Working in mud caused front spindle to leak

[dsmau]

I did quite a bit of work with my 855 lately moving dirt around and got it in the mud in the front a few times above the spindle. The tire on one side was almost covered. Now both sides are leaking at the spindle so I am thinking abount taking spindles apart and clean what I can and put it back together.
Is it a big job? I figure I will need to drain the oil, remove the 6 bolts, take apart final drive using snap ring pliers, then analyze the seal and sleve.
Should I envision changing parts or a cleaning should do? Or is it not even normal to develop a leak like this? I have a bit over 1100hrs.

Thanks.
David

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I did quite a bit of work with my 855 lately moving dirt around and got it in the mud in the front a few times above the spindle. The tire on one side was almost covered. Now both sides are leaking at the spindle so I am thinking abount taking spindles apart and clean what I can and put it back together.
Is it a big job? I figure I will need to drain the oil, remove the 6 bolts, take apart final drive using snap ring pliers, then analyze the seal and sleve.
Should I envision changing parts or a cleaning should do? Or is it not even normal to develop a leak like this? I have a bit over 1100hrs.

Thanks.
David

May as well get the seals before tearing it down...you're going to need to replace them.

 

[roccon31]

this happened on my 4115 at 700 hours. one side leaked so i fixed it. then the other side started to leak. thats when i noticed pressure on the dipstick tube. clogged vent?

it used to happen on the trucks i used to work on as well. we used to have constant pinion seal and axle seal leaks. 75 percent were clogged vent tubes.


fwiw, it was pretty easy to get the planetary aparts and swap seals on the 4115. took me about 2 hours start to finish including cleaning all of the parts. your tractor is probably a similar design.

good luck!

edit- its been a while since ive been on here and have just noticed the leaking axle threads. im going to have to investigate to see if mine has a vent or not. ive been just releasing the pressure via loosening the dipstick tube on hot days, because ive been too busy to get the tractor in the air to fix it right.

 

[dsmau]

Took it appart tonight and noticed that I don't seem the have the "sleeve" shown as number 12 on the parts diagram:

Part number is CH14692. What does the sleeve look like? Might explain why it was not leaking until I went in the mud...

DSM

 

[dsmau]

Well, maybe the sleeve and seal are stuck together and look as one. I will go to the dealer and check the parts to confirm.

 

[arrabil]

I vented my axle...

Vented Axle

 

[dsmau]

Well, I changed both seal tonight and put everything back together. Worked out pretty well and will check tomorrow if it leaks or not. I did not change the collars/sleeves on the axles. They are a little worn but I don't think they should leak anymore and hopefully it will be good for a while.

While I was talking to the parts manager, he said a worn bearing with enough play could also cause a leak through the seal. That makes sense. He also gave me a few tips. Especially liked the one about filling up both spindles separately by the top and finish with the dipstick. He said otherwise it takes a long time for the oil to make its way down and some people end up damaging the final drive quite a bit. These kinds of tips pay for the price difference of parts at JD vs small bearing shop around the corner....

Also found out that Gear Oil Stinks!!

 

[dsmau]

I checked with the Parts Manager and Mechanics. The 855 does not have a vented front axle. Next time I work hard with it, I will let it cool down with the dipstick out once parked in the garage for the night.