How does water get into hydro fluid?

[mjdewitt]

Hi everyone,

I have been checking out the site for a while since I purchased a rough 1862. One of the issues for me seems to be water in the hydro fluid. My Hydro is noisy and the fluid looks like a vanilla milk shake float - foam and all. Interestingly, after it heats up, noise goes away.

I am about to change the fluid, but I have been puzzling over how so much water gets into the fluid? It seems to me that I have a special tractor with a broken hydro dipstick cap which is now cup shaped to really trap as much rain fall as possible. The PO left the tractor outside to see just how much water he could trap and to see how many seasons it takes before you have completely faded the paint.

But I am not so sure the broken cap accounts for the water. It seems to me that the hydro resevoir will naturally pull in moisture from the air especially in the winter: the oil heats up -- the oil cools down - vacuum forms - moist air from the melting snow gets sucked in. Volia, water in the hydro.

If this is the case, does over filling the resevoir and allowing for less air in the resevoir make sense? Perhaps there is a downside to too much fluid? Or maybe, this isn't the issue at all?

Thanks for your thoughts

Mike

PS for those concerned about the dipstick, a new one is on the way!

 

[ccote]

If the fluid is getting foamy, it's probably not Hy-Tran. Moisture will get in there by condensation, the only way to deal with that is to change the fluid once in a while. More than once every 18 years!

 

[aaytay]

Michael-
In my opinon, the white-ness you're seeing in this trans fluid IS from the rain water entering as you describe. It doesn't take much water to make a mess out of a volume of oil of this size.

Overfilling the transmission to prevent moisture infiltration isn't really an option because the transmission has a vent in it. They all do, or else they would spring a leak everytime it heated up from use. Hytran is designed to trap the minimal amounts of moisture you'll get from the effects of heating and cooling.

I agree with Christopher that this must not be Hytran fluid and/or you have a TON of water in it. Either way, change it out (possibly twice after running it for awhile) and all should be good.

 

[mjdewitt]

The dealer who I got it from said that he changed the fluid twice with cub cadet fluid (once per year). He also said it was near impossible to get all the water out unless you take apart the hydraulics.

I am wondering if anyone has tried hooking up the hydro intake tube to a bucket of clean fluid and running the engine to flush the hydraulics? I am thinking of a vinyl tube slip fitted over the intake tube, putting the rear cover back on with a small gap for the vinyl tube and taping the sides and top gap so that the fluid will run out into a pan.

 

[ccote]

Does your 1862 have a fill plug on the rear cover? You could run the tube out there. I doubt you would be able to get the cover to seal tight enough to hold fluid with tape.

This should work, but you will need LOTS of Hy-Tran. If you've got a hydraulic lift, make sure to run it up and down while you're doing this. Same goes for power steering.

 

[mjdewitt]

I think I did a bad job explaining my hydro flush plan. I thought what was needed is run a couple gallons of fluid through and throw it away. The tractor would pick up fresh clean fluid from a 5 gallon bucket and spit it out through a gap in the rear cover. I would have the tractor front end up so the fluid would run out the back.

I don't think the tractor has a hole in the rear cover. It has the back hitch plate and so I can't see if there is a filler hole.

 

[ccote]

I understand now... It should work, but I think you are going to need a lot of fluid. I have no idea what the gpm flow of the hydro pump is, but you will need to jack up the tractor and work the forward/reverse lever, the hydraulic lift and power steering (if so equipped) to get the new, fresh fluid throughout the whole system. If it takes you 3-4 minutes to do this, and the pump is sucking 2 gallons a minute (just a number I pulled out of the air), then you will need 6-8 gallons of Hy-tran. I say go for it, and let us know how it worked!

 

[digger]

What's all this flushin crap!
Get a big pan, remove the rear cover, drain the junk Hytran out. Wipe everything out with a rag or 3. Put the cover back on with a new gasket. Fill the dang thing up and run it!
Since that little filler tube takes fluid so slow, get yourself a couple feet of fish tank airline hose, run it down in there to let air escape faster and pour away.
Period the end.

 

[digger]

Oh yea!
Put that cub in the garage or at least under a tarp, water problem solved for the most part.

 

[mjdewitt]

Charlie,

Thanks for the brutally honest opinion on my hare-brained idea. I am glad I had put my afternoon coffee down before reading your post or I would have flushed it through my nose.

I will stick to the plan -- clean out the old, put in the new -- 'nuff said

 

[mjdewitt]

And thank you to all of you for your thoughts on my 1862.

I have attached a picture so you can see what it is I am working on.