Checking oil levels

CharlieC

Member
Have any of you came up with a good way to check the oil levels in the transmission and rear end.

I am thinking about replacing the pipe plug and screwing in a sight glass that has a metal shield around it.

The running board on this 73 4000 almost blocks the transmission plug and it does block the rear end plug. I might have to cut out the running board to clear the glass. I am going to do that any way if I continue using the plugs.

This is what I am thinking about.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#oil-level-gauges/=ntqe6s
Item # 1224K12

I might be able to redrill the holes on the running board supports and reposition but I will continue loosing about a half to a pint of oil when I check it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Charlie
 
I think you are over filling the trans and rearend.

You should not lose any oil when checking the oil level so the site glass will not work for this.

Park the tractor on level ground. Remove the check plug and let the oil run out till it stops. You now have the oil level at the proper level.
 
I don't think that particular sight glass will work effectivly for this application. If your tractor is like mine where you fill to the bottom of the plug, you'll see little if anything in that style of sight glass. If you could find a piece that threaded in place of the plug you'd be better off.

Check out the link to McMaster's collection of sight glasses and see if one of these would work for you. Check out part number 1079K18. Be sure to verify that the plug is 1/4" NPT though.
McMaster Carr Sight Glasses
 
This is the ideal way, but if the plugs are really difficult to access I'd use a sight glass and slowly add fluid until I can just barely see it. A slight overage (just a trace ammount within the glass) shouldn't hurt anything.

Keep in mind the fluid might not drain away easily from the glass after use and give you a false reading.

If I did a fluid change, I'd take the glass out to save time on filling. It is very easy to add too much.

If I thought I was getting water or another fluid in the tranny (or other reservoir), I'd totally use a sight glass. That would be a slick way to quickly check daily.
 
pull your tractor onto level concrete
take out the level plugs one time and fill
to the correct level.
Now make a dipstick out of a rod with a 'T' on the top
(so you don't drop it in)
take out your fill plug, and drop your dipstick in the hole.
mark the stick at the proper level.
throw the stick in your toolbox for the next time.

not really an original idea
my 5000 came with a dipstick and no sight plug on the tranny.
when I got it and pulled the dipstick, a large half moon had been wore into the middle of the dipstick from rubbing on a spinning gear.
dipstick must have been bent a little.
It was hanging by a thread, lucky I found it.
So I made a t-handled one to use and pulled the factory one out of the fill cap and threw it away.
(after measuring it carefully)
 
My '73 4000 has plenty of clearance between the foot rest and the transmission level check plug, but mine's an S-O-S, so I guess other transmission models might be different, but from my memory the front of the foot rest doesn't quite make it to the seam between the trans and the rear end, so maybe the mounting brackets for your footrest are bent. See if you can straighten them some to gain access to the trans plug.

The level check plug for the rear end on mine is totally blocked by the foot rest and I got tired of pulling the foot rest off to check the level there, so I did like NoNewParts and made myself a dipstick. Pull the foot rest and fill it to the proper level and then mark your dipstick down from the fill hole, and then toss the dipstick in your toolbox.
 
If he "must" have a site glass and wants to do it the proper way what he needs to do is remove the drain plug; Install a fitting that will adapt the drain hole to a piece of pipe or copper tubing; Run this tubing to a area that is easily seen and mount the site glass at the same level as the check plug. Now fill with oil to the proper level threw the fill plug. Once the oil is at the proper level mark a line on the site glass where full is.

By doing it this way you could add fluid without messing with the site glass or taking out the check plug. You could mount the glass so oil goes to the middle of the glass so it can easily be seen. The only time you would every have to mess with the site glass is when you drain/change the fluid and that would be years if you do not have condensation problems.

By the way most of those site glasses are made where you have to hook both ends of the glass to the case to prevent air lock; so he may have to hook the top of the glass to the check plug hole to allow the glass to vent.

I think the dip stick idea is his best route.
 

John they make sight glass that would work here, the one that I mentioned is vented at the top. So the oil would come up into the glass equal to the oil level in the tractor case. The case would have to be over filled just a little bit.

Maybe my understanding how the oil holes work was as long as the oil would come out of the hole you were good on the level.
If it did not flow from the hole you would need to add oil and if the oil was over the hole some that would not hurt anything.

As simple as the dip stick is I never thought about making one for the tractor. One would work if it had a couple of marks on it, one for the transmission and one for the rear end.

Thanks guys for the ideas, tomorrow is a good day to make a dip stick.
 
while in your case, a dipstick will probably work best,
on pipe threaded level plugs with the room,
you can also use Farmall's
idea of a petcock/drain valve, so you can check a level without tools.

(also handy on pipe threaded drain plugs on occasional use tractors that don't see high brush....to drain condensation water out before using the tractor)
 

I made the dip stick yesterday, looks like it is going to work on the transmission but not on the axle housing. Too much stuff to get around in the housing.

So this has raised another question, does the oil move back and forth between the transmission and the rear axle housing?

The tractor is a 1973 4000 gas model that has been set up to be an orchard tractor.

The way the Owners manual reads the oil needs to be checked in both the transmission and the rear axle housing. But I have found that the Owners manual was written to cover several models.

Thank you guys for the help you have been. I am pretty much of an amuter with these modern tractors.
 

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