D2350 hard to shift

[smithbrl]

While grading my driveway today, I noticed that after the tractor warms up that I can shift up and down (first and reverse or second and third) but when I have to move the shift lever left or right to get to another gear I have trouble almost every time. It shifts fine everywhere til it heats up.

Anybody experience this? If so, what did you find to be the problem.

Thanks
Cecil

 

[speedyspider2050]

Well Cecil my Mitsu was having something similar to your problem and I changed all my trans/hydro fluid out and that cured my problem. Not saying that that will fix your issue but it did fix mine. Let us know what fixes it....

 

[smithbrl]

Hey speedyspider2050

Thanks for the help. I've had the tractor for 2 months. When I got it, it had a lot of water in the trans oil. I changed the oil 6 weeks ago so I don't think that's the problem but I'm glad it worked for you. It's strange that it works fine when I first start out then gets harder.

I just spent a week replacing bearings and seal in the right rear wheel hub and I really don't feel like going back and working on the tractor again so soon but I guess I will.

I'll repost with my progress.

Thanks
Cecil

 

[oliver28472]

What type of oil did you put in there smithbrl?

 

[speedyspider2050]

Well if you don't mind spending a pretty penny switch over to Amzoil Synthetic 5w-30. Thats what i put in mine and it really shifts nice. Here is a link if you want to read about it.

Synthetic Tractor Hydraulic/Transmission Oil

 

[smithbrl]

oliver28472

I put 85/140 gear oil in it. A little more than 3 gal.

Cecil

 

[speedyspider2050]

Cecil... That seems pretty heavy to me for this time of year. The 85/140 might be ok for the front diff. But I use 5w-40 in my trans/hydro. If you dont want to use the Amzoil syn. I have had great luck with Lube King Premium Trans/hydro fluid.

 

[smithbrl]

Well if you don't mind spending a pretty penny switch over to Amzoil Synthetic 5w-30. Thats what i put in mine and it really shifts nice. Here is a link if you want to read about it.

I'm sure that's great oil but I'm afraid it's too spendy. Thanks for the link.

Cecil... That seems pretty heavy to me for this time of year. The 85/140 might be ok for the front diff. But I use 5w-40 in my trans/hydro. If you dont want to use the Amzoil syn. I have had great luck with Lube King Premium Trans/hydro fluid.

Yeah, I'm thinking it's pretty heavy also. The day I was using it, it was around 75° so I don't know if the oil would have made a difference or not.

When I changed the oil I bought a 5 gal bucket of 80/90 gear oil which is what the manual recommends. After I drained the contaminated oil I added 3+ gal of the 80/90 and ran the tractor for a while. I checked the trans oil and it was still a little milky. I drained the oil again and put in the almost 2 gallons of 80/90 and some hydraulic oil I had. I ran the tractor again and wasn't pleased with the color of the oil. So I went back and got another 5 gallon bucket but the 85/140 was $10 cheaper than the 80/90 so I bought that. I didn't think it would matter too much, seeing as the cooler temps should produce the lowest viscosity in the oil. But maybe it does matter.

While I was putting it into the tractor I remember thinkin "man, this stuff is thick". I may drain and save this oil and get another bucket of 80/90wt.

I talked with Bill and Lemuel @ Valley Power and they think there are some detent balls and springs on the shift rails that may have been corroded or rusted from the contaminated oil that was in the tractor when I got it. So I may pull the control top plate and have a look.

 

[speedyspider2050]

Well I would think if the detent balls and springs were rusted the shift would be the same hot or cold. I am by no means a professional tractor mechanic but that seems logical to me. If it shifts fine cold and hard when warmed up I think the heat expands something that causes the problem. Just sounding off hear. I hope you get it resolved without a lot of expense. Keep us posted Cecil... Best of luck with this one....

 

[smithbrl]

speedy

I'm with you about the hot/cold thing. Don't make sense, but like you, I'm far from being a professional tractor mechanic.

Hopefully, the shift control top plate won't be too hard to remove and I can have a look tomorrow.

Thanks for the well wishes

Cecil

 

[oliver28472]

Bill and Lemuel will tell you no wrong. They have been great contributors here and have helped me quite a bit as well. I use transmission/hydraulic oil in mine which is probably a good bit thinner than what you have. Good luck.

 

[smithbrl]

Thanks oliver28472

They helped me quite a bit with my rear axle seal project. They are great guys to have in your corner. Later today I'm gonna start digging into the tractor again.

Cecil

 

[smithbrl]

I removed the bolts from the shift cover and tapped it with a hammer and it popped up and I removed it. You can see a small amount of rust on the shift rails which cleaned up nicely.



There is some minor rust/corrosion on the springs and housing but they will clean up OK.



The detent balls are trashed. Rusted and pitted. I ordered some new ones from Valley. I'll have to clean up the holes where they go and flush out any crud.


The shift levers showed some rust which cleaned up good. I used some fine steel wool to polish the tips where they contact the detent balls.



This appears to be the result of transmission oil that was badly contaminated with a lot of water. I should be getting my parts in a few days. I'm looking forward to putting it back together and checking it out.

Cecil

 

[speedyspider2050]

Well Cecil looks like Bill & Lemuel were right. Good techs for tractor trouble. I will be using there expertise for my tractor when i have questions thats for sure. Glad you are getting it fixed. Keep us posted. The pics are great ...Preston

 

[smithbrl]

Thanks Preston

I got my wife's camera and took a few pictures of the balls and springs hoping they would be better and they are somewhat. Some of the thumbnails look better than the big picture-more focused.




The grunge on the springs turned out to be sealant. I'll keep y'all posted with my progress.

Cecil

 

[smithbrl]

I got the balls yesterday and installed them last night. The new balls took a lot of slop out of the shifters. I ran it back and forth a few feet in the shop checking all the transmission and pto gears and everything is working fine. I'll have to wait til I can run it for an hour or so to find out if the problem is solved but I feel confident that it's OK.

It was an easy job.

Cecil

 

[speedyspider2050]

Great news Cecil..glad it was an easy job. Hope it runs well for you from now on. Preston

 

[smithbrl]

Thanks Preston. If I don't have anymore problems with it I'll try to remember to do a follow up. If I do have problems with it I'll surely do a follow up.

Cecil

 

[smithbrl]

Re: D2350 hard to shift-Update-

I have an overgrown dog yard (about 100'x50') that I'd like to convert to a vegatable garden so I hooked up the bush hog and had at it. The dogs have been gone for a few years and there are several trash trees and a lot of brush and briars that have grown up in there, making for a lot of back up-pull up mowing. I was constantly shifting from forward to reverse getting this area cleared out. It took me a little more than an hour to get it done.

I didn't have any problems shifting the tractor. It worked fine so now I'm happy with the outcome.

while I was waiting for the property to dry out enough to use the tractor I fabricated a front grill for it. I'm not real crazy about it but it's OK til I get a better idea (which will probably be never).

Before



After


Cecil