2004 2210 ; what's this leaky thing on the tranny?

[megotatractor]

My 2210 has been working hard dozing snow this year and developed a strong hot grease smell - probably slung off the main drive shaft after lubing it last fall- and looking underneat found what appears to be a hydraulic fluid leak. I looked through Deereparts.com and shuffled through all the diagrams for the transaxle, hydraulics, drivetrain and cannot figure out what it is or what it does. In the photo taken of the left side of the transaxle with the camera perched on top of the left tire I'm looking at the vertical black cylinder in the upper center of the photo. It is located to the rear of the hydro fill tube and what the diagram calls the gear pump and appears to drip onto the housing below. I suppose it's possible I spilled while topping off the fluid but still curious as to what the cylinder is?
Thanks.

And any ideas on the possible source of the strong grease odor? it's stinking up the whole 3 car garage.

Thanks

 

[RG1]

That wet black tube looks like your transmission breather tube. When the fluid gets very hot, it expands and can overflow, especially if you have a bit too much fluid in it to begin with.


As far as the smell, are you sure it's grease and not gear oil from the front axle, or even the hydro fluid that you are smelling? I've never had grease stink up my garage or shop, but gear oil will in a hurry if it spills or is leaking somewhere. Check your front axle knuckles for any wet spots. I just had a seal go out on the right side of my front axle on my 4115 this winter. It didn't leak much at all, really only seepage, but I had it fixed anyway.

 

[megotatractor]

That wet black tube looks like your transmission breather tube. When the fluid gets very hot, it expands and can overflow, especially if you have a bit too much fluid in it to begin with.


As far as the smell, are you sure it's grease and not gear oil from the front axle, or even the hydro fluid that you are smelling? I've never had grease stink up my garage or shop, but gear oil will in a hurry if it spills or is leaking somewhere. Check your front axle knuckles for any wet spots. I just had a seal go out on the right side of my front axle on my 4115 this winter. It didn't leak much at all, really only seepage, but I had it fixed anyway.

That's just a breather? Still seems funny it's not shown in any of the parts diagrams. It's possible it was slightly overfilled, the fluid was at the bottom of the window at 20 below zero, now is in the top of the window.

You may be right about gear oil, that was going to be my next check but I got distracted by the leaky black thing. That the only place I knew that this tractor uses gear oil.

 

[megotatractor]

A funny thing happened when I went out to look at my front axle....
Tis the season for sweaty, wet garage floors, after a long cold winter it is 60 degrees out today. I didn't have to look hard, the white greasy oil slick under the right front axle was a dead giveaway. Now I have to fiigure out exactly which seal is leaking but at least I know its' in the right front gear housing.

 

[RG1]

I checked out your machine on JD parts last night, and they do show the breather tube, but it doesn't have that black tube downspout in their drawings.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You for sure have some gear oil leaking from the hub or final drive. From the amount on the floor, you may have to refill to find out where it is leaking from. Some dye in it may determine where it is coming from also.

 

[RG1]

The gaskets and seal at the top of the down knuckle that runs from the axle to the final drive next to the wheel can get messed up from water getting in around the pivot joint and then freezing and expanding taking out the seal. I just went through that on my 4115 this winter with all the snow and bitter cold we had here.

 

[megotatractor]

The gaskets and seal at the top of the down knuckle that runs from the axle to the final drive next to the wheel can get messed up from water getting in around the pivot joint and then freezing and expanding taking out the seal. I just went through that on my 4115 this winter with all the snow and bitter cold we had here.

makes sense to me. There was a helluva lot of snow this year, and COLD. I checked the oil level and it is about where it should be which tells me there may be considerable water in there. I do not have a heated garage and looking deeper into this may have to wait for warmer weather, highs are back down to the 30's for this week. Geez, WHERE IS SPRING!

 

[megotatractor]

Okay, so it's 60 degrees out but windy. So despite the sweaty wet garage floor I stripped the tractor of the loader, cab, chains and removed the wheel in question. The back of the wheel as you can see has oil in it and running down the inside of the tire. The spindle is oily and between the spindle and gear case and dripping off the bottom of the cover. To me it seems that it almost has to be the spindle seal. All winter I can hardly remember a time when the front wheels were not packed with snow. It appears to a rather severe leak and the axle was in fact down about a pint from full. So I figure I need a number 3 seal (diagram) which JD generously offers for "only" $30 bucks! Seems steep for a stinking seal. Anyone disagree in my diagnosis? And anyway it will take a day or two to get the parts, local JD doesn't have it. Hoping to order parts tomorrow.
Thanks.

 

[RG1]

Mine was getting wet in the same place as yours, but it was coming from the seal in this link at the top of the drop tube from the axle to the final drive. Part # 10 on the axle shaft (there are two shown as part # 10). I figured mine out by laying under it and wiping everything dry, then driving it for a while and re-checking what all had gotten wet again.

John Deere - Parts Catalog


Based on the looks of your second picture though, I think you probably have the correct seal in mind.