What a dipstick! HELP!

[Bigfoot62]

What a dipstick, literally.

The gearbox on the JD 457 baler has a plastic filler plug/aluminum dipstick. The plastic threads were stripped and I was trying to remove it so I could replace it. I broke it!!! What a dipstick. (me) The piece that fell down into the gearbox is plastic and aluminum, so a magnet won't help. I've tried fishing it out with a flexible "claw" grabber tool, but that hasn't worked yet. I going to drain the gearbox oil and try some more.

Any other bright ideas? (other that removing the gearbox from the baler)

Here's a link to a diagram of the gearbox: Dipstick/filler plug is part #2.
http://jdpc.deere.com/pimages/EP13/EP13344________UN11JUL06.gif

 

[PhysAssist]

Can you get to parts 3-6 and remove them after draining it? If so, I'd hook a shop vac up to it and suck out whatever you can.

Otherwise, it's back to fish and pray- but I have had improved success doing that using a dental mirror, or one of the HF inspection mirrors that come on a stick- but that dipstick hole looks too small for that...

SO maybe this is your excuse to buy a fiber-optic inspection camera and use that [make sure it's got an internal light source] to locate the piece while grabbing it with your claw/pincers.

Best of luck with your retrieval and repair.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Can you get to parts 3-6 and remove them after draining it? If so, I'd hook a shop vac up to it and suck out whatever you can.


Best of luck with your retrieval and repair.

Nope. I can remove the inspection plate (part #16) but only after I remove the gearbox from the baler. And, I really don't want to do that. Very tight work space and fairly complicated.

Thanks.

 

[Tx Jim]

Removing gearbox so one can remove rear cover to remove broken dipstick is financially easier than replacing gear box with a new gearbox

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Draining the oil is a good first step.

I think if you taped a piece of tubing to a shop vac you could pick it up if you can get the tubing onto it. I think that would be hard if you can't see what you're doing but you can try fishing around. From the drawing it doesn't look like the gearbox is very crowded on the inside, the stick is probably lying on the bottom. You might be able to shine a light through the drain hole and look in through the fill hole.

Failing that, Harbor Freight makes an $89 inspection camera: Digital Inspection Camera

The head on it is about 3/8", you should be able to stick it in and locate the dipstick. You might be able to put the camera in the drain hole and the suction tube in the fill hole and guide your work.

 

[powerscol]

Depending on the size of the drain plug, you might get lucky. On my Hesston inline, I can pull the trans side cover plate without taking the trans out by removing a panel brace. Never done it, but it sure looks like I can. Also I think the drain plug is a bit larger than the fill, but I could be wrong. Have you double checked that you cant pull a panel or a cross member to get at the cover plate, or even partially remove it (slide it down or get it to rotate on one bolt?

Good luck and keep us posted.

PS a call to the dealer might give you some help or ideas. I'm sure this has happen before to someone.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Thanks to all who tried to help this dipstick!

I got it! :cool2:

Powerscol was correct. Turns out the access cover was on the side, not the back. Removed the cover and reached inside and pulled out the dipstick. Made it easy to remove the lower part of the plug that was still stuck in the threads too.

Thanks again to all. :thumbsup:

 

[powerscol]

Sometimes we gut lucky glad it worked out for you. You might want to check with JD, as some of the older plugs were not plastic. Good luck.

One other thing to check - on my baler there is a fill-to plug on the side of the trans - no dip stick. I wonder if JD has or had the same set up? I cant tell for sure, but in the diagram there appears to be a side bolt for that (#8).