Which Fluid Is Leaking?

[MikePA]

I had my 'trusty' TC25D out yesterday to set some T posts and move some mulch. On the trip back from the barn, on a paved road, I noticed a trail of dark dots that led, you guessed it, right back to the garage. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

I looked under the tractor and the left side (from the driver's perspective) of the top of the MMM deck was wet with some liquid that was dripping off the bottom of the engine. I looked under the tractor and the rear of the oil pan was damp as well but I could not determine if that's where the leak was or if it was dripping down from above. The overflow hose from the collar around the fuel filler is on the right side of the deck, so it wasn't that and it wasn't radiator fluid. Since both the engine oil and the hydraulic fluid levels looked normal, how do you distinguish between engine oil and hyd oil?

This tractor only has 20 hours on it so I am ready to form a club with jinman!

 

[jinman]

Mike, I have a power steering reservoir up under my hood. If you have a similar reservoir on your TC25, you may need to check that system for leaks. Otherwise, I'd just soap up the engine and underside really well and get the tractor good and clean. Afterwards, start the tractor and use it, then look for fresh leaks. Of course, you always have the alternative to return it to your dealer to have them check it out. BTW - I have never had even the smallest fluid leak on my tractor. ...I just break welds./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[MODiesel]

Howdy!

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I had a similar mess last fall. I was working the tractor back and forth mowing around our pond, and I noticed "fluid" down on the right front axle. When I opened the hood to check it, there was a good mess of power steering fluid [which is really just hydraulic fluid] all over. It looked like it had blown out.

What was curious was when I had gotten it cleaned up later and checked the fluid level, it was perfectly at the high point on the dipstick. My guess was that it might have been overfilled at some point. Since then, I haven't had a problem and the fluid stays full. I can only surmise that the power steering system doesn't take well to being overfilled.

Might be worth looking into.

Best Regards,
Jay

 

[MikePA]

Jay and Jim,

Thanks for the tips!

I checked my TC25D tonight when I got home from work. I planned on cleaning everything up and checking for a power steering fluid leak. I started the tractor up, removed the side panel and began cleaning the mower deck. Moved up to the engine and noticed the oil filter, which also had a oily film on it. Went to verify the filter was on tight and I could turn the filter by hand! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Tightened the filter, finished cleaning and took the tractor for a drive until the engine temp came up to normal. No more leak! I also checked the hyd filter. That seemed to be on tight. The tractor only has 20 hours on it. The engine oil filter must have been loose from the factory. I'm glad I noticed this when I did and I wasn't somewhere far from home.

 

[ecard]

Mike,

Last spring I had a similar thing happend to me with my TC33D - there was a main seal that was installed improperly and my dealer serviced it - I have heard of a few others having the same problem - I think it is a Quality Control issue of o rings - it is a PIA because they have to tear the tractor almost in half to get at the thing - ship it back to the dealer - I have not had any problems since.
Eric

 

[deepsnow]

A loose oil filter leaking a little oil. Another "simple" thing for all of us to check when discovering fluids underneath or on our tractors that shouldn't be there. I had the opposite problem with my break-in oil filter. Outside of having to run into town for a ~3" filter wrench(surprised to see such a little filter) I had to wrap some sandpaper around the filter for additional friction. Almost sunk down to using a screwdriver but figured I would probably just shred the thing.

 

[jinman]

Mike, that reminds me of the first "casualty" I had on my new TC45D. I had about 12 hr on the tractor and was spreading some gravel on my neighbor's driveway when the FEL suddenly stopped working. The rollback worked fine, but the darn thing wouldn't raise. I was 99% done, so I came back to my place and tried to check it out. The bucket was about 1' off the ground and wouldn't go up. It moved only about 3" in either direction. I was crushed!/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif I was sure one of my cylinders had failed internally...then...I noticed a little drop of fluid around one of the quick disconnects. I looked closer, and to my surprise, /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I discovered the connection was loose and just sitting there like it was connected. I popped it back together and everything worked fine. I don't know how it worked loose, but I've never had another problem with the connection. It sure feels good when it's something simple, doesn't it? /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>It sure feels good when it's something simple, doesn't it?</font color=blue>
You got that right! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

Well, it wan't just the oil filter that was loose and leaking. The clamp in the photo was loose allowing hyd fluid to leak out of the joint. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Steelfan]

Hi MikePa, I just noticed this post. I had Oil leaking on top of my MMM too. The connection under clutch was the culprit. The same kind of connection was used there. I was told by the Dealer that these connections sometimes aren't very tight from new. And of course when you use the tractor they loosen to the point of leaking. The worse thing for me was cleaning the top of the MMM off. I didn't want all the dirt sticking to the deck. I'm glad you found your problem. Kent