4300 - Metal Contamination HELP??????

[ayacht]

I was having problems with my FEL it didn't have as much lift capacity as it should have and it would drop as I lifted it. It would always drop 3-6 inches after lifting it. When I asked the dealership they immediately dismissed it as bad hydralic cylinders and told me the loader was out of warranty and it would be $100 each to replace them. For a second opinon I posted the problem and someone came back and said to change the Hydralic oil and check the screen for a clog. That is the history of how I got to this point sorry if it was long winded. The tractor is a 1999 HST 4300 with a 430 FEL and about 140 hrs. on it. I changed the oil this morning and when I pulled the screen out I found a bunch of metal shavings some big and most large and small particals in clumps. I don't exactly know what to do now. Before I goto the dealership I would like to know if metal in the oil is normal? How much is normal if so? Also I have noticed the transmission getting louder lately so is it possible that a lot of damage is done? I already brought the tire scuffing problem to thier attention and our area (NE)is changing field reps. so I am waiting for that. Is this something that I will need to get the field rep. involved with from the start? Any help would be great the thought of having my toy on blocks will keep me up at night.

 

[GaryK]

Good news, bad news. The hyd oil will have some metal shavings in it if never changed before, manuafacturers do not always flush properly when manufacturing. Some will be dirtier than others. Try the new oil and hope for the best. But it seems from your description that there is an awful lot of shavings and could indicate a damaged trans or pump.Good luck...

 

[Bird]

How many hours do you have on that tractor, when was the hydraulic oil & filter changed the first time, and how long has it been since the last change?

Bird

 

[gerard]

I wouldn't be overly thrilled with the dealer at this point. The shavings you describe don't sound like normal leftovers from the manufacturing process which is what you should find when you change the fluid and clean the screen for the first (50 hour) maintenance. It sounds like some of the shavings are stuck in the spool valves, allowing for the fluid to "blow back". If thats the case I think all the fluid needs to get changed out and the loader valving may need to be taken apart and cleaned of all the shavings. Sounds like it's time for a visit to the tractor doctor. Hope the patient comes out ok......

 

[ayacht]

I have 140 hours on the tractor. I do not believe that the oil was changed before so I don't know if these are from manf. or not. I have all the components to complete the change, but I halted and was going to get the dealer involved before I proceeded any further. Anyone else have this problem and how did it turn out (good or bad.) The dealer who is servicing it is not the one I bought it from so this should be interesting.

 

[gerard]

I think the 50 hour change of everything is pretty crucial. When I did mine I had no metal in the scree at all (at least that I could see) I also have a gear, not an HST so that might make a difference. Try changing out all the fluid and cycling the loader through a few times. After running awhile check the screen again and see if you have any more shavings. May indicate if the shavings were getting stuck in the spool valves. I'd be a little concerned about the transmission noise you described. Can't help you there 'cause I don't know what "normal" sounds like.

 

[Bird]

ayacht, I don't know for for sure what the John Deere manuals recommend, but Kubota stresses a 50 hour service, and while I wouldn't consider it a lot, there were some metal shavings on both strainers on mine. And of course, I don't know either about the sound of the transmission.

Bird

 

[dmccarty]

Check you manual if you have not already done so. I'm sure you will see that it has an engine oil and filter change at 50 hours. The HST tranny also has an oil and filter change at the same time.

At least on my 4700 this is true. I THOUGHT I had to change my tranny oil and filter at 50 but since I have a PowerReverser I don't have to change until 400 hours.

Hmmm.... Maybe I'll just change it for the heck of it....

Hope this helps....
Dan McCarty

 

[ayacht]

I checked the manual and 50 hrs. is break-in maint. no mention of HST maint. except looking at the glass. As far as I can tell by the manual 200 hrs. is the 1st HST maint. I recommend doing it sooner so you can find any contamination like I did. They probably want you to do it after the warranty is up. I am going to call the dealer this afternoon. Wish me luck.

 

[Chris in IN]

I bought my 4400 in December of 1999. I learned about the 50 hour HST service on the jplan.com sight. When I changed the trans. fluid at 50 hours I found very few shavings. I even took a extention magnet & slid it around through the screen opening & picked a very small amount. John Deere also changed the filter from what is shown in the manual.
I found the original post from Jplan.

JD-4400-HST-Maintenance-Frequency
MR Index

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JD-4400-HST-Maintenance-Frequency | MR | 2000-02-28 Mike S.

Chris--The JD SOLUTION NUMBER is 44683 and the DOCUMENT ID is LV44683 in which it is indicated that the HST oil change interval be changed to before 50 hours in which the suction screen is also cleaned and the AM102723 Oil Filter is changed and replaced with a larger and more efficient LVA10419 filter, which will be used on all 4200-4400 HST tractors. With the above two sets of numbers, your JD dealer should be able to advise you on the new transmission oil change schedule.