L35 Owners.....please help!

[hutch4472]

I recently bought a 2000 L35 with 1300 hours. There is a grease zirk just behind the front axle pivot point under the tractor. What does this grease? After only 5-10 "pumps" from my grease gun all the other zirks ooze grease out from someplace. I have put two tubes of grease into the one behind the front axle and havent seen any sign of grease coming out ANYWHERE.

Ive put about 1 hour on the tractor since the last grease job which is when I put so much grease in that mystery zirk. Now today the hydraulics are acting up. It sounds strange (the hydraulic pump I guess) at high RPM and the hydraulics are suddenly very jerky. Like as if it is low on fluid or the pump has gone south. The fluid level looks fine on and the fluid color look good on the dip stick. When I pulled the filter however the fluid that comes out looks awfully dark. I didnt see any grease in it that I could tell but it doesnt look like nice clean hydraulic fluid should.

Did I push grease someplace it shouldnt be? I would think if I blew out a seal with my "over" grease job on that zirk that whatever fluid that seal was holding in would leak out. I dont see anything leaking anyplace.

Maybe some (or allot) of the grease got pushed into the hydraulic system but its keeping the fluid from leaking out?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Hutch

 

[SkyPup]

There is not any grease in your hydraulics, all you did was grease the front axle pivot point like you should every 10 hours of operation....

 

[hutch4472]

Ok...I didnt think the two systems could be tied together anywhere but the coincidental hydraulic problems had me thinking too hard.....

My concern was that after two tubes of grease no grease came out anywhere. I bought the machine with 1300 hours and I have no idea what kinda routine maintenance it had. It came for a utility company in Cleveland Ohio. All the other zirks looked to have been greased regularly but who knows. Im sure enjoying the tractor but hopefully I can get this hydraulic issue figured out.......thanks for your reply.....Tom

 

[SkyPup]

No problema!

I doubt that you'll have to grease that particular zerk for awhile though after you put 16 ounces of grease through it! LOL

 

[Dusty]

If all else fails, contact Kubota and purchase a shop manual.

 

[hutch4472]

Ya I bought the Kubota service manual. It was basically a $200 crappy photocopy of an original but thats another topic I guess.......the manual list the following possible causes for my problem:

-Low or incorrect hydraulic fluid
-Fluid filter clogged
-Loose or broken suction pipe
-Relief valve setting too low
-Hydraulic pump malfunction

So I am going to change the fluid and filter today and go from there. It really sounds and acts like the pump is starving for fluid but the level is fine.....so well see where this leads me.......thanks for the replies....much appreciated......Tom

 

[hutch4472]

There is not any grease in your hydraulics, all you did was grease the front axle pivot point like you should every 10 hours of operation....

Well unfortunatly I was right......I managed to push grease into my hydraulic system. When I pulled the plugs to change trans/hyd fluid one of them (the one nearest the overloaded zirk) had grease on it. Plus I can stick my pinky in there and it feels like Im sticking it in a tube of grease. So then I cut the filter in half and it was LOADED.

Now the tractor is working fine again but I will have to keep a filter handy for a long time now. I suppose it will take along while for all that grease to dissolve and be thinned out of the system but........I think the alternative of tearing the tractor down and mucking the grease out is alittle daunting.

 

[SkyPup]

Yikes, that sounds pretty unbelieveable that there are grease zerks in the hydraulic lines, there aren't any in my L-39's hydraulic system???????

 

[john_bud]

Well unfortunatly I was right......I managed to push grease into my hydraulic system. When I pulled the plugs to change trans/hyd fluid one of them (the one nearest the overloaded zirk) had grease on it. Plus I can stick my pinky in there and it feels like Im sticking it in a tube of grease. So then I cut the filter in half and it was LOADED.

Now the tractor is working fine again but I will have to keep a filter handy for a long time now. I suppose it will take along while for all that grease to dissolve and be thinned out of the system but........I think the alternative of tearing the tractor down and mucking the grease out is alittle daunting.

Is this a picture of the grease nipple in question? These are the only ones that come close to the location. They are used to lube the steering cylinder bushings and shouldn't have any connection to the hydraulic system.

Can you post a picture of the location you greased? Just so I don't duplicate it...

jb

 

[hutch4472]

I will post a picture of it tomorrow if its still light out when I get home. It is not the one in that diagram. It is right behind the rear axle. I am thinking maybe the Utility company I bought it from added it for some reason? I cant think of why they would but.....I cant find any indication of it in the service manual nor from any other L35 owners here.

AAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!I cant believe I put over a tube of grease into my hydraulic system..........IDIOT!!!!!!