K46 fan fell off?

[dingo1990]

Hello,

I dont have a JD but I know many operate on a K46 transmission. Well short and sweet I have a lawn mower I just bought. I mowed my hills, yard ect, and noticed a whining noise from the transmission? If has 1 or 0.8 hours total now. The fan was not on? Walked around and their it was with the snap ring in my shed? I freaked out, and turned it off then put the fan back on and started it to cool it down. Man I used it for like 40 minutes on 15 degree slopes ect. It was HOT! I could touch it for 000.4 secs. Anyways once it cooled I drove it around no noise? It goes forward and backwards just fine. Well I could not take it I wanted to know if it was ok? So I took the black service cap off in the front. Not the vent valve in the rear on the internal resivour. The magnet had no metal on it. The oil is golden, and does not smell burnt? Should I return the mower to the store and get a new one? Or should I never have this experience again keep the one I have? What does the forum think. :confused3::confused2:

 

[Kish318420]

Did you put the fan and snap ring back on? if no then take it back, reason: Factory assembly line warranty issue, caused possible over heated transmission. Put parts in baggie!

 

[dingo1990]

Yes I put the fan back on, and started it using the fan to cool it. I mean I know it has fins to dissipate heat. I did not have a temp gun which would have been very helpful. But I dont know when it reached that temp. I was trying to find any post online that would state what max temp a K46 could sustain. It was 78 degrees outside, and I know people work these way harder in much hotter temps. But back to your questions yes I put the fan back on. Once you remove the battery the tranny is completely exposed on the T310.

 

[Richard001]

I would go along with Kish318420 idea about taking it back to the dealer. Even if no damage is visible now, it would be good to have the issue documented in case in the future something goes wrong with the trany.

Richard

 

[dingo1990]

For anyone that see this post in the future and has a heat issue. The K46, and I assume many other Tuff Torq transmissions. Tuff Torq told me they can safely handle up to 90C / 194F. It is not that the the pump goes out due to heat. It is that the oil. Specifically the conventional oil 10w-30 weight looses its viscosity, and lubrication. High oil temp of 240F or 115C will break down petroleum oils, cause oxidation which in turn forms deposits, varnish and increase wear. Regular oil starts to burn at 350-450 F while synthetic oil can function over 500F. Since I did not reach any where near 200-300F I could actually touch it for a brief second. Longer than you could a hot skillet I will just keep it. I changed the oil to 5w-50 and it operates faster than before? It makes no noise and works great. Anyways 2 cents for any future readers. Tuff Torq also told me that if I use a bagger with this K46 I need to change the oil every 50-75 hours.

Take Care!

 

[beenthere]

Being a Craftsman, I'd suggest switching to John Deere oil and not substitute a "wanna-be" oil that claims to meet a standard.

 

[dingo1990]

Do you think Mobile 1 full synthetic oil 5w-50 is bad

 

[beenthere]

Time will tell...

 

[tom3]

The company that builds these recommends the 5w50 synthetic for this hydro. The oil is used for the hydraulic system as well as the differential gears. Not an ideal setup for sure but I suppose it serves the purpose - outlasting the warranty.

 

[mddorange]

Do you think Mobile 1 full synthetic oil 5w-50 is bad

The ZTR I just got uses the Mobile 1 Full Synthetic 15w-50. So I would say you should have NO problems with it.