Massey Ferguson 135 Hydraulics Success and Laughable Pics

[The kid]

Well, I think you found the 102nd use for the little giant ladder. Congratulations for your discovery and willingness to take on the unknown. Good job. So far.

[scott123456789]

Local dealer quoted $100 to pick up and $100 for an estimate. Everything was too close to working so I went for it. And apparently a well calculated jiggle was all that it needed. If I can manage to get it back together I may be in business.

[Soundguy]

personally i'd use diesel... cheaper.. and you can filter it thru a tshirt and run it back thru a garden sprayer and keep hosing the sump out with a drain pan catching the drainings and junk.

wd-40? why.. got some stickers on glass to remove?

brake / carb cleaner? Ok.. but harsh solvents. I've seen excessive use damage some types of orings and gaskets.

I've yet to see diesel damage a seal, gasket or oring, other than a natural rubber ring, or one rated for potable water use...

your machine.. your call.

[Mike476]

WD40 will work to clean the dried on grease from years of setting there, as far as flushing it, spend the time and clean every crevice by hand, no need for diesel or anything else. Diesel is as much of a contaminant to hyd oil as anything else, spend the time.

Change your fluid, without question.

[scott123456789]

Now, does it need a very light grease coating after the scrub treatment? Or will there still be plenty and don't need to add mor to the situation?

[Soundguy]

WD40 will work to clean the dried on grease from years of setting there, as far as flushing it, spend the time and clean every crevice by hand, no need for diesel or anything else. Diesel is as much of a contaminant to hyd oil as anything else, spend the time.

Change your fluid, without question.

on an old antique like that one.. and considering what the oil looked like before, and with the op's questioning changining it....
a diesel 'residue' wouldn't hurt anything! Besides.. you don't like diesel residue.. pump some alcohol thru a sparayer and then let it drip then flash.. or naptha.. etc..

i'd rather had a lil diesel in my sump than a lil water.. or a little dirt!

a well known tractor manufacturer used to reccomend thinning their rear end oil/hyd fluid with a lil fuel oil every winter..

these oldies are tough!

the residue that might be left on the inside of the castings might amount to a few ounces at most.

if that machine were so brittle that a few ounces of diesel, ANYWHERE, made a difference to it.. it wouldn't still be in operation. between the old ford N, and the mf 35/135.. they are some of the most durable machines aver made.. look how many are still running.. and how well they hold their value.

that said.. to the OP.. do whatever you want to do. don't mind my comments.. I'm just elling you what I do and have done on my fleet of antiques i refurbished.. that all work and run.. and sem to like diesel flushing vs dirty sumps

[Mike476]

Having the same tractor and having cleaned years of over-greasing the lift arms from the case of mine, I know no amount of flushing cleans it to the point that it eliminates having to get in there and clean by hand, so why not just get to it.

A little bit of diesel won't hurt, but you'd be surprised what hides in the cavities of a 135 case, I was when I did mine.

To the OP, after cleaning everything up I did take the opportunity to grease the lift arm points, and clean off the excess before installing the cover.

[JoeBuyer]

Mine looked a lot like yours when I first removed the top cover, had no idea excess grease entered the casing and contaminated the oil.

How is the grease getting in there?

[Mike476]

When you grease the lift arms excess grease pushed out of the bearings can fall into the case. You can see the grease that's made it's way through the bearings and into the interior of the lift cover.

[EE_Bota]

Thanks for all the great pictures in this thread.

Folks running Chinese tractors have major cleanup to do on their fluid spaces, and most opt for kerosene. It is thought to have slightly higher volatiles than the diesel, but I doubt it matters much. We generally drain and then refill with kerosene, and operate the unit with no load for a few minutes, and put it through it's paces...drain, and depending on what we see, do it again with filtered kerosene or new. It is important to remember that kerosene is not a great lubricant, so you don't want to do just a whole lot with kerosene in the unit.

In YOUR case, I'd forgo the running, since you seem to have direct access. I have a solvent vat with a little pump. I'd be tempted to pull the legs off mine and put it under the tractor's drain hole, and extend my hose length, and go to town on it.