Yikes!

[MrFixit]

I expected to do a little wrenching on my new KAMA 354C before I actually use it. But this one scares me a bit:

While draining the 4 speed gear box to change lube I saw a lot of glitter in the oil as it poared out. I heard the Chinese leave a lot of crap behind so I wasn't too alarmed. Then as I went to clean the large clump of metal shavings from the Drain Plug Magnet I found an extra part! Yikes this extra part is a Ball Bearing! .345" in diameter and stuck to the magnet. Although the gears shif good enough to drive it a few feet I a bit cautious to leave my driveway. If it breaks I have no way to get it back to garage for repairs

I'm hoping this extra part is a Chinese Good Luck Charm and not a major repair. If anybody has an idea what tranny section uses a small .345" ball bearing, please let me know.

Tim

 

[JINMA224XR]

<font color="blue">I expected to do a little wrenching on my new KAMA 354C.

While draining the 4 speed gear box I found an extra part!

If anybody has an idea what tranny section uses a small .345" ball bearing, please let me know.

Tim </font>

Hey Tim,

Aren't Tractors interesting.

In the transmission, there are a lot of ball bearings.

However, since you have allready said that you had a miss adjusted lever, I am guessing, that it is a possibility, that the ball bearing popped out of the slide on the shifter fork. If the shaft slides too far in any direction, then the little bearing that fits in the slots, to hold the lever in place, will pop out. Also, there is a little spring below the bearing that may have popped out as well.

You will need to take a cover off to examine for sure, and hopefully, the bearing didn't harm any gearing in it's traveling fall to the bottom.

Check Ball Bearing for Teeth marks. If none found, then that is a good thing.

Go easy with the hammer.

Time to get drunk, there's a football game comeing on in 10 minutes.

Have a nice day,
Joe /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[greg_g]

Another fella had no oil pressure after changing oil and filter. When the sending unit and gauge checked out ok, he eventually discovered a washer had jammed the impeller on the oil pump. I think he's now joined the folks in believing these Chinese tractors MUST be flushed before putting them to any serious work.

I've flushed two Jinmas and a KAMA immediately after purchase - engine, front & rear diff, tranny, transfer case, creeper/shuttle, hydraulics and steering. All three tractors have now accumulated several hundred hours without known incident.

Further to Joe's reply, I lost a KAMA shuttle linkage ball - guess it could have been somewhere ~.345". But because of the location, it fell forward into the bellhousing. Just to be on the safe side, I did search the bottom of the housing with a parts magnet to see if there was any other dropped parts I may have missed.

//greg//

 

[MrFixit]

Thanks for the advice, I had my wife hide the hammer just in case!

By looking at the Parts manual I see Part #28 (Steel Ball) that works with a spring, most likely to control positioning of something such as a shift fork as Joe suggested. The description says there should be Six of them but drawing only shows one and doesn't show where it actually goes.

There were no signs of the Ball being chewed up by gears. And I think the Shuttle shift positioning problem is a different gear box and is common to all newer 354Cs according to Chip.

Hopefully removing the top cover will give me a better idea of where this baby goes. Maybe the assembler just dropped one inside and decided it wasn't worth fetching and put a different one in place.

If I need to Re-install the Steel Ball will I have to seperate gearbox and remove shafts, forks... Or can I handle this through the top cover?

Tim

 

[JINMA224XR]

<font color="blue"> If I need to Re-install the Steel Ball will I have to seperate gearbox and remove shafts, forks... Or can I handle this through the top cover?

Tim </font>

Hey Tim,

If you can remove the top cover to get access, then drain the oil, to get a good look, using good illumination, to get a good look.

If it is what I am guessing, then you will be able to see the small endented hole/slot on the top of the shaft, that the shifter fork assembly slides on. I am suspecting that you will need to move the shifter fork in the direction to where the lever was making contact. It is pretty easy to put a spring back in and press the bearing down into position, whilst sliding the shifter fork assembly back over the bearing.

You will need to determine, what is allowing the sliding unit to expose the bearing. Maybe a pin, that goes through the shaft has broken off, or maybe the pin, just wasn't long enough, again all of this is just a guess on my part. As my experience with this was on a 1990 Shinniu, that I had back in 1990-97.

Be extra careful, when moving the sliding fork assembly, as if you expose another bearing, then it will shoot out also, and you don't want that thing to hit you in the eye.

GregG, is the man, when it comes to the Kama's.

Did you notice any curved metal in the metal residue that you got out with the oil drainage? If so, that may have been the remains of the spring. Please keep in mind that all of this is just a guess on my part.

Again, with no teeth marks on that bearing, that is very good news in my opinion.

You will get it, just work methodically and patiently. Listen to the radio to help calm your nerves.

Don't hesitate to ask any and all questions, as we are here to help you Tim.

Have a nice day,
Joe /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[bluechip]

It very easily could be one was dropped during assembly too. If all your levers stay engaged as they are supposed to I wouldnt worry about it. IT will not be part of a ball bearing it will be a detent ball. If it was a bearing, you would have found quite a few.

 

[Dave_Lilly]

Before you tear into your tractor to find out if the ball bearing is a problem or a dropped part in the manufacturing process I would suggest you call your tractor dealer. According to your original post this is a new tractor and if this is correct you could void your warranty if you start taking things apart. Establish a paper trail of your problems with your dealer so that he will have to fix any problems.

 

[MrFixit]

According to the Parts manual most load bearings are roller type. Plus it is so small I could only support a bycicle if it's used as a ball bearing. So far I've only driven it a few feet in First Gear, Low Range to move in and out of garage. This weekend I'll put it through all the gears and see how they operate. Hopefully all will act normal. Then I'll drain the lube again and see if there is excessive metal, If so I'll park it until inspection can be done. My dealer did offer to pay labor costs for major repairs. Until then...

Thanks!

Tim

 

[3RRL]

MrFixit,
Chip is on the right track that the ball is not from a bearing because most are held in place by side shields and if one failed there would MOST likely be more. On the other hand, why would an assembler be assembling a bearing if they come with side shields? Also, that diameter seems rather large for a ball and detent configutation?
One more thing if you're interested, you can make the diameter symbol (Ø) while holding "Alt" and type 0216 to save some typing.

 

[bluechip]

The bearing is not from a ball bearing, it will be a detent ball for a shift rail most likely. they drop them in little holes with springs behind them to hold the shift rail in place. If one of the shifter rails does not "click" into position (like 1st to 2nd or 3rd to 4th or HI to LO range or shuttle forward, reverse or 4wd in and out) each of these 4 rails has a ball that drops into a grove on the rail that slides forward and backward to accomplish the shift. If an assembler missed the hole, the ball would drop all the way to the bottom and would be hard to recover and also since this oil is not pumped, would most likely just lay there till it came out with an oil change, which it did. We have long magnet that we can fish this sort of thing out with, but not China. One time we found a wrench in a lift box. wouln't hurt a thing to be there but does not belong. same with the ball. The ball is number 28 on page 45 of the parts book or number 19 on page 11 8.7mm ball.