Case 580B Pouring out Hydro/Transmission Fluid

My Case 580B was working great. I had actually just changed out the transmission fluid the day this happened and the drain plug had been off for days. Working the machine, suddenly fluid started pouring from the top of the tube under the block. Still moving fine but leaking a lot of fluid. I parked it, shut it off, and it came out even harder. I started the machine back up, you could hear pressure building from what I can only describe that looks like a port or weep hole under the block. It started coming out again, from the "port" or "wheep hole" that I just mentioned. I shut the machine off and again it surged out. I believe it drained all my fluid because the machine would no longer go forward or back. I haven't checked the level, I called it a day and went home.

I'm not sure as to why it was so creamy, since I had literally just put new fluid in the morning and it was working fine. But would this happen if there was too much water in the system? Would a pressure or "dump" valve be stuck and pouring it out?

Any help or insight would be great! As of now I plan on pulling the fuel tank off Monday morning and then removing the block to see if there's any blocked passages? If anyone has some insight before I do that and ruin the gaskets that would be great!

Thanks!

Here is a link to a video I posted of it on youtube looking for help

https://youtu.be/KaF9iuWENmE






This post was edited by Woodland Clan on 09/25/2021 at 10:54 pm.

Hard to tell where it was coming from by the picture. The oil sure looks like water in it. Doesn't look right for foam. If it is that back fitting in the first picture it could be a blown o-ring or maybe a cracked fitting or casting.

What oil/fluid did you use?

You said drain plug do you mean fill plug was off and water got into to it?

Catch a sample in a clean glass, let it settle.

It might just be air.

Hey All,

Looking at the parts diagram, and part #31 I believe is the culprit. Atleast to me that is where it seems its coming from and makes sense when I seen a port or hole. Seems odd since its a freeze plug and its summer but the machine is 40+ years old so maybe it just met its final day?

Make sense to anyone else or anyone ever see this?





This post was edited by Woodland Clan on 09/26/2021 at 08:52 am.

I really feel like thats what it mostly was, seen some water in there but mostly air I feel

Nope, the cover has cracked and was having it welded so I drained the system and left the plug out now I did have it covered with some tarp, but we did get a ton of rain a couple nights so some could have gotte in there, but with the drain plug out I imagined if any did get in, there was only one way it would go, out the hole?

Hello Woodland welcome to YT! How long did you operate
it after you got it back together before the oil leak started? I
posted a link to this on the Case topic section hoping
someone there with more knowledge on these would help
you out. I agree some other problem made it blow out an
start the leak. Just FYI the name ..freeze plug.. is a
common term applied to an expansion plug or Welch plug.
It does not mean they are prone to fail or pop out in
freezing temperatures. The term ..freeze plug.. came from
there use in engine blocks. Many times when the coolant
did not have proper freeze protection especially in the early
days the plug would push out when the coolant or water in
the block would freeze. Sometimes saving the block from
breaking. The actual designed purpose of the holes being
there was to allow supports to pass through them that held
the sand mold to create the water jacket while the engine
block was being cast. Then after casting the support could
be removed and the sand mold broke apart and removed.
The hole left needed to be plugged, so it was cheapest to
machine the ID of it and drive in an expansion plug. The
reason there was one placed at the location on your tractor
was for a passage drill or machining operation to be made.
I am attaching the online parts diagram for you machine, I
would say an oring or gasket in one of the associated parts
shown has blown causing extra pressure on the plug
causing it to blow out.
CNHI 580B parts diagrams

Thanks for the info and input! I appreciate it! I ran it for about a half hour before this happen. I was running it hard moving dirt down a bumpy road Im making

Thanks for the info and input! I appreciate it! I ran it for about a half hour before this happen. I was running it hard moving dirt down a bumpy road Im making

Hypothetical questions guys, I had just had the gear cover case fixed, it had been leaking bad for a while now that its fixed and sealed good, could this cause more pressure in the system and cause a possibly old rusty weak plug to fail?

I was going to ask if that area was ever full of dirt and could
have just rusted the plug thin. I would almost think that if it
was leaking from rust it would just develop a pinhole and
not necessarily blow out. I doubt that the gear case cover
install would cause this problem. Unless, you like to gob on
RTV and some of the excess floated around and plugged
something. Are there fluid passages in the gear cover?