Well I finally had a good weather day so I set out to take care of the hyd problem. I drained the fluid and pulled the manifold. The pump repair kit had 5 O rings so I thought I was all set. I matched up the two O rings on the tranny housing end but the pump end had a couple of rings that were not O rings, they looked more like gasket material. So, I put the gaskets back in and buttoned it back up. I filled it with fluid and primed the pump. The recommended method of turning the engine over with the starter to prime the pump was not working (maybe I was impatient) so I fired the engine up and the pump immediately gushed forth. I reinstalled the primer plug and the lift worked like a charm. I shut the tractor down and proceeded to tackle other issues like straightening out the wiring. After a bit I decided to sttach the lift boom pole and preposition some of the implements. The lift was kaput. I removed the primer plug and the pump had lost its prime. I can imagine it was my using the old "gaskets". Can I use any O ring that is the correct size - I have a box of O rings from Harbor Freight and I am sure I can match the size. I did notice in the reassembly that one of the bolts in the manifold, tranny housing joint was nearly stripped out, I pulled it tight but did not bear down on the wrench - I am fairly confident the bolt is tight enough but I am not sure.
Is the O ring set up that sensitive to air leaks?
Thanks, Russ
