TC33DA left fender removal

[adlertom]

Is it a big project to remove the left fender of a TC33DA?

I assume that the seat needs to come off first.

Can the left side control levers stay in place? It looks like the plastic surround for those is a separate piece from the fender.

I wouldn't necessarily need to remove the fender completely - but move it out of the way enough to look for a hydraulic oil seepage, coming from somewhere under the seat area.

 

[ptsg]

Just looking at that picture, I would say you'll need to pull all the knobs out, so you can remove the gray part with the grab handle. Then remove the seat and eventually you can pull the left fender out.

The levers will start in place.

 

[adlertom]

The knobs on the control levers appear to be molded on - not sure how to remove those.

This diagram shows the gray central part with grab handle to be a separate piece from the blue fender, with no hardware to connect the two. Perhaps it snaps into the fender?

Even if I could get the central part of the fender, under the seat, to move up or out by a few inches, that would be enough for me to see what's going on underneath.

 

[Halftrack]

Before you tear into the fender(s), can you determine where the problem is? Is it near the 3 pt descent knob? That is the only area that will develop an external leak on top of the tranny. Three things involved there. On the right side is a high pressure supply line. Out the front is the descent knob. On the left is a high pressure relief valve. Of these 3, typically only the descent knob seal might leak.

Now the fun starts! The lever knobs can be removed and reattached with a heat gun. The plastic lever insert is held in place with plastic screws into plastic nuts in the fender (which typically fuse). The levers will need to be detached.

I know this because my 3 pt lift developed the "3 pt bounce" requiring a lift cylinder seal replacement and rehoning of the cylinder. Local dealer did it this winter during lull in service jobs.

 

[adlertom]

My leak is more of a seepage, and only happens when the tractor is used. I initially thought the hydraulic fluid was seeping out between the two housing sections in this area. I even made a post about it last year in this forum. I did tighten some housing bolts and it seemed better, but it's still seeping unfortunately.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/tc33da-hydraulic-leak-how-expensive-will-this-be.564099/post-7130854

So, to answer your question, I can't be certain where it's coming from, which is why I want to visualize the top side and see if anything is seeping from that area. I can only reach up so far from the underside.

I was hoping to not need to do a lot of work to access this area. Even just a little more room, perhaps from just detaching and flexing the inside of the plastic fender up by a few inches, might give me enough room to get my hand in there, wipe things down good, and then see where any fluid is coming from.

 

[Halftrack]

I would start by removing the right rear tire. Doing so will give you access to the 3 pt lift control and any rear hydraulic plumbing. If leakage is observed in this area, clean it up and run the tractor. Since it is a hydraulic issue, running the engine, energizes the system and should show the leak.

When I added the first and second rear remotes, mine developed a slight leak in that area. Disassembly of the valve blocks revealed a pitted mating surface on one of the blocks. This was remedied by putting a slightly oversized O ring in that opening.

Let us know what you find.

 

[dieselscout80]

The knobs on my TC45DA are somewhat easy to pull off.

I have know idea how hard the center is to remove.