Leak from Hole in front axle

[OkieG]

Today, while driving on pavement, I noticed fluid leaking from around the front left tire. I couldn't tell where it was coming from at first. All the axle housing was dry except the very bottom where oil was dripping.

I jacked up the front of the tractor and pulled the left wheel and this is what I saw. A hole in the cast iron axle housing next to where the wheel mounts.

There's never been a fluid leak from the front axle before today. Last nights parking spot was dry, so it must have just started leaking today. All my driving was on pavement. What happened?

[OkieG]

The JD folks had never heard of a hole in the cast iron before. I wonder if it was a flaw in the metal casting that finally decided to break loose?

Rather than the expense and trouble of replacing the defective part, I drilled the hole out slightly and tapped it. Then cut a bolt real short and used a brass washer and a little JD lock-tite to try to seal things up. The tap job was not perfect, but the bolt tightens to up to snug at least. I'm afraid to tighten it any farther. The axle isn't pressurized, so I'm hoping snug with lock-tite will do the trick.

Anybody ever have a hole show up in a cast iron housing?

Am I in trouble using a brass washer and steel bolt in cast iron?

OkieG

[Egon]

Sounds like you made a good cheap fix.

Egon

[bgott]

Your fix ought to work just fine. Casting flaws are not that rare. I would have brazed it or JB welded it. Those options aren't necessarily better, just easier.

[Anonymous Poster]

"The JD folks had never heard of a hole in the cast iron before"

This seems to be a common line at dealers. Unless 2 people show up at the same time with the same problem

[OkieG]

All I recall about working with cast iron from welding class is preheating before welding. Do you need to preheat before brazing? What filler material do you use for brazing?

JB weld is what the JD "manager" suggested using as plan A...and then go to plugging with a bolt and lock-tite as plan B. I've never used JB weld before, though I've heard some good things about it. It would have been easier to use, but I wasn't sure how well it would seal and hold and I wasn't impresed with the manager's interest in my problem.

If the bolt starts to leak, brazing or JB weld might still be good options, wouldn't they? I think I had to tap the hole out to 5/16". Thanks.

OkieG

[OkieG]

I could be wrong, but I kind of got that feeling too. The managers and sales people probably aren't always the best resources for mechanical solutions.

[JerryG]

OkieG,
Did you take a light and look in the drane hole while you had the oil out? If you did what did the inside of the housing look like?

[equipman]

OkieG
Ouch, stepped on my toes! I wonder where the grease on my hands comes from every day?
Lewis

[rdbrumfield]

Did the hole look like something had hit from the outside or tne inside. If the metal was splayed out on the outside I would take the tire back off and pull the housing on the gearcase. I would bet you that a bearing has fallen from a race and was jammed between a moving part to bust the case from the inside.