314-8 seized?

[jsp_333 268]

Went to fire up the 314-8 I picked up this summer and when I put it into gear got this horrible belt screeching noise and the tractor wouldn't budge.

Got off the tractor to see if it would roll in neutral and no chance.

Used the tractor all summer and even pushed snow with the blade a month ago.

Has anyone else experienced this and/ or  knows what it is . Have I missed the obvious?

Cheers,

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,048]

Is there a chance the temps have been below freezing?

If there is water in the transmission oil given some time it will settle on the bottom. If it freezes the gears won't turn in the ice.

Warm up the transmission and drain the oil. It takes quite a while to melt all the ice.

[stevasaurus 22,764]

G-West nailed it.  Water froze in the trans.  Don't do anything but melt the ice.  Space heater, light bulb are good choices...open drain plug an let the water out.  

[jsp_333 268]

Awesome. Thanks guys.  Thought I had changed transmission oil when I brought it home. I guess not.

I'll dig out the space heater and drain it and get new fluid in the trans.

[peter lena 8,637]

@  jsp-333  , personally use a bulb reflector and an incandescent  rough service bulb under my engines over winter  ,  standing vertically  under the center     hitch point ,  would also help heat up the rear end , that space heater would be good  also , be careful in the gas tank area , pete

[Achto 27,609]

If by chance it is not water in the transmission. Then you may be stuck between gears. To fix this issue you will need to remove the shifter and realign the shift forks and then reinstall the shifter.

[Pullstart 62,916]

1 hour ago, Achto said:

If by chance it is not water in the transmission. Then you may be stuck between gears. To fix this issue you will need to remove the shifter and realign the shift forks and then reinstall the shifter.

That’s not as common as the 3 speeds with the shorter detent rod, but I could still see something wearing, or breaking by force…

[oldlineman 1,481]

Maybe flush it with diesel while you have it drained. Bob

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,048]

When draining transmission fluid it is best to raise the front of the tractor as high as can be done safely.

There is a hump in the bottom of the transmission that prevents all the fluid from getting to the drain plug when on the level.

[jsp_333 268]

OK Thanks All, Going to give it a try Tuesday or Wednesday.

I'm going to put a space heater in a box that the sides reach up to the bottom of the tractor. 

I'll check in with results.

[cleat 6,070]

I got my Work Horse GT1600 cheap because of a seized up transmission.

Put it in the shop, thawed it, and it freed right up.

Trans flush and refill with gear oil then a new shifter boot and it is good to go.

 

[peter lena 8,637]

@cleat  after you get some time on the trans  issue , personally like some actual road distance time  if possible , use every gear / range , the warmer  the oil the more effective it is at cleaning / flushing . would also refill it thru the shift boot area , for enhanced drain down refill effect . regularly check my trans oil , do a lot of  regular to me checks , for function or  correct an issue before it becomes a  failure / problem . thats just me , chronic / repetitive  issues are something , I  like making go away , pete  

[cleat 6,070]

I got that Work Horse in the winter of 2019, fixed it up and sold it.

Last April I bought it back with a deal I could not turn down.

I don't think it sat inside the entire time but the transmission is still full of nice clean gear oil.

Obviously the new boot held the water out.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by cleat

[jsp_333 268]

Got the space heater going now.  Question about flushing it with diesel fuel.  How long can I run the tractor with diesel in the transmission.

Say for 1/2 hour this Saturday night for our annual street parade?  Then park it for the rest of the winter and deal with this in the spring?

[jsp_333 268]

Water in the transmission fluid appears to be the right diagnosis.  Only took about an hour and the tractor is moving again.

Can't get the transmission plug out so it will have to wait until spring.  The rear tire and wheel weight  will have to come so I can get enough torque on the plug.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[oldlineman 1,481]

you may want to add some diesel till spring to help keep things from rusting till then.

[953 nut 55,324]

1 hour ago, jsp_333 said:

The rear tire and wheel weight  will have to come so I can get enough torque on the plug.

The drain plug is on the bottom of your transmission near the trailer hitch. Takes a 1/4" Allen Wrench.

[oldlineman 1,481]

And make sure you clean that allen hole well to get a good bit with the allen wrench, you can easily round it out, then the fun begins. Bob

[jsp_333 268]

Thanks for all the advice about draining it.  I may try heating up the plug on the side but ....Quite frankly I'm tired of lying in the snow on my back in the driveway.

I have no other place to work unfortunately.  Again this is such a great resource and I'm so thankful for actual knowledge and experience.

[oliver2-44 9,761]

1 minute ago, jsp_333 said:

I may try heating up the plug on the side but ....

To drain it you need to use the plug on the bottom to drain it.  Also there is a hump in the bottom middle of the transmission so you need to lift up the front of the tractor to get that to drain fully

[jsp_333 268]

oliver 2-44, Yes, thanks I'm aware of the plug on the bottom of trans.

But in all honesty the only thing I can see doing is something without involving me on the snowy frozen ground.

And another storm coming through tomorrow.  As much as I'd like to deal with this now I probably won't get to it until the spring.

Not ideal but realistic. Cheers.

 

[stevasaurus 22,764]

If you are going to leave the horse outside till spring with an uncertain amount of water in it, I would consider adding a quart or so of anti-freeze or maybe a couple cans of what they put in diesel fuel to keep from forming ice.  You don't want that casting to crack.  

   I don't think the anti-freeze will hurt it as much as just water will.  

Edited December 14, 2022 by stevasaurus

[jsp_333 268]

I've seen a couple of posts about running diesel or gear oil down the shifter lever and into the trans..   

I have no problem doing that if that is the correct technique and I haven't misread it.

I'm having trouble visualizing how that would work.  Do you remove the shifter boot and just pour it in that way.? 

Also I can't get the plug off the side of trans with damaging it.  

BTW Trans Frozen solid again today. Couldn't even move the shifter lever. Lows in mid 20's  last night (-5 – -9 C) .

[Handy Don 12,237]

Under the rubber boot, there is a dog-point setscrew on the front side of the hole in the transaxle that holds the shifter in place. BUT there is room around the shifter' shaft to carefully pour in fluid.

You do realize that the drain plug for the transaxle is on the bottom, right? It's a ¼" allen wrench.

The plug on the side is for filling.

Unless you get the water out, it'll continue to freeze. I suspect that there is enough water in there that it'll dilute any added diesel or standard RV antifreeze too much to get added protection. If you could get concentrated antifreeze (like in the old days) you might be able to get a high enough concentration. There is likely about 1-2 quarts of water in there.

I know you can't work on it until spring, but if it were mine, I'd try hard to get the bottom plug out of the trans and leave it open over a pan that can hold 3 quarts of liquid. In my mind, better empty than any amount of water.

[jsp_333 268]

Done & Done!

There was more than a quart of water that came out to 1/4 quart of gear oil.

Just one question remains.  If the plug on the side of trans  is for filling - what is tube & dipstick under the seat for ?  Just a redundancy?

That fill plug on the side is never coming off so filled down the tube under the seat. Did I miss anything by not use the fill plug on the side ?.