Bush Hog Oil Leak

[mark4Jesus]

I have a SQ480 that is a year old with about 20hrs. on it. I just noticed that oil has leaked from the fill plug on the side. I checked it and it did not seem to be loose. The manual doesn't mention anything about the breather plug on top. Is this a vent to keep pressure from building in the gearbox? And if so, could this be the cause of the leak and can it be cleaned? The only mention of it in the manual is in the dealer assembly portion.

 

[Soundguy]

If your plug has a hole drilled in it.. or a metal cap on it.. then it is probably a plug with a breather. I usually clean my plugs in mineral spirits.. diesel.. kero.. gas.. whatever is handy when i am checking the oil.. keeps the breather open. The breather is to allow hot gasses to escape rather than pressurizing the sump and blowing a seal. It's not unusual after a long hot hard day of mowing to see oil/grease residue around a vented plug. My 10' mower outgasses and dribbles some lube every time I run it.

As long as the seals aren't leaking.. just cleaen up the plugs and wipe up the mess and go.

Soundguy

 

[mark4Jesus]

The plug (breather) on top has what I would call a silver hat on top. No holes or anything else. In fact the whole thing is silver in color. The side plug just looks like a pipe plug with an allen hole in it and it is the one with the oil seeping from around it. There is no oil around the top plug. Thanks for the advice, I will clean the breather plug today and top it off.

Mark

 

[mark4Jesus]

I cleaned the top breather plug. As I took it off air blew out from the gearbox. I have not run the Bush Hog in about a week. I let the breather plug soak in mineral spirits for about a half hour. After that, when I hit the plug in the palm of my hand I could feel a short vibration in the plug. I am assuming this must be a spring loaded relief valve. I will give the Bush Hog a run tomarrow and see how it does.

 

[RalphVa]

If you got air coming out when you removed the fill plug, your breather is definitely plugged. Think most don't have any valve, just an umbrella-like bell over the top. On my LX4, to fill it, I remove the breather and the fill plug, fill until oil runs from the fill plug and then put the two back. So far, I just remove the fill plug and see oil want to come out and quickly put it back. Hasn't needed any.

I ALWAYS get oil around the breather cap when I run the brush hog. Think the gears inside throw the oil around a lot and some comes out the breather cap.

Ralph

 

[Glenn9643]

If the manual for your squealer is like mine for the 286 the information regarding checking and adding oil is sketchy at best. I suspect your gearbox was overfilled with oil because whoever filled or checked it filled it to the top rather than to the fill plug. Voice of experience speaking here...that was my problem.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree with glen.. don't overfill the case.. also.. that hat probably just covers the plug with a drilled hole in it.. sounds very plugged.. may need a spray of carb cleaner or a piece of wire shoved in t here... plugged breathers are hard on seals.

Once the breather is clean.. remove check plug.. let any excess oil drip.. reinstall plug with a little thread compound on it.. visually inspect gearbox lower and input seal to make sure they didn't blow out. If not run it and watch it.

Soundguy

 

[mark4Jesus]

I'll check the breather plug again just to make sure. I looked inside the plug but did not see where a hole would/could be at. The thing that I did notice was the vibration I felt when I hit the breather in the palm of my hand. It reminds me of the feel of spring relief valves that I have delt with before. I will look at it again and check the seals for signs of leakage.

Thanks