tractor repair question - since you guys are pretty smart

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Getonit

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Mark
First of all I know what I am about to propose is not the "right" way to do this.

Have a small 22 HP Kioti tractor and the engine frame/transmission is leaking between the component pieces. I had my internal guys repair a broken shifting mechanism and I am guessing they did not put a new seal between the mating surfaces. So it is leaking like a sieve. To put the seal back in, if I can even find the part is going to be a big project and for a tractor not worth anything and the labor required says I need to come up with a southern engineering solution. Here is where I know I shouldn't ask, is there any recommended idea of material and/or technique to seal this from the outside, i.e. slop a bunch of sealant on it and hope it works. It is not under any pressure, but getting sealant to stick to the surface is going to be an obvious problem. Flame away. Or I can just keep pouring lots of cheap oil in it. Thanks.
 
Bad advice you can try:
-Drain the oil completely. Put plug back in.
-Pour a volatile solvent (one that readily evaporates COMPLETELY with no oil staining on a paper towel) into the case. Let it drain via the leak. Catch some on a paper towel after it’s been draining a while. After evap, there should be no oil stain on the paper. If there is, drain and refill with clean solvent.
-Once clean, drain, plug, and put a shop vac on the oil fill and seal up. Turn it on for a long time. Yeah, people will say you’ll blow stuff up.
-Put a bead of sealer on the joint while the shop vac is on.

Free internet advice.
 
Getonit said:
I had my internal guys repair a broken shifting mechanism and I am guessing they did not put a new seal between the mating surfaces.
Click to expand...
Don't quite follow this comment. But does it have a hydrostatic transmission?
 
I like the idea of draining it completely and solvent flushing, but I think the oil in the transmission case is also the oil used to run the hydraulics so I see a bigger problem doing this. Don't know how the cases are all divided, but thinking will drain it all, let it sit and then smear some sealant on the outside....

It is not a hydrostatic transmission, what broke was a gear shift fork of some kind, we welded it back and reinstalled apparently without new seals.

First of all I know this isn't the 100% best way. But modern times require modern solutions.
 
Splitting the tractor, that is separating the engine from the transmission, sounds a lot worse than it is. Done it several times on MF and Kubota tractors of similar horsepower. Grab a manual and get your hands dirty.
 
If you believe the hype ...

https://flexsealproducts.com/#1

On a more serious note, if I were going to try and seal it from the outside this would be worth a shot:

https://www.jbweld.com/product/waterweld-epoxy-putty

Drain it and clean the surfaces with acetone or something similar to remove as much oil/grease as possible. I saw the J-B Waterweld seal a fuel tank from the outside. I did not believe it would do that.
 
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Getonit said:
It is not a hydrostatic transmission, what broke was a gear shift fork of some kind, we welded it back and reinstalled apparently without new seals.
Click to expand...
Well if its not a hydro xmsn and you have a standard clutch, and the oil is leaking from the engine/clutch/flywheel area, then sealing the outside will just cause you more problems in the near future. Did they weld the fork while installed? If so they could have cooked the seal at the xsmn input shaft. Sounds more like a warranty job for your "internal guys".
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Splitting the tractor, that is separating the engine from the transmission, sounds a lot worse than it is. Done it several times on MF and Kubota tractors of similar horsepower. Grab a manual and get your hands dirty.
Click to expand...

This.

Or....



John Deere...
 
In all seriousness, I don't think anything you slather on the outside will hold at all. The idea of sucking some sealant into the seam isn't necessarily a bad one, but the amount of time involved would probably be similar to just splitting the thing open again. If you can get the seam in question an inch or so apart I might be inclined to clean it and slather some rtv into the gap. Might be easier than taking it all the way down again.

For the record, I have a small tractor that leaks a couple gallons of transmission oil a year. It only gets about 50 hours a year. Now that I think about it, it probably costs me more in transmission oil than it does in fuel. Oh, and it's a John Deere. Granted, it's from 1972.
 
If its actually just the case sealing you could barely crack it, clean it then...file/manila folder type thick paper makes a fine gasket when coated with this.
09-28500.jpg

Ive had good luck with the FlexiSeal stuff but havent used it around any oils. Might be worth a $20 try.
 
I work in the boat biz, and if you need something sealed and glued together, use 3M 5200, the fast cure version. Clean the cases well with acetone and a wire brush, lay a good sized bead over the joint and let it dry. If you can get it applied to a clean surface, and it cures before oil can seep through (perhaps do the bottom half with the tractor turned upside down?) it should seal it up.
 
I deal with with farm equipment on a daily basis and from what you are describing the only fix is splitting the tractor and repairing. Most tractors have two fluids, engine oil and hydraulic/transmission oil, so you need to figure out exactly which fluid is leaking. My guess is that it is the hydraulic fluid is leaking and it is coming from the input shaft seal for the transmission. It could be the transmission input shaft bearing is worn and the slop is causing the fluid to pour from the transmission seal. Is the fluid pouring when running? Or it could be just the seal. If it is engine oil leaking probably a rear main seal. Splitting a tractor is no big deal provided the mechanic [oops, I mean techncian] has the tools necessary for splitting. Not sure where you are located but there are many shade tree mechanics in farm country that could handle that job. I would guess parts for seals and gaskets and replacement fluids at $500 and labor at $1500. Trying to patch the leak from the outside would not work. Pics would help.

Edit: A very experienced farm equipment mechanic told me one time to always "check the obvious". That is, before assuming you have a major problem look for the obvious problem. In your case the solution could be as simple as a hydraulic line is loose or leaking.
 
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