DIY MF 1540 50 Hr Service Concerns

[brian_e]

Hey All- I embarked on the 50 hour service on my MF 1540 Hydro (actually the Challenger version with Masssey stickers). The engine oil change went well and presented no issues. The hydro transmission service caused 2 issues:

1. The dealer only gave (sold) me 1 transmission filter and the owner's manual only shows 1 filter. Turns out that there's a filter under the left and right step. So I need another filter.

2. I absolutely could not find (after at least an hour of searching) the transmission screen/strainer. The diagram in the book is of little help or it's not there. BTW, I owned a MF 1235 Hydro before and could easily find the transmission screen. So i know what I'm looking for.

Here's my status. 50 hour service complete except I left the bigger transmission filter (right hand side) on and didn't pull the screen (if it even exists on this tractor). The tractor is filled with 9.25 gallons of hydro (should have only taken 8 gals but i was watching the sight glass to monitor the level.)

My question for you...Do I have a transmission strainer/screen? Should I replace the larger hydro filter? I definitely have enough fluid in the system to perform the swap without any issues.

Let me know your thoughts...

Cheers,
Brian

 

[MFRED]

Yes, you need to go back to the dealer and get the other filter and yes you can stop tearing your hair out trying to find that screen. You can look forever and you won't find it, the book is just plain not right.

 

[brian_e]

Thanks for the reply. I stopped by the dealer today and got the other filter on the way home. I was satisfied to read the the book just plain isn't right. With that, it's looks like this 50 hour service will be squared away and we're be ready for the next challenge.

Many thanks,
Brian

 

[jhwentworth]

The tractor is filled with 9.25 gallons of hydro (should have only taken 8 gals but i was watching the sight glass to monitor the level.)
Cheers,
Brian

I was interested in your comment that your tractor required considerably more hydraulic fluid than the manual calls for. I recently changed hydraulic fluid in my AGCO ST35 (MF 1433) with power shuttle following the factory manual. The manual states the fluid capacity as 8.2 gallons, and that the fluid should be visible in the sight window and by looking down the fill hole. At 9.5 gallons it's visible in the sight window but not in the fill hole. I measured the level as about 8" below the upper edge of the fill hole. Everything seems to work okay now, but I still don't understand the manual's instructions. It would seem that the sight window provides the minimum level for the fluid.

 

[brian_e]

I'm actually glad that you asked about the fluid capacity since I've now lost (some) confidence in the operator's manual.

To be fair, I was filling the tractor from the 5-gallon pails and was unable to accurately determine how much was left in the pails until after the fact. I assumed, like you, the fluid level would be naturally visible in the sight glass as I filled. So I poured and poured, and poured some more. When I finally saw the fluid at the bottom of the window and realized that most of the last pail was in the unit I decided to check to see how much I had left. I then poured the remaining fluid into a measured container and was very concerned that I overfilled the tractor. So I took the risk and fired up the tractor, worked the hydraulics and suddenly sight glass was filled.

So I'm very curious that if I followed the same process with only 8.5 gallons in the unit would I have a full sight glass? I must say that while I like the convenience of the sight glass for quick checks, I really miss my dipstick.

So am I OK with too much hydro fluid or am I risking something?

Cheers,
Brian

 

[brian_e]

JH- I just read your reply again and once important difference I'd like to note is that I cannot measure the fluid level via my fill point since it is angled. On my 1235 I could have taken a measurement of sorts but there was no need since it had a dipstick. brian

 

[brian_e]

Today officially marks the end of my 50 hr. service. This afternoon I finally put on the 2nd, larger hydro filter. No issues whatsoever. After removing the filter I discovered an interesting magnet/washer arrangement that had a reasonable collection of metal shavings. In the 1235 the shavings were collected in the transmission screen which is, as I now know, omitted from this unit. So another mystery solved for me.

I was also able to get the hydro fluid level adjusted to the correct level so there's another winner as well. All in all a good tractoring day.

 

[mtg65]

After removing the filter I discovered an interesting magnet/washer arrangement that had a reasonable collection of metal shavings. In

When I did my 50 hour I had noticed the same thing. The magnets had a fair amount of shavings on them so I took the assembly apart and used a stronger magnet to pull off the shavings. I then cleaned and re-assembled.

I just did my 300 hour service and there was really no shavings to speak of.

I also put a filter magnet on the outside of the hydro and oil filters. There are varying opinions on the benefits of them but for the minimal cost I thought it was worth it.