Time for a little dealer love...

Sysop · Jun 29, 2014

Unfortunately I'm going to be seeing my dealer soon about my 4035HST. I've developed a small hydraulic leak that seems to be getting worse. There are some hydraulic lines that route around the left side of the engine near the starter that are pumping out about an ounce of fluid per hour as a steady drip. They are all tightly bound with zip ties and even removing the zip ties wouldn't allow enough movement to get a wrench on the fittings, so I'm opting to see what the dealer has to say about it.

I'll report back in case any other 4035 owners develop a leak in that area. Wish me luck on a timely repair!

Sysop · Jun 29, 2014

Well, I ended up with some unexpected sunshine and went out and cleaned up the mess of the leak so I could see what was what. Apparently these are the hydraulic lines for the power steering. There is a pair of couplings, one on each line, just forward of the starter. I'm going to try clipping the ties and see if either can be tightened and if that corrects the issue.

Sysop · Jun 29, 2014

Ok, just got into it a bit before the rain started back. Once all cleaned up I fired up the tractor to get the FEL arms up out of the way to have room to see better and work. Apparently the issue is NOT hydraulic, but fuel!

I have heard some of the 4035s got a bad batch of fuel lines or some such and are prone to leaking. I had made it long enough I thought I might have escaped that issue. The line leaking is a braided line by the fuel water drain. I looked on Bill's site to see if he had that part listed but doesn't. Hopefully the dealer can get on installed in short order.

AchingBack · Jun 29, 2014

You can use any fuel line with the correct ID. If you need your tractor in a hurry, visit your nearest fuel line source.

Sysop · Jun 30, 2014

Well, the service tech said the same thing. But the line that is leaking is part metal, part braided, and it's the braided part leaking right at the connection to the metal tube part.

After visiting the dealer and pointing it out on another 4035 they had on the lot (new one on the lot has a slightly altered build to that part, the rubber part no longer has the braided cover and appears to be a bit better), he said that's the return part of the assembly and said something could be done to get it in immediate operation if needed (I assumed that would be some sort of plain line fix) or he could have the updated part here on Wednesday or Thursday. Being under warranty, I let him order the new part on Mahindra's dime. The rubber part of the new hose looks more like a hydraulic or pneumatic type line as it has the heavy wrap typically seen on high pressure hoses like this:

That is just an image from the web, of course I'm not sure about what a cross section of the stuff they used looks like, I don't think they wanted me cutting the line on a new tractor to see... :confused3: Either way, that is the type of "wrapped" exterior I'm referring to. Seems like it may be better at preventing any rubbing wear than the typical NAPA type plain cut to length fuel lines. Of course that can be fixed with some braided covering or split loom...

Sysop · Jun 30, 2014

Also, I'll be keeping the old one around and repairing it (perhaps with plain line) for future use should their updated part ever fail.

DavesTractor · Jun 30, 2014

We have had fits with the braided lines. The new non-braided lines have been fine. And it is about time Mahindra!

But as many have said, you can remove the braided line, grind and then peel off the crimp and re-use the fittings with regular old USA made hose and clamps. It is a quick fix, and honestly better than a brand new Mahindra braided line. It is a very good, easy and cheap option.

Sysop · Jun 30, 2014

With my luck, if I attempted to fix the old one without having a new one, I'd likely mess it up somehow and need to wait on a new one anyway. I like the idea of replacing it with the updated part and having my homebrew repaired one as a spare ready to go if it should ever happen in the field. Fact the updated part is free since it is under warranty is just a perk. (please don't pee in my cheerios and tell me I paid for the warranty so the part technically isn't free...)

Sysop · Jul 4, 2014

OK, new part arrived to the dealership today and I stopped by to pick it up. The new line is made much better than the standard braided hoses. I did have a little bit of a let down when they said they would need to old part back to send to Mahindra. Oh well, I guess they can crimp a new line on it and remanufacture it for future use. Once I get the old one off I'll snap a side by side pic for others to reference and see the new part versus the old.

Sysop · Jul 16, 2014

Thought I'd post back with an update. Got the new line on without issue. Snapped a picture so future readers can see the old part versus the new part.

New is of course the one on the right...