Successful 50 hour service - by someone who never turned a wrench before!

[canoetrpr]

If I can successfully do a 50 hour service on my L3400 then ANYONE can.

I'll start off by sincerly thanking all those who have responded to my numerous posts. I can't tell you how much I have appreciated the time you have taken to help me.

Thought I'd write up the tale of my success and some thoughts and recommendations for the next guy who has never turned a wrench that decides to take this project on.

When I say I have never turned a wrench in my life... I mean it. I just bought my first set of wrenches just for the 50 hr service. After having gone through the process and getting the job done. I can't believe that I ever considered sending the tractor out to the dealer for it!.

Newbie tip 1: Buy lots of wrenches!
I quickly found out that my homeowner 141 piece socket set didn't cover more than 25% of bolts that needed tackling. The set of 32 wrenches that I bought came in handy. If you are newbie like me..... buy the biggest set of metric and SAE wrenches you can. You are going to need them! You don't want to be caught without the odd tool in the middle of it.

Newbie tip 2: Buy big and small size filter wrenches.

I was not able to get he engine and HST filters off by hand even though they are to be hand tightened. This was a bad time to find out that the filter wrench I had bought for the job did not fit the HST and engine oil filter. I had to make a trip into town to get another filter wrench.

Newbie tip 3: Expect that you will be spilling hydraulic fluid and plan accordingly.

Everybody told me to expect LOTS of hydraulic fluid. I thought I was covered. The tractor holds 23.5 L (yes I am Canadian) of hydraulic fluid, and has four drain plugs. I had a 15L bucket and several 9L drain pans. I thought that I'd put the 15L under the main one and then get the other 3 smaller drain pans under the others. Once I got one plug open, the fluid came out with a ferocity filling up my 15L bucket in seconds... literally!. I had to do a switcheroo with one of the smaller drain pans and in the process a considerable amount of fluid was spilt under the tractor.

I would suggest a container that holds no less than 20L of fluid to be placed under the two main drain plugs.

A friend mentioned later to me that I should purchase a few bags of kittie litter and if there is spill to throw it on and it will soak it up. Sure beats the 14 rolls of paper towel I went through!

Newbie tip 4: Get a great big funnel to fill the hydraulic fluid.

I found one which was no less than 10 inches in diameter. I took the slow moving vehicle sign off, folded the seat forward and went at it with a great big 20L tub of fluid. Never spilt a drop there. Prior to the time tested funnel technique I tried pumping the fluid in with a siphon pump that I had purchased for this purpose. The siphon pump did not work terribly well for me. I think that being brand new the hoses had too many kinks in them from being in a package and it was just taking too much effort. For me the great big funnel technique worked best.

Newbie tip 5: Get lots of UDT/SUDT.

The dealer only sold me a 20L pail. He said I'd never get it all out (the capacity is 23.5 L). I'm pretty sure I used 23 L. I decided to stop by the dealers earlier on my way to pick up big filter wrench and bought 2 more 4 L jugs because I had changed my mind about what I was going to put in the front axle. Despite having purchased enough 80W-90, I concluded that since life is pretty cold in Canada perhaps I should stick to the premium UDT stuff.

The total of 28L was JUST barely enough to fill the hydraulic flulid and front axle. Next time I would probably get the 20 L pail and 3 4L jugs just incase I have a spill while pouring.

Newbie tip 6: Get lots of funnels and get one or two with the tube that can be bent.

A funnel with an attached tube is essential for filling the front axle fluid. Fortunately someone here had informed me of this and it worked like a charm.

I actually used a second one of these funnels with the tube for the engine oil. I never took the loader off so filling the engine oil was a bit ackward and this helped.

Newbie tip 7: Use cardboard or two great big funnels to keep front axle fluid from draining on the tires.

Something else someone had warned me about. I did not plan on taking the front wheels off and the drain plugs are in an ackward spot if you don't.

Newbie tip 8: Get a grease gun with a flexible hose and a high quality coupler and a needle grease coupler thingy (I got them from Napa).

Fortunately I had struggled with not being able to get grease into some spots on the loader before so I had these. The guy at the Napa store suggested that I purchase the needle thing. The clutch pedal grease fitting did require me to switch to the needle to get the grease in.

This is a GREAT example of why it is so good to do your own service. I can easily see a tech at a delear not bothering with a stubborn grease fitting like this. When it is your own, you switch to the needle and get the grease in no matter what it takes!

Newbie tip 10: Get spare washers / gaskets for ALL drain plugs.

Someone here suggested this. For one reason or a another I did not. I asked the delear to include these.... he only gave me ONE! I'm not even sure which drain plug it was for.

For a newbie the risk is not so much that you will have a torn / broken washer / gasket... the risk is that the newbie will not remember to ensure that when they take the drain plug out, to ensure that the washer / gasket comes with the plug and does not get lost in the drain pan with the fluid!

With one of the plugs, I took it off and did not see the washer and then realised that it was still stuck around the drain hold. Wouldn't have taken much for fluid to send that one into the drain pan and I would have probably lost it!

A newbie may not even realise that EVERY DRAIN PLUG HAS A WASHER / GASKET. If you are putting a plug back in and don't have a washer on it - you've got a problem!. Either find it or use one of the spare ones. Sounds basic but to a guy who hasn't turned a wrench and is just excited about doing his first set of fluid changes.... it's very easy to forget about this stuff and end up with a leak once you've put new fluid in and put the drain plug back in without a washer!.

Some other notes:

- I warmed up the tractor for 5 min before draining fluids. This really helped making the draining go faster.

- After filling all the fluids, I started the tractor, warmed up for 5 min or so and then moved it forward and reverse a few times. Adjusted the 3PT hitch up and down, played with the loader and then stopped.

Then I topped off the hydrauilc and engine oils. Each needed to be topped off a fair bit. I imagine new filters tend to suck up a fair amount of oil.

- The most stubborn bolt of all was the breather plug for the front axle. Not quite sure why.

- Someone else here reminded me to not just worry about fluids but to do all of the 'Daily checks' particularly if I had been ignoring them. This was great advice and I had been ignoring them. The screen in front of the radiator needed a thorough cleaning - that general area was messy. Note to self - do the daily checks!

- It took me a year to get 50 hrs on so I decided to change the air filter also. This was also a great idea. The filter was really dirty.

All in all, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the experience. It probably took me about 4 - 5 hours and much of that time was spent cleaning up spills etc.

Thanks again to all!

 

[Taiser]

Nice write up, it is fairly straight forward stuff, just takes a bit of patience to read through the first time and not miss much.

This is a GREAT example of why it is so good to do your own service. I can easily see a tech at a delear not bothering with a stubborn grease fitting like this. When it is your own, you switch to the needle and get the grease in no matter what it takes!

You got that right, no way do I believe a dealer mechanic will care about your machine as much as you do. Glad it went well for ya, at 50 hours a year, your good for LONG time before having to play with the HST oil! I'm glad mine is done too!

 

[DiezNutz]

I SECOND everything Taiser said. Plus add in the satisfaction that you did yourself, a job well done, you saved labor $$ and learned so much about your tractor that you otherwise wouldn't. It's a win-win.

Sorry that the siphon pump didn't work out for you... I've had mine a while so any kinks in the hoses are long gone. I supposed that's a tip for anyone who wants to use it, let the hoses out in the sun for a while first.

 

[studway]

Very satisfying, isn't it? I just did the 50 hour on my BX. I've never really had any experience fixing cars, but I have done a few things with tools. And I have the huge benefit of living on a farm (my wife's family farm) that has a garage that has every conceivable tool in it and a floor that already has lots of fluid stains. I wasn't sure if we had any filter wrenches -- there were 8 hanging on a wall.

I do have a question for all the DIY'ers. My local dump takes engine oil at no charge becuase they just burn it up, but I don't know about Hydraulic oil. Does anyone know if transfer stations typically take this as well? Is it very similar to motor oil?

One other question. Why does everyone change out the front axle fluid at 50 hours? My BX manual says to change it out at 300 hours. On a related note, a lot of people have noticed that the front axle fluid was low when they got their tractor new. Mine was too. I added fluid to bring it up to exactly 1/2 way up the mark on the dipstick. I ran the tractor for a couple of hours, then went to check the front axle level and the dipstick was slightly pushed up. I pulled on it and a bunch of air came out. I think the front axle dipstick was made the wrong length on BX's.

 

[Lockport]

...I would suggest a container that holds no less than 20L of fluid to be placed under the two main drain plugs.

I found one of those LARGE plastic oil change containers with the circular drip pan stored in its body. It screws on the opening when you are ready for use but they come in two sizes. I found a really large one once at Canadian Tire.

A friend mentioned later to me that I should purchase a few bags of kittie litter

Great idea. I keep pails of it on hand.

Newbie tip 4: Get a great big funnel to fill the hydraulic fluid.

I found a see-thru plastic funnel with a lid to keep dirt out when stored, a long hose with an end cap and an On/Off valve at the base of the large end. I hang it from the ROPs on a bent coat hanger when doing the Hydro. Again, your local Candian Tire store.

...Despite having purchased enough 80W-90, I concluded that since life is pretty cold in Canada perhaps I should stick to the premium UDT stuff.

North of Winnipeg, I use synthetic everything. I have yet to even plug it in even if -20F. Sheltered from the wind in the garage, I do add occasional Cetane boost to the diesel to prevent geling yet have never had a poblem in three winters.

Newbie tip 8: Get a grease gun with a flexible hose and a high quality coupler and a needle grease coupler thingy (I got them from Napa).

Might be a good to idea to also have a handfull of grease niples. They are cheap, especially at truck service places and you can just change 'em out when they won't take grease. Although I have never used a needle thingy!

...This is a GREAT example of why it is so good to do your own service. I can easily see a tech at a delear not bothering with a stubborn grease fitting like this. When it is your own, you switch to the needle and get the grease in no matter what it takes!

So true!

...A newbie may not even realise that EVERY DRAIN PLUG HAS A WASHER / GASKET. If you are putting a plug back in and don't have a washer on it - you've got a problem!. Either find it or use one of the spare ones. Sounds basic but to a guy who hasn't turned a wrench ...

And a torque wrench is essential. Especialy with drain/fill plugs. You want them snug not not too little or too much. All the torques values for oiled fittings and unoiled fittings should be in the back of your manual

...The screen in front of the radiator needed a thorough cleaning - that general area was messy.

By front of the radiator, I think you mean where it faces the operators seat, inside the battery compartment, and to clean it after you pull out the screen on the other side, in the engine compartment. That was exactly the cause of my overheating problems and it rectified it %100.

...It took me a year to get 50 hrs on so I decided to change the air filter also. This was also a great idea. The filter was really dirty.

Read this

Tractor on!!!!

 

[studway]

Oooh, a filter minder. I like that idea. I use my BX in a garden for cultivating and plastic mulch laying, both very dusty. I think I need one of these.

 

[Taiser]

One other question. Why does everyone change out the front axle fluid at 50 hours? My BX manual says to change it out at 300 hours. On a related note, a lot of people have noticed that the front axle fluid was low when they got their tractor new. Mine was too. I added fluid to bring it up to exactly 1/2 way up the mark on the dipstick. I ran the tractor for a couple of hours, then went to check the front axle level and the dipstick was slightly pushed up. I pulled on it and a bunch of air came out. I think the front axle dipstick was made the wrong length on BX's.

I didn't change mine either, just checked it. Not much is going to wear in there but I won't wait 300 hours. My next engine oil change will be at 100 hours when I switch to synthetic. I'll change the axle oil then, then change it with every HST oil change!!

 

[art]

I'll say it this way, the mechanic that doesn't change the grease fitting should be looking for a job!
A technician should never over look a grease fitting or anything else that isn't right. It is an ideal time to fix it and warrantee any weakness that the tractor does or might have as a problem so that the manufacturer can get it straightened out.

 

[TINYTRACTORSERVICE]

OK I gess I will do it my self I have 53hr. on my little pumpkin just got the pool set in a 21'x2.5 hole long time to do with a small bucket. . got the new Thumb on WOW it works good. I will go in to my Dealer monday and see what they will do on all the Improvements on her.. can i get a list of parts, filters,oils,lubes,and how much i need for this job to do it ?? costco has tractor oil will this work?? THANKs ALL. Man I love this TRACTER OREGON

 

[JoeL4330]

correctly sized filter wrenches are a good idea ...but, in extremis, a cold chisel driven into the filter works