Feedback to everyone on the TC34DA maintenance adventure (I began this post last Wed or Thu, but got interrupted):
I'm just about done. Changed the hydraulic oil over the Easter weekend, and the diesel engine oil Tue night. Plus all the filters (except fuel, still nervous about bleeding the fuel system). And lubed all fittings. I think.
It went just fine. Some comments & thoughts:
-- I had just the right tub into which I could drain the hydraulic fluid. Maybe one foot tall, but about three feet square. The tub was way less than half full when all fluid had drained. I then emptied the tub, in stages, into a 3 gallon, wide mouth, screw on lid container and hauled the used fluid to the local auto parts store for recycling (no charge).
I had read a few places of folks who were overwhelmed with the volume of fluid, so was concerned. Having this big tub made all the difference. I suppose a good substitute for the one I used would be one of those concrete mixing tubs (~$6 from Lowe's or Home Depot).
-- When emptying the hydraulic fluid, I pulled all three plugs in succession. Once all had drained, and I was down to minor drips, I cranked over the engine a couple different times (it actually started one of those times), then immediately turned the key back off. This pressurized the system enough that I probably drained another full quart out.
-- I then spun off the hydraulic system filter, which had another few ounces in it, and dropped it into an empty Lender's bagel bag (just to keep things as tidy as I could). The new filter went on without a hitch, and not overtightened.
Note, the old filter was rather dented on the bottom, ie. the end that faces down. Don't know what's up with that.
-- When I went to change the H.S.T. filter (hydrostatic transmission), it did not match in appearance the OEM filter that was on there. Unfortunately, the "operator's manual" does not actually give the part number for the proper replacement filter, so I was stuck until Monday, after the Easter weekend.
As it turns out, I did in fact have the proper replacement filter, and it is in fact smaller in diameter than the originally used filter. It went on yesterday (Tuesday) without a problem.
-- After replacing the three plugs (cleaned of any oil & grit, then properly torqued), I began filling her back up. I am always paranoid about letting debris into the various filler & dipstick holes in my life, so I first very carefully cleaned around the opening and wiped off the o-ring.
I used a long, goose necked metal funnel with a fine mesh brass filter screen. That screen served its purpose, catching a couple of small twiggy things. But man did it take forever to drain through. Probably 30 minutes for that first 5 gallons.
My method here was to pour fluid from the large, 5 gallon bucket into a more manageable 1.5 gallon jug (a repurposed Aunt Jemimah syrup bottle). This is the jug I used last year for topping off. In this way I didn't have to hoist the quite cumbersome 5 gallon bucket up to the funnel.
The TC34DA spec'd hydraulic fluid volume is 8.8[gal]. I believe I put about that amount in, but it is overfull. I'm now in search of a length of tubing I can use to siphon off some of the excess.
How much too much, I don't know. The low/full marks on the dipstick are only about 3/4 to 1 inch apart. The fluid level is reading about 3/4 inch above the full mark. But again, I don't know how much extra that means.
And meanwhile, what happens if you run your hydrostatic tractor with too much hydraulic fluid in it?
-- Last Tue night I cranked her up, let her warm, then drained the engine oil. Very straight forward.
The spec for oil volume is 4.2 US quarts, but I only drained about 3 quarts out. I saw zero signs of a gross leak. Is this normal for a diesel engine to burn a quart of oil in the first 200 hrs of its life?
-- I also have greased all the gazillion lube points. There are a half dozen up front, in the front steering mechanisms, more in the drive shaft, the clutch & brake linkages, sixteen on the loader alone, and some in the back associated with the 3-point hitch.
-- I used a spray lubricant called "Fluid Film" to lube all the linkages, rub points, and the balls in the 3-point lift arms and top link.
-- The only thing left now is the fuel filter. Any cleaning or replacing requires bleeding the fuel lines, which makes me a bit nervous. I don't think I'll do that until I get the tractor back to the property, where a little diesel fuel dripping on the gravel won't be that big a deal.
I've probably left something out, here. I want to say thanks for all the help and suggestions. This forum is a great resource. Hope these notes will be useful to someone else at some point.
~Allen
