I've learned a lot from this forum but this is my first post. If this question has already been answered somewhere, I apologize; I searched but couldn't find anything.
I have a John Deere 40C crawler, 4-roller. It's my first tracked vehicle, but not my first tractor. The serial number plate is missing, but the previous owner claimed it's a 1955. He also said it sat for "a few years"... I know we've all heard that one! I bought a factory service manual, which says that the steering clutches take 1 3/4 pint of SAE 90. I opened the fill plug on the right hand steering clutch, and to my surprise, oil poured out of it it (and also the drain plug), more than a quart total. It does not look milky. While I was under there, I noticed a mysterious drain plug on what I believe is the bottom of the final drive. It was finger tight, and when I removed it, nothing came out.
Try as I might, I can't figure out what that drain plug is for! It appears in a few photos and diagrams in the manual but is never named. The lubrication chart seems to say that the final drive takes some grease but no oil.
So, before I tear into this thing, my question is: why does the steering clutch have way too much oil? The previous owner couldn't have overfilled it, unless he jacked one side up or parked on a steep slope; where could that oil have come from? Is there a seal between the steering clutch and something else that commonly leaks?
I was facing forward when I took the photo.
I have a John Deere 40C crawler, 4-roller. It's my first tracked vehicle, but not my first tractor. The serial number plate is missing, but the previous owner claimed it's a 1955. He also said it sat for "a few years"... I know we've all heard that one! I bought a factory service manual, which says that the steering clutches take 1 3/4 pint of SAE 90. I opened the fill plug on the right hand steering clutch, and to my surprise, oil poured out of it it (and also the drain plug), more than a quart total. It does not look milky. While I was under there, I noticed a mysterious drain plug on what I believe is the bottom of the final drive. It was finger tight, and when I removed it, nothing came out.
Try as I might, I can't figure out what that drain plug is for! It appears in a few photos and diagrams in the manual but is never named. The lubrication chart seems to say that the final drive takes some grease but no oil.
So, before I tear into this thing, my question is: why does the steering clutch have way too much oil? The previous owner couldn't have overfilled it, unless he jacked one side up or parked on a steep slope; where could that oil have come from? Is there a seal between the steering clutch and something else that commonly leaks?
I was facing forward when I took the photo.