JOHN DEERE 4300 small leak

[stuart]

John Deere 4300- I have this fluid leak in my left front tire area and was wondering what and where the fluid is coming from and how I can repair it. I am just guessing it is a seal gone bad in the front axle. Any thoughts will be appreciated.
Post

ing a few photos to highlight the problem,

 

[dodge man]

Are the front tires filled with fluid?

 

[MTGreen]

I'm assuming this is an mfwd tractor -can't tell for sure from the pic.
Do you have fluid filled tires?
Otherwise you will likely have a seal leaking either in the gear reduction hub here:

https://partscatalog.deere.com/jdrc/sidebyside/equipment/75863/referrer/navigation/pgId/241255843

or here:

https://partscatalog.deere.com/jdrc/sidebyside/equipment/75863/referrer/navigation/pgId/240211279

 

[rekees4300]

I've had a JD4300 for 24 years. No front wheel leaks have occurred. Based upon the video, hiring a John Deere dealer to do the repair appears necessary.

 

[stuart]

Are the front tires filled with fluid?

No. Tires are not filled

 

[beenthere]

Search for the way to replace the seal. Likely is the problem. Fixable if you have such mechanical and are interested in DIY.

I experienced a seal leak before I learned to loosen the fill plug to relieve the pressure caused by the oil in the axle warming up and pushing out the seal. If you are seeing the oil leak after doing a lot of work that might have caused this pressure, then you may try loosening that fill (dip stick) plug after replacing lost oil.

I believe the service tech manual explains how to replace the seal. That is what I was planning to do if the seal ever got worse. It hasn't since venting.

 

[dfkrug]

Based upon the video, hiring a John Deere dealer to do the repair appears necessary.

You are fortunate it has not happened to you yet.

As for DIY repair of the front axle, it is not too bad. Remember when I posted about it years ago?

You have to make this special tool to get the nut out, and have a good set of snapring pliers. It is just a piece of pipe with a couple of weld beads on the inside.

As for the video, it was tough to watch the excessive use of a hammer....

 

[stuart]

Search for the way to replace the seal. Likely is the problem. Fixable if you have such mechanical and are interested in DIY.

I experienced a seal leak before I learned to loosen the fill plug to relieve the pressure caused by the oil in the axle warming up and pushing out the seal. If you are seeing the oil leak after doing a lot of work that might have caused this pressure, then you may try loosening that fill (dip stick) plug after replacing lost oil.

I believe the service tech manual explains how to replace the seal. That is what I was planning to do if the seal ever got worse. It hasn't since venting.

Thank you: Will give it a try!

 

[stuart]

Thank you: Will give it a try!

Beenthere: I grew up in the Bronx NY. Came to Virginia for school. Bought this JD to help me on Virginia's Eastern Shore. This website has kept me from killing myself by people like you educating me. Thanks!

 

[beenthere]

dfkrug

Do you recall or have the inside diameter measurement of that pipe that you used to make the special tool? A clever way to skin that cat.

 

[dfkrug]

My first 4300 rebuild thread was 15y ago, and I did not separate the part about the front axle rebuild. It starts at post #115 here:

John Deere 4300 complete rebuild

I got around to checking mine out today using an inspection mirror and a flashlight. From what I can see, the intake hose is barely touching the fuel tank; but the fuel overflow hoses are not trapped between the intake hose and the tank. I didn't see any obvious evidence of wear on the hose...

www.tractorbynet.com

I was re-reading this old thread, and it has brought back memories. It was a fun read, if I do say so myself.

In my second 4300 rebuild, I started new threads for the various repairs/rebuilds that I performed.

 

[super55]

Both wheel seals on each side are leaking. Before you go digging into the wheel seal for replacement. There's a couple small tricks you can try. First, drill a 1/16 hole in the fluid dipstick so the axle can vent and not pressurize. The other option is to replace the fluid in the axle with actual gear oil 75w-90 instead of JD Hygard.

I know JD recommends hygard for the front axle but it is not ideal. Its got too low of a viscosity. The front axle is self contained unit so if you put gear lube in the front axle you will not contaminate the hydraulic system.

I have a 4400 and 4310 that have the exact same issue as your pics showed. It's a well known problem with JDs and they still refuse to address it. There's aftermarket vented fill caps designed to address this very issue. After I went with gear lube and vented the axle the leak was so minuscule that it wasn't worth addressing. Every 8 month or so I might need to top it off.

 

[beenthere]

Just leave the dip stick fill plug loose and it will vent. Works for everything except driving the axle underwater. At least has worked well for me. And don't use the low vis Hygard oil. Straight Hygard is what I use. Again, works for me but each can plan their own way.

 

[dfkrug]

The other option is to replace the fluid in the axle with actual gear oil 75w-90 instead of JD Hygard.

I am a huge fan of using gear oil instead, even the thicker stuff, 85W-140. I use that in my Kioti, but it does take a while to put in.

Note that many tractor manuals specify hyd oil OR gear oil for the front axle.

Interesting about air expansion bladders for final drives. Many (most?) decent ATVs you buy now have them for both front and rear axles. Great idea. Why not in very expensive tractors, esp the ones with low front axle ground clearance?