Foaming in transmission sight window

HERKYEC130 · Mar 8, 2004

I noticed the other day that I had foam and white discoloration in my sight window on my Kioti LB 1914.
Is it common to see a little bit when operating? I never looked when it was being used.
I haven't noticed any leaks on the loader or elsewhere.
After moving it to storage for the night. I again noticed a very small amount of foam in the window. I left the loader raised last night to see if it stays up after changing all the fluids.
Could this be residual from fluid that was in the loader lines after changing the fluids in the transmission?
If I'm getting air in the lines I sure don't want to destroy my pump.
The fluid also seemed a little bit foamy when I drained the old out.

Paul

Soundguy · Mar 8, 2004

Sounds like water emulsion to me... Sometimes hard to get rid of.. though I know seafoam makes a transtune product made to be used to flush hyd systems of water.. etc... Not great on hyd systems that share a sump with gear boxes though...

If I were you i would change the hyd fluid again..

Soundguy

5030 · Mar 8, 2004

I agree with soundguy.

You will probably have to change it a few times to remove all the water that's emulsified in the oil. Are you a tractor washer?? High pressure washers can drive water into a gearbox through the breather. Better to wash your tractor with a hose and do it when it's cold, not right after using it.

HERKYEC130 · Mar 9, 2004

I've never used high pressure to wash it. I rinse it every couple weeks or so with the garden hose. I just put 58 hours on it. It has only been in the rain a couple of times.
Is it critical that I change it right away?
Paul

5030 · Mar 9, 2004

I was just being assumptive. Some folks never wash their tractors like Henro and some people wash them like me pretty much every time I use it. Most of the time it either gets covered with mud or hay chaff.

If you haven't used the tractor regularly, you could have moisture collect in the gear case. This would happen due to condensation/temperature changes. Also, the oil might have been contaminated right from the dealer. The gear oil will suspend the water in the emulsification and prevent it from damaging any internal parts so long as there isn't too much present. How much is too much? I don't know. The best bet is to change the oil, filters add new oil, run the tractor a few hours (preferably working the unit to bring it to operating temperature (gear oil) and then drain it hot, change the filters again and add new oil. That should eliminate the moisture. Remember, the boiling point of water is lower than the gear oil so it would be possible to actually vaporize the moisture from the gear oil if the tractor was worked hard enough in the summer months to heat the oil above 212 degrees. My hydro transmission in my 5030 will run about 100 degrees above ambient temperature so on a hot summer day, the oil would probably reach a point where the water would boil off. If you have a gear drive transmission, that won't happen so if it's gear drive, the change and change again method would be the way to go.

HERKYEC130 · Mar 10, 2004

I put out a call to the Sea Foam company. They tell me that if I just changed the fluids, adding the Trans Tune will evaporate the residual water in my fluid with no harm to my system. May be worth a try. It's cheaper than wasting the new 25 quarts of Hydra/Trans I just added.
I really beleive that the water was from condensation due to the cold weather and may have been there to a degree when I received the tractor last summer.
Thanks
Paul

Soundguy · Mar 10, 2004

I don't worry about water in the gear oil -as much-.. though it isn't great. It is in the hyds that are a problem. Cavitation can eat a pump in a few short hours.. and oil with water emusion cavitates very very easilly.. as the vapor point of water is lower than oil. Cavitatios can easilly happen on the intake side.. cause the suspended water to go to a vapor due to the local low pressure on the suction side of the pump.. creating small gas bubbles close to the metalic surfaces of the pump vanes and rotor / impellor.. when the pressure equalizes the gass bubbles immediatly contract.. creates a mini-implosion whose vibrations can pit and etch the metalic surfaces. There is a good discussion on this with diesel antifreeze addatives... without anticavitation addatives.. the vivrations in a diesel due to the rapid expansion and contraction of the cylinder liners can do the same thing.. leading to holes in liners and sleaves... real problems.. not wives tails...

25 quarts of transdraulic oil is what? 35 bucks? How much is a hydraulic pump.. even if you do the labor to install?

On my old ford N series tractors.. their hyd /gear sump hold 5 gallons.. and when I bought my latest one.. rear end/hyd sump was contaminated with water. I didn't hesitate to add new oil.. run it, then drain it, then add more new oil... very cheap investment.

If you do change again.. try the transtune with it.. helps de-water.. If you don't change the oil.. I'd deffinately follow their advice and still add it.. it is very likely that it is solvating the water with a polar solvent.. thus making it much easier to evaporate out when hot..

good luck

Soundguy

KiotiJohn · Mar 13, 2004

Make sure the system is not OVERfilled. This can cause foaming and ineffective use as in tranmissions, etc. If you don't change the fluid soon, it can cause real problems as the fluid in that foamy state is not really doing it's correct work. Replace the fluid and bleed the system according to Kioti's procedure. Of course, they others may be right on with this, but it's another possible reason. John