JD 323D skid steer help

Bear with me here:

About six weeks ago I was having trouble with the skid steer hydraulics holding. I took it to Deere. It turned out to be a tip cylinder leaking badly internally so they rebuilt it. When I got it back they gave me a jug of the rest of the hydraulic fluid they used since I had paid for it on the bill. They had to come out two days later as I couldn't hardly run it - it needed recalibrated.

About a month ago it mysteriously caught fire. Insurance put 16k into it and I got it back about a week ago. They thought it was the return line from the turbo that had sprung a leak and sprayed oil on the hot engine.

I put 9 hours on it and it was down again. This time I was using it and got out to move something and the engine sounded like it was about to throw a rod. It would hardly run also. Fluid was running out of all edges of the skid plate underneath. The hydraulic was down to the add line and the engine oil was off the charts full.

They can't figure out how the two oils mixed. I immediately said the rear main might have blown out and transferred the oil from the pump to the engine but they said the rear main is intact. I told them I know that the two mixed because the engine oil is way too thin and smells like hydraulic. That got me to thinking - I thought the hydraulics worked on Plus 50 engine oil. Talked to Deere, they confirmed that it does. I went out and got that jug they gave me and they had put hydraulic in the system after the first repair. That's why it needed calibrating and also why the pump whined so much more after the fire. Wrong fluid.

Now they are busy pointing fingers at everyone in the shop and trying to figure out who messed up. They still don't know how the two oils mixed. Is anyone aware of any other way the two fluids could have mixed? The hydro cooler is separate of the radiator like an A/C coil would be. I'm so over them and this machine!

They screwed up. That's how they mixed. However, I use hydraulic oil in my 320D, not the plus 50 engine oil. The newer E series also uses hydraulic oil.

Even if the hydro was bad, I don't think it would leak into the crankcase. I had a D that the hydro blew, and my dealer put 3 new ones in before they finally figured out there is a filter in the low pressure bleed off line that was plugged. They ate most all of that. I made d@#$ sure they did.

Sounds like they have a lot of straightening out to do. Good luck.

I have a 320D as well. It came with plus 50 in hydraulics. My neighbor has a JD 250 with several attachments. We share back and forth and didn't want any cross contamination. I talked to the shop in Lawrence and they said no problems running Hyguard. They said the only reason JD went with engine oil in the hydraulics was it was cheaper. I flushed it out and that's what its run ever since with no problems.

Update:

I went in and lit them up a little. They were trying to convince me I must have added fluid to the engine and didn't realize it. I've been farming all my life - I'm not that dumb!

They put it back together and serviced it. They let it run outside the shop for two hours and the crankcase was overflowing again. It's diesel. They said with a fresh oil change you could smell it this time. Now they are tearing into that. What a klunker. On the high side - after my visit they delivered a brand new loaner yesterday afternoon. Bonus points to them.