160 water in tranny

[can whlvr 993]

so i go out tuesday night(it was about -20c,darn cold)to put the garbage out,i have a garbage trailer that my c160-8 with a tiny 5.5 honda in it,and she fires right up,i walk away to stoke the wood stove in the shop and come back out 5-6 minutes later and see smoke pouring out of the tractor,im thinking that its the wee hondas time and she has done me good,ive had it for 20 years and used the heck out of it,only paid like 75 dollars for it.Well it turns out that it was the belt smoking due to the tranny being frozen and the belt burned in half so today i changed the oil in the rear and when i opened the drain all i got was clear water,no oil,well only about a few tablespoons,no milky oil,just water,well thats no good so i flushed her 5 times and will run her for a week or so and change the new 80-90oil again

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,300]

Does this machine sit outside? Get rained on? Maybe its time to install a brandy new shifter boot.

Mike..........

[can whlvr 993]

she has a brand new boot,i bought 10 of them a year ago,but it does sit outside(i dont like that)i just dont have room,i can barly close the garage door now,i used to have a barbecue cover that fit nice but the wind blew it away

[smoreau 658]

At least it was already in the garage when it froze. Saves trying to push it in from outside.

[rmaynard 15,417]

I had one of my B-100's sit outside uncovered for a period of time. The cover had blown away and I never got around to replacing it. That tractor also had a new boot, and the tranny filled with water. I solved the problem by sealing the top of the boot with clear silicone caulk, and putting a red Solo cup on top of the shifter. The cup keeps rain water from hitting the shifter knob, following the curvature around to the bottom, and then running down the shifter to the boot. The cup acts like a tent and helps divert the water away from the shifter. Just like Toby Keith says. "Red solo cup, your not just a cup, you're my friend."

My tractors got a new shed after that winter and nobody has to sit out in the rain anymore.

[tunahead72 2,400]

Just like Toby Keith says. "Red solo cup, your not just a cup, you're my friend."

Funny, Bob, I don't remember anything about Wheel Horse shift levers in that song. :ychain:

[neil 2,409]

I am only guessing but my theory on the trans axle filling with water is when the tractor sits outsite in the cold and damp the inner casing of the trans axle sweats and eveuntually fills up with water .

This is only my theory & wether this is really what happens im not 100%., but it is plausible even though you have a shifter boot installed. best solution is to keep tractor in a constant tempretured environment.

[rmaynard 15,417]

I have two 4 speed transmissions that had been sitting outside, covered loosely with a plastic tarp. They sat through at least 3 years of Maryland and New Jersey weather, where the temperatures ranged from below zero to near 100 degrees. These two states are notorious for high humidity. When I drained both transmission this past summer, neither had a drop of water in them. :confusion-shrug:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

I often wonder why there was never a seal installed on the high/low range shifter shaft of the 6 & 8 speeds. :scratchead:

[rmaynard 15,417]

I often wonder why there was never a seal installed on the high/low range shifter shaft of the 6 & 8 speeds.

I think that in the case of transmission seals, Wheel Horse was only concerned about keeping fluids in.

[Kelly 1,029]

I just last week had to drain my round hood I rebuilt last winter, it sat out part of the summer, has a new shift boot, but still filled up with water, I drained about 2 qt, of water and the 2qts of oil out, bummer it was new oil last winter, it also has a 8 speed trans plant in it, two weeks ago it would not move froze solid.

[can whlvr 993]

ya i think that covering is important,all of my tractore live inside except the 160-8,it was outside and i had to bulldoze it in to the shop with my trusty308(313now)my local dealer that i bought the 308 new from once told me when i asked about changing the tranny fluid not to bother,it doesnt need changing,shows what he knows,im thinking everyone should be changed every year from now on,i buy 80-90 in 5 gallon pails,so its much cheaper than by the gallon

[tunahead72 2,400]

... my local dealer that i bought the 308 new from once told me when i asked about changing the tranny fluid not to bother,it doesnt need changing,shows what he knows,im thinking everyone should be changed every year from now on ...

That used to be the official Wheel Horse recommendation also. My owner's manual for the 1987 300 & 400 series tractors says "Changing lubricant is not required except for major service".

I used to buy that, until I finally decided last year that it can't be a good thing to keep 25-year-old gear oil in these machines. I'm changing mine every spring now -- a couple quarts of gear oil isn't very expensive, and it's an easy way to keep things running smoothly. Plus, I just enjoy messin' with my Wheel Horses. :)

[can whlvr 993]

yep i agree ed,its good time used working on the herd