machines is that the "dry space" where the pump is gets sometimes filled with grit grime etc. because there is a golf ball size "inspection" hole at the top of that casting. Worse yet, he said that rodents sometimes get in this space and fill it with more debris. This gets onto the input shaft and works its way into the seal, and destroys it.
It was then that I told him that I had been pulling sludge and acorns out of an access point that was created by my removing one of the hard lines that goes into this housing. What a stupid design (new Holland) that allows this to happen. Sure have a vent/inspection hole on top of the casting, but have a damn screen over it to prevent this!!

Anyways, If it is just the seal, the approximate cost for the whole job is 2 to 2.5 k. Mostly all labor to get to everything (splitting the tractor and putting it back together.. I was expecting this (actually was expecting a good bit more). They could schedule the job at end of June. I was going to do it myself, Now I am back on the fence...

 

[thclimer]

That doesn't sound good.

Are you able to see the "inspection hole" that the mice were able to get through? Any pictures?

 

[Tc33DPhil]

No you can't see it because it is below all the plastics "body". It would be pretty much directly below the steering wheel area. Gone are the days when the "body panels" of tractors were pretty non existent. Will only really see this area when the tractor is split and you can clearly see the top of that transmission housing. The engineers should have put an inspection/cleanout plate on the bottom of the housing where you could just remove it and clean the space out thoroughly. I'll certainly get pictures if I do the work myself, or maybe get some when it's at the dealer. skramer360 has some great pictures in his thread on this topic, where he split the tractor and you can see all the housings and cases

 

[thclimer]

I wonder if this is the area?

 

[Mtsoxfan]

The plot thickens. Finally was able to reach the dealer (I had been to this one before). Talked to their service manager. He was pretty familiar with the problem. Believes it is the seal on the input shaft to the HST pump. Without prompting he told me that what happens on these machines is that the "dry space" where the pump is gets sometimes filled with grit grime etc. because there is a golf ball size "inspection" hole at the top of that casting. Worse yet, he said that rodents sometimes get in this space and fill it with more debris. This gets onto the input shaft and works its way into the seal, and destroys it.
It was then that I told him that I had been pulling sludge and acorns out of an access point that was created by my removing one of the hard lines that goes into this housing. What a stupid design (new Holland) that allows this to happen. Sure have a vent/inspection hole on top of the casting, but have a damn screen over it to prevent this!!

Anyways, If it is just the seal, the approximate cost for the whole job is 2 to 2.5 k. Mostly all labor to get to everything (splitting the tractor and putting it back together.. I was expecting this (actually was expecting a good bit more). They could schedule the job at end of June. I was going to do it myself, Now I am back on the fence...

That is the same outcome as I fear mine is. Exact same conditions... no nuts in mine, but grass sludge.
At this time, I don't want to spend that much money on it, if I could even find someone. Hydo oil is cheap, and with new tractor, will get much less use.
Good luck.

 

[Tc33DPhil]

I wonder if this is the area?

View attachment 3582107

I would say that is a pretty good bet!! Is that the HST pedal linkage going into the hole?