Water in tranny/diff. on M

Mark Alayne · Jul 4, 2010

I had milky white oil/water mess leaking from where the front and back halves are bolted together. Where is this water getting in? My shifter's metal boot is intact. All deck bolts are tight. Any ideas? Thanks

rustyfarmall · Jul 4, 2010

The "boot" on the shifter will not stop all of the rain water, so some of it got in through there. Also, the water might be as a result of condensation.
If it is dripping from between the tractor halves, you need to replace the transmission input shaft oil seal as well as the countershaft oil seal.

Mark Alayne · Jul 4, 2010

Thanks for your response. I assume that condition requires draining and replacing the gear oil. Given the price of 80/90 oil how can I keep condensation from happening and how much water will cause this mixing. I can cover the boot with something.

Jeff Z. · Jul 4, 2010

And don't leave it out in the rain.

soybeanjoe · Jul 4, 2010

More than likely this is a condition that happened over a period years. Do you know when the last time the rear end / transmission lube was changed? As previously stated, the shifter boot is a likely culprit as well as condensation if the tractor is from / in a cold area & keep in a cold storage shed. Whenever yu see condensation on the outside of the housing there will be the same amount on the inside wall of the housing. Deck bolts, even thoughtight, can be a source for moisturte entrance. My quess is the problem is more from condensaation than external leaks, especially iof it's been several years since the gear lube was changed.

Whenever I buy an old tractor such as yoyrs I drain all the fluids, flush & refill. For the rearend / tranny I fill with diesel fuel, run the tractor down the road for about a 1/4 mile or so and back, drain over night & refill with the recomended gear lube. I also drain the crankcase, fill with diesel, allow to idle for 5-10 minutes, frain over night & fill with oil. You'll be amassed at the crap that the diesel fuel will flush out.

Clarkbug · Jul 4, 2010

Have you checked the differential itself? If you havent used the tractor in a while, you can try to loosen the drain plug just a little and see if water begins to drain out. Drain down the water as much as you can, if there is any just sitting there. It may help stop the leak for a little while, since it lowers the level of fluid in the rear end.

However, that wont fix the leaky seals problem.

I also pulled all my deck bolts and put a neoprene washer underneath to try and help seal out any water, might be worth a try in your case.

Mark Alayne · Jul 4, 2010

I am just a driveway farmer so not used regularly. I bought the tractor 15 years ago. The first winter I tried to use the tractor I discovered the water. The rear end was frozen, couldn't back out of the barn. Removed the plug and there it was. Ice shaped like the inside of the plug. I replaced the lube then. I usually leave in barn but sometimes not room because of other stuff. I'll try the washers and clean out the barn.
Thanks

soybeanjoe · Jul 4, 2010

After 14 yrs with the same lube I would change the gear lube again if it were mine. Make sure you pull all the plugs in the rear end, axle housings, & transmission housing as there is passage ways for the oil to flow bewteen these units. Even though it doesn't have a lot of hours on the lube the condensation, water seepage is still there. I know 13 gal of geal lube isn't exactly cheap but it's a lot cheaper than having to repair a tranny or rear end. Those old gals will last a long time if taken care of properly.

I have a '49M, '53 Stage I SM, '53 Stage II SM, & a SMTA that I have picked up over the years. They are too small for our farm operation but they remind me of my youth, grew up on letter series IHs and they come in handy on an auger & for odd jobs around the farm. My 7 yr old grandson got to drive the M the other day & I though his face was going to burst from the big grin.

John M · Jul 4, 2010

The ony way yor going to keep conds. out is to keep it in a temp controlled building or use it pretty much every day long enough to heat up the oil to eveaporate it.

jimmyjoe · Jul 4, 2010

Move to a place where the temp is always the same and the humidity is very low.

Mark Alayne · Jul 11, 2010

thanks Joe I will check my manual for all the drain points. Is doesn't get any better than grandkids does it.

CoopertownBob · Jul 12, 2010

(quoted from post at 10:21:46 07/04/10)

I also pulled all my deck bolts and put a neoprene washer underneath to try and help seal out any water, might be worth a try in your case.

I was going to say the same thing, as I discovered that on my '40 H, if it gets wet on the tranny cover, some of the bolt reliefs will hold water and some won't, so it has to be draining into the tranny instead.

Water in tranny/diff. on M

Mark Alayne

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rustyfarmall

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Mark Alayne

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Jeff Z.

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soybeanjoe

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Clarkbug

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Mark Alayne

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soybeanjoe

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John M

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Mark Alayne

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