Massey 35 spewing fluid

[docric]

I never have really understood what the hole in the bottom of the tractor was for. It has a pin in there to keep it open and occasionally fluid / oil drips a bit, but the other day, fluid just started

spewing from there. I shut the tractor down but more than a gallon of milky oily fluid was lost. Guessing hydraulic oil mixed with water. Now what?
Thanks in advance. I have no business owning this machine.

Ric

 

[FordnMassey]

Hi,

If I remember correctly, that hole with a pin in it is a drain hole for the bell housing . The bell housing is the chamber that contains the clutch and it doesn't contain oil, but the engine and gearbox on either side do. I suspect that the fluid you're seeing is gearbox oil, but could be engine oil. To check, find the engine dipstick and the gearbox dipstick and check the oil colour. The gearbox dipstick should be on the rhs of the gearbox under the seat area. Gearbox oil should be clear and honey colour, engine oil starts out the same and is black after some use.

If the fluid is water contaminated oil, then either the rear engine or front gearbox oil seal has failed and will need replacing. The oil colour should tell you which seal has failed. I believe this requires "splitting" the tractor to replace them.

And as an aside, I had water contaminated oil in my 35 gearbox and it damaged the hydraulic pump, so well worth changing it before it does any damage. Also the gearbox, hydraulic pump and differential all share the same oil and have around 500ml / 1 pint residual after draining which contaminated the new oil for me. I resolved it by a second change and mopping it out when I removed the top cover of the gearbox to fix the hydraulic pump. Suction to clear the residual oil via the access hatch on rhs could work too.

Best of luck.

 

[redman135]

Fordnmassey is right. You have a failed oil seal and you will need to split the tractor.
If the oil is from the diff, then look to your gearstick boots, as this is the main source of water in the gearbox.
TIP when puttting the tractor back togather engage the pto and rotate the pto shaft to line up the clutch. This works for the 6 and 8 sp gearboxes, but NOT on multipower gearboxes.
good luck.

 

[docric]

Update: Everyone who works on tractors around here has declined to do this job. One guy said the tractor would not be worth the fix.

Next step is to start asking car mechanics if they will take the job on. Is there any place that I can find instructions on the repair? How big of a job will it be?
BTW the engine oil is ok. The transmission fluid is gone. I have been told this is a good thing. As it sits, I have a multi-thousand pound paper weight in my way. Ha ha

 

[DJ54]

It wouldn't be a terrible bad job "if" you have the tools to do the job. But as fast as the oil came out, I'd suspect it's more than just the seal, I'd have to guess the input shaft bearing may be bad too. An OEM shop/service manual that would cover that repair would be real handy. The I&T manuals which cover many repairs have a lot to be desired. What few I have of the I&T's are used for tune-up specs and capacities.

Otherwise, I'd look a little harder for a small independent shop that may specialize in working on those tractors. Too bad you're not closer to here, I know of 2 that work on the models such as this. One is in his early 40's the other is 85 and still going strong. Both stay as busy as they want to maybe more so certain times of year.

As for the comment from the one guy " the tractor would not be worth the fix." I'd have to disagree. I look at it as what it would cost me to replace with a newer model, that gives a person a different mindset. If that is the most major repair that has been done to that tractor in 70 years of existence, I'd say that's doing pretty darn good.

 

[rScotty]

Update: Everyone who works on tractors around here has declined to do this job. One guy said the tractor would not be worth the fix.

Next step is to start asking car mechanics if they will take the job on. Is there any place that I can find instructions on the repair? How big of a job will it be?
BTW the engine oil is ok. The transmission fluid is gone. I have been told this is a good thing. As it sits, I have a multi-thousand pound paper weight in my way. Ha ha

B.S. Any halfway decent mechanic can do that job. It is simple. Don't fall for that line from an inadequate mechanic. This is basic wrench work. All it takes a wrench and socket set, some floor jacks, and a dolly.

I had a repair shop. This is the type of job that you give to a kid just learning the trade. It's a step up from sweeping and cleaning parts. Just simple unbolting and re-bolting...., and replacing a seal. It is a simple one day job, and the tractor was designed to make it so. Today's seals last a long time compared to the old original ones.
The decision you make is whether to just do the transmission seal or also do the engine seal, clutch friction disk, nose bushing, and throw-out bearing while in there. Doing those only adds a few hours to the job. and the only specialized tool needed is a $20 clutch plate line up tool.

All the mechanic needs is basic hand and shop tools plus a shop or parts manual. Anyone who does engine/tranny swaps or manual clutch jobs on cars can figure it out.
The only trick to separating any tractor is supporting the front so it doesn't tilt around the axle pivot when removing the bell-housing bolts.

This doesn't take a mechanic, it is handy-man or high school shop level work.
rScotty

 

[docric]

Well I have rebuilt a VW engine, and can R&R a VW bus engine in an hour so it is prolly within my skill set. What would be the best manual to buy? I had to remove a wheel last fall and found that this thing is HEAVY.

 

[5030]

Back in the day (a long time ago), I did a few V-Dubs myself. Removing an VW engine is easy and I always hopped them up when rebuilding as well. Put a Porsche flat 4 engine in a bus one time (hopped up) and it was a sleeper. Always wanted to do the Corvair thing but never did. A Corvair turbocharged Spyder engine in a bus or beetle would be a killer as well. Back then, had a buddy with a Meyers Manx dune buggy with a Spyder engine. Had to always start in 2nd gear or it would want to flip over.

Common sense, a couple pair of sturdy jack stands and a bottle jack and ordinary hand tools and you can do it yourself. Clutch and pressure plate renewal does take an alignment bar but a length of appropriate diameter steel bar is fine. Besides, doing it yourself will expand your horizon's about what lies inside that you have never seen.

You do want to split it on a concrete floor however so you can easily part it (slide it apart) with no issue. If you do it on dirt, you'll need some sort of hoist or large cherry picker to separate the trans from the engine proper. Just do it for the experience because as it is, it's become a paperweight liability and really isn't worth beans to get rid of.

Finally, before embarking on the adventure, I'd give it a good bath with a pressure washer and some degreaser-cleaner like Purple Power.

 

[DJ54]

I purchased a new one like this, along with an operator's manual a couple years ago, but not sure where, probably off of Ebay. It's a copy of the OEM manual. Print is very good, and manual is very descriptive of repairs.

Not a bad price: Massey Ferguson To35 Tractors Service Repair Shop Manual Workshop Book ~290Pgs~ | eBay

 

[rScotty]

Well I have rebuilt a VW engine, and can R&R a VW bus engine in an hour so it is prolly within my skill set. What would be the best manual to buy? I had to remove a wheel last fall and found that this thing is HEAVY.

Of course you can. That $36 manual looks as good as any. But the best thing I have found helpful for this type of job is to share it with a buddy. Twice the fun.