Gearbox oil change
Submitted: Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 10:37
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MartyB
Hi all,
This is a bit off topic but I will ask anyway.
I have an
old tractor, a Chamberlain F800 loader made in the sixties.
The gearbox has not been changing very
well lately and when I checked the oil it is a muddy sludge.
What would you suggest I do to clean the old oil out before adding new oil?
I assume if I just drained the oil when the tractor was hot it would leave a fair bit of this sludge in the gearbox and contaminate the new oil. Could I drain the old oil, fill the gearbox with something to dissolve the sludge. Drain that out then add the new oil. If so what would you suggest? I thought possibly using kero. Let me know if you have some better ideas.
from Marty.
Reply By: Member - DW Lennox Head(NSW) - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 11:03
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 11:03
Marty
Many years ago I had a Chamberlain C6100
farm tractor, mechanical gearbox, and it was often neglected. I did change the oil, in the gearbox and diff, for much the same reason as you and rinsed it out with diesel while it was still warm. That appeared to remove most of the sludge. It did about 18,000 hours by the time I sold it and the gearbox had only one bearing replaced in its life.
It was a great tractor and almost "unbreakable". It would get through mud that the Toyotas could not especially using the bucket for assistance.
I doubt if most of the new tractors would put up with that treatment.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
DW
AnswerID:
440434
Follow Up By: MartyB - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 11:26
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 11:26
Thanks DW,
I hadn't thought of diesel, I will give that a go.
from Marty.
FollowupID:
712322
Follow Up By: glenok - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 16:31
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 16:31
Same as DW, had the same thing in an old ford tractor we bought. Sump plug (engine)had been rounded off, oil looked like it hadnt been changed in years. Managed to get it off. Cleaned out with diesel. Worked fine
Glen
FollowupID:
712364
Reply By: Member - Joe n Mel n kids (FNQ - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 16:20
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 16:20
Hi Marty,
I would get it hot first, take it for a good run to mix everything up and then drain it as soon as you can while it is hot, hot oil is a lot thinner and will drain out better taking all the crud with it, if you do it cold it will still have lumps and crud all inside it, if it has water, often is the reason for sludge, it will have condensation in side it, running it will mix it all up and get it out, also try to leave it overnight with it draining, it will make certain all comes out ....
Diesel is good but be very careful, if you do use it fill it up as full as you can get it and then drain it ASAP, dont run it with it in ..... kero will do the same as diesel and cheaper if you already have it.... but still dont run it with it in....
If it was
mine i would get it hot and drain it overnight, fill it with the correct oil and run it for a week or so and drain it again, hot again, oil is cheap compaired to bearings .................
Cheers
Joe
AnswerID:
440470
Follow Up By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 17:54
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 17:54
Top advice that.......
FollowupID:
712389
Follow Up By: Member - Ed C (QLD) - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 18:13
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 18:13
Yep, this is how I'd do it....
Same as with engines, always drain oil while it is hot, and pull the bung as soon as possible after a good work-out (within seconds, not minutes after engine shut-down), for the reasons already stated..
:)
| Confucius say.....
"He who lie underneath automobile with tool in hand,
....Not necessarily mechanic!!"Member
My Profile Send Message |
FollowupID:
712393
Follow Up By: Sigmund - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 19:00
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 19:00
Damn, what a fantastic thread.
Explore Oz by tractor!
Thanks guys ;-}
FollowupID:
712397
Follow Up By: Member - Joe n Mel n kids (FNQ - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 19:27
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 19:27
actually if you look into it a convoy of Chamberlain tractors did a trip around Australia, old ones at that, was a fantastic idea and was an eye opener, we came accross them at Kunnanurra ............... top blokes i may add.. and after all, what is the hurry i ask ???
What a way to see Australia.....
FollowupID:
712407
Reply By: MartyB - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 22:55
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 22:55
Thanks for the replies,
I think I will drian the oil when hot, leave it overnight to drain.
Fill it with diesel or kero, leave it overnight full and then another overnight to drain.
Fill with oil and use it.
Check the oil in six months (it doesn't get much use) and if dirty give it another oil change.
It takes 11 quarts of 90 weight oil which is about 12.5 litres by my calculations so I will go to a truck sales and see if I can buy a 20 litre drum.
from Marty.
AnswerID:
440511
Follow Up By: Member - Keith P (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 23:55
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 23:55
This may be a little more help if you like..
Do the diesel thing (its a top idea actually...have done it more times than I can remember)..BUT...add about 2 litres of auto transmission oil to the diesel.
Dont fill it right up...just to normal levels. Then take tractor for a slow drive on good flat ground for about 2 minutes....both forward and reverse. Dont place any load on it ...all you need to do is give everything a good spin and whirl around...have engine running at aboout 1000-1200 revs.Then drain it all out overnight. refill with an ordinary basic cheaper engine oil ...and drive it about as before...but for 5 minutes this time...drain oil overnight again. the engine oil will flush out the diesel mix, but the small amount that is left wont affect the correct oil in any way. It is not really expensive in the scheme of things (I used
supermarket engine oil)...and it works
well.
In a previous life I was a western Cocky...and we had 2 Chamberlains...a C670 and a C6100...both of which did huge hours. we did this process to each of them every 5000 hours....and neither tractor had any drivetrain problems wotsoever. normal oil changes were done every 2500 hours (I think)
BTW...do the slow drive in the normal working gears..IE...not high range.
HTH.
Cheers Keith
P/S..90 grade gear oil for main gearbox and rear gearbox/diff...but 140 grade for final drive reduction...worked for me.
FollowupID:
712439
Follow Up By: Member - Keith P (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 23:58
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 23:58
This may be a little more help if you like..
Do the diesel thing (its a top idea actually...have done it more times than I can remember)..BUT...add about 2 litres of auto transmission oil to the diesel.
Dont fill it right up...just to normal levels. Then take tractor for a slow drive on good flat ground for about 2 minutes....both forward and reverse. Dont place any load on it ...all you need to do is give everything a good spin and whirl around...have engine running at aboout 1000-1200 revs.Then drain it all out overnight. refill with an ordinary basic cheaper engine oil ...and drive it about as before...but for 5 minutes this time...drain oil overnight again. the engine oil will flush out the diesel mix, but the small amount that is left wont affect the correct oil in any way. It is not really expensive in the scheme of things (I used
supermarket engine oil)...and it works
well.
In a previous life I was a western Cocky...and we had 2 Chamberlains...a C670 and a C6100...both of which did huge hours. we did this process to each of them every 5000 hours....and neither tractor had any drivetrain problems wotsoever. normal oil gear oil changes were done every 2500 hours (I think)
BTW...do the slow drive in the normal working gears..IE...not high range.
HTH.
Cheers Keith
P/S..90 grade gear oil for main gearbox and rear gearbox/diff...but 140 grade for final drive reduction...worked for me.
FollowupID:
712440
Follow Up By: Member - Keith P (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 23:59
Sunday, Jan 02, 2011 at 23:59
Now how the hell did that happen??? could the mods please delete my first follo-up .
thanks.
Cheers Keith
FollowupID:
712441
Follow Up By: MartyB - Monday, Jan 03, 2011 at 11:28
Monday, Jan 03, 2011 at 11:28
Thanks for the advice Keith,
from Marty.
FollowupID:
712466