Ever pour used motor oil in your transaxle?

[Sebculb]

Hola everyone,

So sometimes I'm a bit of a butcher and do butcher type things... yesterday I was working and noticed the big puddle of oil under the hoe, was losing a steady stream of oil out the shaft of the transfer case portion of the transaxle.

Called my mechanic and he told me that it's not under pressure, just an oil bath, and if I keep filling it with some type of oil or another I'd be able to keep working, replace the oil when I fix the leak, was losing it all anyway. supposed to use tractor fluid. When he told me this my plan was to dump in a little 15-40 and 68hyd that I had and go to the corner store for quarts of 40wt as needed, but looking at the leak again that was going to get way expensive.

So the customer took me home and I got three gallons of old motor and transmission oil and just poured that in continuously as I worked all day. Left a black line on the ground behind me everywhere I went. Used it all up and stopped at the store for two quarts of 40wt on the way home also. Bit of an environmental disaster and for that I'm sorry. But I was able to finish the day and the thing still pushes with power, made a little money for the repair.

The gears of the transaxle probably didn't mind that much, but what about the brake system? Aren't they integrated into the transaxle? (Oh $h!@#｣%&.. didn't think about that part!) Anyone know if that could damage/eat them? Should I drain and flush it yesterday?

Anyone ever replaced the seal on where the splined shaft comes out of the transfer case on a JD 310D? doesn't look too difficult from the parts diagrams.

Thanks for any advice,

Sebastian

 

[RalphVa]

Only difference is additives. 20w is more like 75w90 gear oil. 30w motor oil is more like the heavier gear oil. They're just rated at different temps to get the "w" numbers.

My Gravely was speced for motor oil in the transmission.

Ralph

 

[Jstpssng]

If you were working for me and losing that much fluid I would send you on your way and find someone else. Just my :2cents:

 

[Oldoak]

First, I would never operate any equipment leaking that much oil. No excuse for not performing the simple oil seal replacement necessary in your case.

Second, I would never put used motor oil in any gear case. There are too many contaminates in used motor oil including acids from the combustion process which can eventually takes it's toll on bearings and possibly other seals.

 

[Sebculb]

Thanks RalphVA, I was sorta using that kind of logic as I did it. Everything's gonna be fine!

Jst Pssing, I was waiting for them to send me home due to the big black puddles all over the place but they needed the job done and I needed the cash, so it worked out beautifully. (to clarify, I do feel bad about the environmental damage end of it all. I'll have to plant a couple trees or something soon to fix my karma)

Old Oak, the oil seal replacement wasn't going to happen out in the country in someone else's mudpit and I needed to drive the thing home anyway, so I decided not to stop what I was doing and kept earning the cash. What you're saying about the acids in the burned oil is the type of thing that I was worrying about making something go wrong. Hopefully it won't.

The old oil is draining out now, my mechanic stopped by today and told me that a bearing in the transfer case went bad and caused the seal damage, probably nothing serious. hopefully. He laughed at my butcher ways again but didn't think the used oil hurt anything too badly. We'll pull the thing apart on monday and start looking for a new bearing and seal.

Thanks everyone for the input!

Sebastian