GT 14 Hydraulic Control Valve Problem: Advice Needed
By
ztnoo, in Transmissions and transaxles
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Similar Content
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By ztnoo
I've been looking for a replacement small General Motors pickup from roughly 25 years ago in reasonable shape for 4-5 months.
After reviewing untold numbers of CL listings during the period, I ran across what looked to be a reasonable mileage example in good aesthetic shape within a reasonable driving distance from my location.
It was listed on CL in Louisville. Not exactly the next county over (a three hour one way drive), but a good enough prospect, I decided to take a day road trip
3hr 2min, 187 miles, per Mapquest.
I was thinking.......OK Steve, you are wanting to drive to Louisville to look at a vehicle, so what if I couldn't find anyone (a local friend/neighbor) available on Saturday to go with me?
Three strikes and I was out. Bingo. Reality sets in.
My theory was, if it was something I really decided I wanted, I needed to get it out of Louisville THAT day. But with no drafted co-driver, I had a definite problem.
In a eureka moment, I remembered Chaplain Manny, who I had never met, but with whom I have conversed extensively, not only here at RS, but on various WH FB sites, and by email as well.
Manny was raised in Louisville, so I instinctively knew he would be an excellent guide and pathfinder in a metropolis I had no familiarity with, other than passing through on I-65 to go to Florida.
So, I messaged Manny on Friday with my situation and proposal and asked if he would be available to assist me for a few hours on Saturday. He now lives east of Jeffersonville (across the river from Louisville, in Indiana) in a very small rural town.
He replied and told me he was available to help me, given his wife and young son were away at a wedding he wasn't attending.
I explained the situation generally, and to my amazement and luck, Manny agreed to help me go into Louisville on my long bed S-15 quest.
I arrived a little after 9 am at Manny's residence (following a three hour drive) and Manny proceeded to guide me into the bowels of Louisville.
Traffic was horrific for some reason on Saturday morning on both southbound bridges over the Ohio River into downtown Louisville. Manny speculated there had to be some big event going on downtown that morning, but we never did learn what it might be. I would have definitely lost my cool sitting and waiting for traffic to start moving and the stress of trying to navigate the unfamiliar interior of a major urban jungle. But Manny took it all in stride and we eventually maneuvered around the bottlenecks and we got to the desired address in an area of town known as Germantown.
So the short of it is, I bought the truck because it was in excellent shape for a 1990 model with reasonable mileage given its age, and Manny drove the station wagon while I followed in the S15 and we went back north across across the bridge over the Ohio River leading the way back to his place east of Jeffersonville. Generally speaking, the theory "move your feet, lose your seat" applies to CL items, because they can move very quickly and you usually have to have your ducks lined up and be ready to act promptly, or there's a high risk of losing your chance. With Manny's help and assistance, I was able to achieve my goal.
Manny let me park the truck at his house until I can draft a friend into a day road trip to go retrieve my little S15 jewel later this week. When we got back to his place and he showed me his Wheel Horse collection and ongoing projects and we philosophized about life a bit before I left.
Manny is a great caring and helpful person with a warm and outgoing soul. He has considerable health issues for a male of 56 years of age, but he does his best not to allow that to distract his quality of life and daily routine. I now consider him to be a friend and buddy and not just a correspondent........having met through our mutual interest in Wheel Horses, GT 14s in particular.
Steve
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Manny & me.
Manny in front of my purchase.
My "new" S15.
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By ztnoo
I've discovered the main engine pulley driving the hydro pump seems to be a bit loose.
I need to pull the clutch and associated pulleys off to have a look at what's going on back there.
May be just a loosened allen screw mounting the pulley, a bad key, a bad pulley bore, or some combination of all three.
Is the clutch mounting bolt going into the crankshaft a right hand thread, or a left hand thread?
Anyone have a quick answer?
Steve
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By ztnoo
I have a Kohler K341 on a GT 14 tractor.
Its always had the typical .....what are they called?........pepper shaker muffler? on the tractor.
I've had to replace them several times....they seem to just eventually burn up.
I can honestly say even from day one whenever I installed a new muffler of this type, I really couldn't tell that it really muffled much noise, maybe a little, but very little.
As usage time goes on, they all got nothing but louder.
Of course, part of this is the sheer displacement of the motor......35.9 cu. in. = 588 cc. Think of it in terms of a slightly bored out Norton Manx 500 cc thumper with an open megaphone exhaust. Deafening! You don't want to be standing 8 or 10' behind a Manx when it being warmed up and the throttle is being "blipped" to do that, without ear protection.
These older flat head engines seem to be much louder than the newer OHV engines which are common in lots of equipment now.
I've owned and used this tractor for 35 years now, and I guess I'm beginning to become somewhat of a crotchety old senior, but its becoming annoying to me (the operator), and I in fact had one neighbor that ragged me out over the noise.
It may be because they have a pool and spend a fair amount of time outside, and the pool is about 10-11 feet from a chain link fence that divides the properties.
I'm really not that worried about the neighbor nearly as much as I am myself, or should I say my hearing.
I already have hearing loss from years of firing pneumatic nail guns and listening to compressors and heavy machinery running on job sites.
What are you other K341 owners using and doing to get more muffling accomplished?
Surely there has to be a more reasonable solution which will allow you to hear yourself think after an hour or hour and a half of operation.
Is there a viable, positive solution for this problem so my ears and head don't ring for an hour after just mowing my lawn?
Regards,
Steve
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By ztnoo
As many of you know, I've been in a prolonged battle with the rear hubs, woodruff keys, and oil seals on my 1969 GT 14, Model # 1-7441.
I'm to the point of installing the new SKF oil seals today as soon as I can round up one more PVC fitting to properly size it to my seals for tap in installation.
After that, its spin on the new NAPA 1410 hydraulic filter, and then fill with ATF.
When I drained the tranny, I measured and computed the volume of ATF taken.
It was right at 128 oz. + or - maybe two ounces. The volume spec says 4 qts. (4 qts. = 1 gallon = 128 oz.)
So I know I was within spec, and wasn't losing large amounts of fluid, although I have a couple of random minor seepage locations on the tractor.......mostly around the control value which raises and lowers the mower deck.
ATF is always what has been in the tranny, so that's what's going back in.
My reason for caution regarding what to use specifically is probably more a matter of jargon and my understanding of terminology than anything.
Of course, since my GT 14 was a first model year tractor, Type A transmission fluid was specified in all the literature.
Type A is no longer available, but it my understanding is that equates with Dextron II.
But isn't Dextron II now an outdated designation?
If so, what should I be putting back into this Sundstrand 90-2062 tranny to ensure continued adequate trouble-free lubrication???
I have more than a little angst over wanting to make sure I used the right product in this transmission.
The changes in products over the years makes it very confusing for those of us who only occasionally wander in and out of discussions like this and automotive/mechanical related jargon and word usage generally.
So gentlemen, what are your specific recommendations on tranny fluid to use in my Sundstrand, and is there any particular brand any of you favor over another?
Or is it pretty much the case that ATF is ATF is ATF, the world around?
Looking forward to your suggestions and recommendations.
Regards,
Steve
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By ztnoo
I thought hub removal was taxing stuff, but its almost kid's play when compared to getting a frozen woodruff key removed from an axle still in a tractor.
After several days of attempting to remove the stuck woodruff key from one of my GT 14 axles by use of about every means known to me and maybe the whole of mankind, I've opted to attempt splitting the key in place in the axle.
I'm using a Dremel tool with a thin metal cutting disc and working at collapsing the remnants inward then punching the remains out of the key slot.
I'll get it done one way or another, but I'm going to have to source a new key and I'm thinking why not just replace both axle keys on the tractor.
The other one almost fell out upon hub removal, so I am being punished unmercifully on this second axle for unknown reasons.
My preference is to buy replacement parts locally when I can, but with these whopper woodruff keys I seem to be having some difficultly locating the proper replacements nearby.
They are rather large keys by my standards and brief experience dealing with this stuff.
I've miked the good key from the second hub removed: 1/4" (W) x .58" (H) x 2" (L) on a 2 3/4" diameter, full radius.
Where and from whom are small volumes (2-10) of woodruff keys of this and similar specifications available?
Who do you gentlemen recommend and order from?
Steve
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