Leaking hydraulic fluid

la200o · Apr 28, 2010

Hi,

Haven't been on the forum for awhile, but now I have what I hope is a minor problem.

I have a two-year-old (the warranty is up TODAY) L2800 HST that has started to leak fluid around the inspection window. The dealer seems a little confused. Here are my questions:

1. Is the tractor safe to operate (I have mowing to do!) until I get the part?
2. How hard is it to replace the little window? Does it unscrew or do you just pry it out?
3. Is there anything else I should know?

I must say, I'm annoyed by this problem with a 2-year-old, less than 150 hours tractor that has been babied all its short life. is this a common problem?

Thanks,
Bill

Grandad4 · Apr 28, 2010

As long as it's just a slight leak, you should be ok to use it.

If the sight glass on yours is the same as mine, it's just some clear plastic in a rubber grommet, held in the hole with a bit of silicone gasket sealer. Mine started leaking like yours when it was about the same age.

Removing the window is pretty easy... just some gentle prying on the outside of the rubber grommet will pop it loose. No need to replace it... just clean it and the metal around the hole of all dirt, fluid, etc., and re-install with some fresh sealer... maybe be a bit more generous in how much you put on it than they did originally :thumbsup:.

It's probably easiest to do it when you change the HST fluid, but if you can't wait, you can also do it with the front end of the tractor downhill so the fluid runs forward a bit and away from the sight glass. Either way, clean any crud away before removing the thing so nothing gets inside while you're working on it. It's a 20 minute job, most of which is cleaning the parts so the sealer will work.

la200o · Apr 28, 2010

Thanks, great advice! What kind of sealant do you recommend?

Bill

Jay4200 · Apr 28, 2010

la200o said:
Hi,

Haven't been on the forum for awhile, but now I have what I hope is a minor problem.

I have a two-year-old (the warranty is up TODAY) L2800 HST that has started to leak fluid around the inspection window. The dealer seems a little confused. Here are my questions:

1. Is the tractor safe to operate (I have mowing to do!) until I get the part?
2. How hard is it to replace the little window? Does it unscrew or do you just pry it out?
3. Is there anything else I should know?

I must say, I'm annoyed by this problem with a 2-year-old, less than 150 hours tractor that has been babied all its short life. is this a common problem?

Thanks,
Bill

My tractor's site-glass has leaked since the day I bought it (at ~2000 hours). The previous owner generated enough spooge on the backhoe mount that you couldn't even see it, so it must've been leaking forever. I doused it with engine de-greaser and pressure washed it clean - I've been meaning to change it ever since (5 years so far), but never remember to buy a replacement whenever I'm in the vicinity of the dealer. OTOH, I've probably lost no more than a gallon of fluid over the last 5 years, so who cares. They cost $6 at the dealer, BTW. Someday I'll remember...

If you want to pop it out and re-use it, just use any RTV-type sealant when you stuff it back in.

JayC