Axle Seal?

[Torino 14]

1999 520xi. It is leaking where circled. Could I be lucky and it is just a seal? How do I diagnose that it is the seal or something else? If it is a seal does anyone know the NAPA part no.?

[rmaynard 15,610]

Once the hub has been removed, the seal is easily replaced. You can get them from Toro or aftermarket from places such as NAPA.

Toro # 6449

NAPA # NOS11124

After you have removed the tire and rim, there should be no movement of the axle up and down. In and out movement of up to 1/8" is okay. Up and down indicates a worn bearing which would require disassembly of the transaxle.

[Kelly 1,029]

It could be the machining was off when the trans was built, but most not all of the hubs I've seen semi line up with the trans case, in this picture it appears to be the hub is way high to the case, jack up the tractor and watch the axle/hub see if it drops? that might be where the dealer came up with the high $$$ to repair it.

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

if the bearing fails, the axle will drop and the top of the seal will most likely loose contact with the axle.

[Torino 14]

There is up and down movement on that side. What are my options?

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

time to make a decision on splitting the trans case - or not

If Tractorville is anywhere near upstate NY, sell me the tractor and when I get there we can spend the afternoon talking about our favorite hair care products !!

[Torino 14]

How do I go about changing the bearing?

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

[Torino 14]

Any place on line I can get a manual or tutorial for fixing the case?

I filled up the case so I could drive it around and see if anything else is wrong. The oil did not drip out it poured out. I did get to run it around for a minute, everything seems to work good the rear end just makes alot of noise.

Not sure what to do. Sell like it is. Try to fix it. Farm it out. Get another trans. Are these trans hard to come by?

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

Not sure what to do. Sell like it is. Try to fix it. Farm it out. Get another trans. Are these trans hard to come by?

Sell it like it is -- you might be able to double your money selling it to someone confident of their mechanical skills and their ability as a parts "detective".

Try to fix it - depends on your commitment to the tractor. If the "honeymoon" adrenaline rush has worn off and you decide you actually NEED the capabilities of the 520xi, can find financial means to invest another $500 + in refurb costs, and have the room to store the additional tractor, go for it. If you have not split a transaxle before, plan on a few weeks worth of parts hunting, diss-assembly, advise seeking and possible weekend raids on your wallet. If you decide the repair route, we can seek out a repair manual. There are several good topics on trans rebuilds on this site. Although not exact to your model, you will gain some insight on what is in store for you.

One advantage working in your favor is the hydro unit will release from the axle housing and you will have a relatively simple mechanical array of gears, bearings and shafts to deal with. You will need to be able to remove the hydro and trans from the underside of the tractor. I don't foresee this being a repair possible with the trans still mounted in the tractor.

Pull the hub before removing the trans unit from the tractor - this could be 5 minutes or 5 days depending on what appears to be luck of the draw. Remove the brake components. Remove the woodruff key from the axle shaft. Slide off the left side axle housing to reveal the true extent of the internal damage. I'm guessing you are in for at least an axle (scarred from inappropriate contact with the bearing or axle housing), axle bearing and axle seal, woodruff key and a few gasket bearings - $300 from various on line sources. Possibly a differential end cap if the spline surfaces are wallowed due to axle tilt. You will be able to determine internal diff damage (if any) when you remove the axle from the differential.

And don't forget to add in the human capital spent - your time away from other activities.

Farm it out - you are back at the same decision point the previous owner was - is it worth the money? Do I really need this tractor? What are my plans for this once I get it fixed? Forget the OO's and Ahh's from the crowd, do you really want to commit to the needs of a 520xi ? You just don't sound sure about this adventure.

Get another trans - if you feel comfortable with the $$$ and the condition of the used trans - sure. You can probably make back a few bucks selling good spare parts from the defective transaxle.

I firmly believe there are enough folks on this site who would be willing and able to provide all the support you need to finish off the repair.

Ball's now in your court T. Wishing you good luck if you decide to rebuild.

[Torino 14]

Thanks so much for spending the time to give such a detailed answer. You have given me a lot to think about.

[MarkPalmer 81]

It's not a job for the light hearted or one to do if you are in a hurry- a good winter project if you want to keep the tractor. If digging that deep its best to just overhaul anything in the transaxle that might need at all at once.

-Mark-