Back end and transmission fluid - Ford 2000 3-cyl gas 4-spd

A couple weeks back, I was asking about re-attaching the PTO engage lever that had stopped working. I finally had a chance to work on it tonight. The sleeve that the lever-rod attaches to had just rotated down where the lever-rod no longer touched it. It was easy to rotate it back into place and re-tighten the screws that held it in place.

What I found when I got in there was that the fluid was a light brown color - kind of like well-creamed coffee. Sean_In_PA answered my question very well about what the fluid should be used there as he replied to me a couple weeks ago, though I have no idea what that kind of fluid should look like.

Who knows what the previous owner had in there for fluid. The fluid in the rear axle sump is used for both the 3 point lift hydraulics and the lubrication for the differential and rear axle. The original Ford spec fluid for the rear axle/hydraulics, plus the manual transmissions was M2C53A. The Select-O-Speed and power steering was originally spec'd for Ford M2C41A fluid. Both of those fluid specs have been superseded by the Ford/New Holland M2C134D Universal Tractor Fluid (UTF). The New Holland brand fluid is pricey though, so most folks use a generic UTF from Tractor Supply or Walmart. Just make sure that it says on the label that it meets the Ford/New Holland M2C13D specification.

When I got the nearly 8 gallons drained, I took this picture to see if it would show you enough to tell if it looked off to you guys. A friend of mine suggested that it looked like water had gotten into it. In the photo, you can see that something is trying to separate out from the fluid.

backendfluid.jpg


After draining the fluid I also noticed that it appears that there is a small machined hole (maybe 1/4" diameter) between the back-end chamber and the transmission chamber. Is the fluid supposed to be shared, or is there something missing that would seal the two chambers off from eachother? By peeking into the fill hole for the transmission it did look like the same milky stuff, though it was hard to see very clearly past the mechanical parts.

Thank you,
FiddlinFarmer
 
rear end and hyds share oil.. trans is a seperate sump.

UTF fluid for both of them.

yer oil looks wet/emulsified.

I'd flush with some diesel/atf-f /alcohol before refilling.. otherwise the new oil will look cloudy like the old oil in 5 minutes..
 
I think you'd have to look long and hard these days to find a UTF that was not suitable for these old fords...
 
So if you are saying that the transmission has a separate sump, I need to make sure I am looking at the correct parts. Please see the image and let me know if I have things right or not.

midback.jpg


It is the transmission that is under the plate that the shift stick is mounted to, right? The 1/4" hole I mentioned goes between that section and the rear section where the PTO engage and the 3-pt lift mechanics are located. Or is the actual "transmission sump" located elsewhere? (I have very little experience in this arena and I can't say 'thank you' enough for everyone's willingness to help me understand)

Since the rubber boot at the base of the shift lever is very weathered, I suspect it is the most likely source of the water contamination. I have already ordered a new boot from the YT store. Are there any other likely suspects I should check?

Thanks,
FiddlinFarmer
 
The fill hole next to the shifter is for the transmission and the one on the rear axle center housing is for the rear axle and 3 point hydraulics. They should be 2 separate sumps. There are seals on the transmission output shaft and the PTO shaft that go between the two sumps, and those sometimes leak and so they in effect become a "shared" sump, but there's not supposed to be a 1/2" hole in the wall between them. Where exactly is this hole between the two sumps (How far down from the top cover of the rear axle, and how far in from the left or right side?). There are some holes in that area, but they should have the shifter rails in them and shouldn't just be open.
 
The hole was closer to 1/4" diameter. Going by a vague memory (and wishing I had taken pictures) it was something like 2" from the left side (left when as if driving the tractor) and maybe around 4" down. It might have been close to the same height as the rear-end fill check screw. Maybe I could do better with percentage distance... about 25% from the left and about 50% down.

If the transmission is supposed to be separate, does it use the M2C134D spec fluid?
 
The manual transmissions can take gear oil or the M2C134D UTF. Most folks use the 134D UTF in both sumps because of the possibility of the seals leaking between them.

Here's a link to the parts diagram for the transmission case for that 4 speed transmission. You can see the back wall of the trans that meets up with the rear end sump. is it one of the holes that the shift rails go through in the picture, or is it something else?


[u:68284c07e8]4 speed transmission case[/u:68284c07e8]
 
It looks like it might be near the reverse gear shift rail (part 27), but if that was missing, I am sure I would have noticed the reverse gear not working... unless I have an unwanted surprise waiting when I finish up and try backing away from the barn ;)

The diagram shows some kind of notch or hole just below that part. That could be the location I was looking at. Any idea what that notch or hole is?
 
I talked with my local Ford/New Holland dealer yesterday. He said that the transmission and rear hydraulics commonly have shared sumps. If the transmission has an independent sump, the fill cap will have a dipstick on it. Mine does not.

I got everything back together, re-sealed, and flushed with diesel. After filling the back end with about 5.5 gallons of JC20 (only thing I could find locally that physically listed any 134 spec) and the transmission with another 1.5, both chambers were full to the check valves. I'll have to check the check valves again when I find some truly level ground, but everything is working well now.

Thanks for all of the input!

FiddlinFarmer
 
That dealer apparently does not know what he's talking about with regard to that model of tractor. Yes, mot of the 4 cylinder and larger engine tractors post 1972 or so had a common sump, but not the 1965-1975 3 cylinder tractors.

There is no dipstick for the rear axle/hydraulics sump in a 3000, but it is a separate sump. The level check for the rear axle/hydraulics sump is a hole on the right side of the center housing with a square headed pipe plug in it, near where your right heel is when you're sitting on the tractor. You open up the level check plug and fill it through the the fill hole on top of the differential housing until it just starts to drip out of the level check hole. Buy yourself an Operator's manual and a Service manual and see for yourself.
 

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