Oil & Fuel 2320 Hydraulics Question..

[thatguy]

I finished mowing today with the temps in the 90's.. After I let it idle while putting down the ROPS I saw a small puddle of fluid on the driveway..

Upon closer inspection it appeared to be hydraulic oil coming from someowhere in the rear end on the right hand side - high up almost just below the seat, but not from the fill tube.

I wiped the area down and it has not leaked anymore - i put a piece of paper under it, .. So Im not sure if it was just leaking when it was under pressure or not.. tomorrow I will clean it up better and let it idle to see if leaks again..

1) the sight glass is showing very full (only a small bubble at the very top) - If I had had overfilled it when I changed the fluid a month ago, is there a pressure relief valve or something that could be letting out excess fluid since it was very hot?

2) I switched from 'green grease' to a lithium-moly from Advance Auto and I noticed my grease gun had leaked a liquid out of it - which the green grease never did.. There was also some grease on the underside of the tractor from the MMM.. Could the MMM have thrown off excess grease and it melted (like it did in the gun) and leaked down?

other thoughts.. ideas?

Brian

 

[tomd999]

Hi,

Most likely from a case vent. When you changed/checked your hyd fluid level did you have your 3pt all the way down? If you had it up, even a little and filled to the full level, once you lower the hitch down, your level jumps to overfilled.

Tom

Afterthrought: Have you noticed any difference with the Amsoil hyd and gear oils in your tractor?

 

[thatguy]

I dont remember where the 3pt was when I changed the oil.. BUT the sight glass was only 1/2 way full..

Then again.. I have noticed that sometimes its full and then sometimes 1/2 way full - but never gave a thought to the 3pt position..

Should I drain some out of it or let it vent out itself?

thanks

brian

Hi,

Most likely from a case vent. When you changed/checked your hyd fluid level did you have your 3pt all the way down? If you had it up, even a little and filled to the full level, once you lower the hitch down, your level jumps to overfilled.

Tom

Afterthrought: Have you noticed any difference with the Amsoil hyd and gear oils in your tractor?

 

[tomd999]

Hi,

I would check it with the 3pt down and see where you stand. Level ground, loader down and bucket level. Not sure if the 2320 has one but the 25 and 2720's have dipsticks to check the hyd fluid level in addition to the sight glass.

A little high shouldn't hurt anything but check your owners manual, if it says the hyd system on the 2320 takes 4 gallons and you used 5 when refilling, you have too much in there. ;-)

Tom

 

[thatguy]

Hi,

I would check it with the 3pt down and see where you stand. Level ground, loader down and bucket level. Not sure if the 2320 has one but the 25 and 2720's have dipsticks to check the hyd fluid level in addition to the sight glass.

A little high shouldn't hurt anything but check your owners manual, if it says the hyd system on the 2320 takes 4 gallons and you used 5 when refilling, you have too much in there. ;-)

Tom

At the 50 hr mark I overfilled it on accident.. .. BUT this time (250 hrs) I measured what I took out and put the same amount back in (or very close to it).. BUT before the sight glass was showing 1/2 full and soon after the change it started showing full..

brian

 

[thatguy]

Tomd999 was correct.. the oil was showing 1/2 full in the glass with the 3pt up.. I let it down and watched as the glass filled up... I ended up drained a cup or 2 out of it (3pt down) and now its just below 1/2 full in the glass..

I did end up taking the seat and some of the other stuff under the seat off to see if I could find the source of the leak - but I never saw it.. BUT Im glad that I did - there was a LOT of grass under their that needed to be blow out..

I will have to mow sometime next week and will see if it still leaks - Im guessing (and hoping) that it wont.

thanks for the help

 

[thatguy]

WELL.. the problem was NOT an overfilled hydraulic oil issues..

Mowed again today and it had a very steady drip coming out of it afterward.. It appears that it is near the top of the rear axle/transmission (behind the FEL controls)..

I got the seat, seat base, seat liner (plastic piece), and what the seat base bolts to off tonight so I could get a better look at everything.. I can only see where it was running though since once you cut the tractor off it quits leaking..

I cleaned everything off nicely so the leak can be identified.. BUT I need to get the floorboard off the tractor so I can see the area from another angle..

how do you remove the height control knob and the floorboard on a 2320? it appear that the knob needs to come off so I can remove the floorboard (which looks pretty straight forward with a few bolts on each side)..

thanks

b

 

[cttractor]

WELL.. the problem was NOT an overfilled hydraulic oil issues..

Mowed again today and it had a very steady drip coming out of it afterward.. It appears that it is near the top of the rear axle/transmission (behind the FEL controls)..

I got the seat, seat base, seat liner (plastic piece), and what the seat base bolts to off tonight so I could get a better look at everything.. I can only see where it was running though since once you cut the tractor off it quits leaking..

I cleaned everything off nicely so the leak can be identified.. BUT I need to get the floorboard off the tractor so I can see the area from another angle..

how do you remove the height control knob and the floorboard on a 2320? it appear that the knob needs to come off so I can remove the floorboard (which looks pretty straight forward with a few bolts on each side)..

thanks

b

The mower height knob just slides off. If you have difficulty, place a long handled screwdriver with the center shaft of the screwdriver under the knob and gently lift up.

The floorboard is somewhat more involved. It has several 12mm bolts around it that must be removed. You'll also have to remove the forward and reverse pedals, the SCV lever, and the lower shroud of the control panel (the one where the Parking Brake and Cruise Control levers are). That requires that you at least loosen the Control Panel itself.

If you have any other reason to open this stuff up, such as running any wires from the Control Panel to the rear of the tractor, this is a great time to do it while it's opened up.

 

[cttractor]

WELL.. the problem was NOT an overfilled hydraulic oil issues..

how do you remove the height control knob and the floorboard on a 2320? it appear that the knob needs to come off so I can remove the floorboard (which looks pretty straight forward with a few bolts on each side)..

thanks

b

Forgot to mention that you'll also have to remove the Rate of Drop knob. It has two 14mm nuts, one as part of the knob itself and one that acts as a jam nut. If you don't have two 14mm open-end wrenches, use one 14mm and one 9/16 open-end wrench; it's very close and will work fine without rounding over the edges of the nut.

 

[thatguy]

Thanks CTTractor.. I appreciate the help -

I got the floorboard loose enough that I can look under it and theres not much to see there.. everything is dusty so the leak is not coming from there.. so i dont have to take the dash apart to get the floorboard off - IF i had a temp guage i would install it when the dash was to come apart though.. LOL

I've got the tractor running for over 30 minutes and its still not leaking..

I may just have to put it all back together and then mowe next week - and take it back apart then so see if i can see where its leaking..

thanks so much

b

 

[cttractor]

Thanks CTTractor.. I appreciate the help -

I got the floorboard loose enough that I can look under it and theres not much to see there.. everything is dusty so the leak is not coming from there.. so i dont have to take the dash apart to get the floorboard off - IF i had a temp guage i would install it when the dash was to come apart though.. LOL

I've got the tractor running for over 30 minutes and its still not leaking..

I may just have to put it all back together and then mowe next week - and take it back apart then so see if i can see where its leaking..

thanks so much

b

You're very welcome!

One more thing: the overflow vent is under the seat. You can get at it by removing the seat, then removing the plate (seat plate) to which the seat and seat belts mount. Once those are removed, there is one more plate (called the seat base) over the hydraulic motor/rear end. The transmission vent mounts to the underside of that plate and connects to the hydraulic system with a hose to a vent tube. If that is the source of your leak because you had overfilled the hydraulic system, you'd see oil all over the hydraulic motor/rear end assembly under that vent.

 

[thatguy]

CTTractor - I found the overflow vent but it had not had anything blown out.. and im a pro at taking the seat off.. It has been off/on 4 to 6 times now.. At least this time i got smart and didnt put the plastic liner back on so it will be one less thing to have to remove next time.. LOL

I am at a loss right now on where/how its leaking.. I am beginning to wonder if it is the grease..

I switched grease just before this 'leak' started.. when i went to grease for the first time I found a puddle of goldish looking fluid by the grease gun - and the garage had been in the pretty hot.. I switched from 'green grease' to the Advance Auto lithium/moly..

I am pondering that the grease in the u-joint for the mmm pto is slinging grease up on the rear and there it melts and drips back down.. the color would be the same as what I saw under the grease gun.. BUT I know i didnt over-grease that much..

next week i will drive the tractor around until its good and hot and see if it is still leaking.. IF not and it leaks when the MMM is attached I have narrowed my potential areas..

thanks

brian

 

[Gizmo2]

The mower height knob just slides off. If you have difficulty, place a long handled screwdriver with the center shaft of the screwdriver under the knob and gently lift up.

The floorboard is somewhat more involved. It has several 12mm bolts around it that must be removed. You'll also have to remove the forward and reverse pedals, the SCV lever, and the lower shroud of the control panel (the one where the Parking Brake and Cruise Control levers are). That requires that you at least loosen the Control Panel itself.

If you have any other reason to open this stuff up, such as running any wires from the Control Panel to the rear of the tractor, this is a great time to do it while it's opened up.

I would grease that front u-joint while it's open also. I know I am dreading that deal.

 

[cttractor]

CTTractor - I found the overflow vent but it had not had anything blown out.. and im a pro at taking the seat off.. It has been off/on 4 to 6 times now.. At least this time i got smart and didnt put the plastic liner back on so it will be one less thing to have to remove next time.. LOL

I am at a loss right now on where/how its leaking.. I am beginning to wonder if it is the grease..

I switched grease just before this 'leak' started.. when i went to grease for the first time I found a puddle of goldish looking fluid by the grease gun - and the garage had been in the pretty hot.. I switched from 'green grease' to the Advance Auto lithium/moly..

I am pondering that the grease in the u-joint for the mmm pto is slinging grease up on the rear and there it melts and drips back down.. the color would be the same as what I saw under the grease gun.. BUT I know i didnt over-grease that much..

next week i will drive the tractor around until its good and hot and see if it is still leaking.. IF not and it leaks when the MMM is attached I have narrowed my potential areas..

thanks

brian

If whatever is leaking is "golden colored" as you mention, then it's not hydraulic fluid and you need not be concerned about looking there. The hydraulic fluid is red. The only other fluids of any quantity are engine oil, diesel fuel, and coolant. Each has its own characteristic smell that should help you discern what it is.

Gizmo2's comment of greasing the front U-joint when it's open is a good idea if your machine is approaching a service interval needing that done. I try to batch my jobs related to any particular part of the tractor that I need to access so I open things up as rarely as possible.

 

[cttractor]

I meant to add that, if what you've been looking for is actually grease instead of some fluid, then you shouldn't find much of it. A puddle will indicate one of the fluids I mentioned and not grease.

 

[perazzi15]

I have a 2720 and I can not find this dip stick that you can use to check fluid level and was wondering where it is located? I only can find the fill plug in the front by the 4x4 lever.

 

[thatguy]

If whatever is leaking is "golden colored" as you mention, then it's not hydraulic fluid and you need not be concerned about looking there. The hydraulic fluid is red. The only other fluids of any quantity are engine oil, diesel fuel, and coolant. Each has its own characteristic smell that should help you discern what it is.

Gizmo2's comment of greasing the front U-joint when it's open is a good idea if your machine is approaching a service interval needing that done. I try to batch my jobs related to any particular part of the tractor that I need to access so I open things up as rarely as possible.

I am using Amsoil hydraulic fluid and it is clear.. And from what I read even the JD is clear-ish unless you add dye to it (which they do at the factory)..

next week Ill try to catch some to get a better look at it..

b

 

[cttractor]

I am using Amsoil hydraulic fluid and it is clear.. And from what I read even the JD is clear-ish unless you add dye to it (which they do at the factory)..

next week Ill try to catch some to get a better look at it..

b

Actually, Brian, you're correct: hydraulic fluid is clear on the 2000 series. I'm confusing it with my other tractor. Regardless, just try to match your leak to whatever fluids or grease you're using and that should help you to find the source.

 

[cttractor]

I have a 2720 and I can not find this dip stick that you can use to check fluid level and was wondering where it is located? I only can find the fill plug in the front by the 4x4 lever.

On the 2320, there is no dipstick for hydraulic fluid. Instead, there's a site glass at the rear of the tractor beside the PTO shaft. You just add fluid until the level reaches the halfway point on the site glass.

I don't know whether or not it's the same with the 2720, but you should at least look there and see if there is a site glass or not.