How to remove trans dipstick

[matt monte 132]

Happy new year to all. let me start off with saying im new to the tractor scene but can fab/weld/paint/etc and look forward to diving into this awesome hobby. I recently got a new home on a bigger parcel requiring a garden tractor to mow, push wouldnt work. Anyway i bought a used 260 series for that. A month ago i picked up a 312-8 with a plow attachment just devoted to clearing driveway in the event of snow. I saw this basket case on marketplace and couldnt resist. plans are for a complete tear down and rebuild. P/O stated he broke dipstick tube accidently when removing rear faring. Said starter fried, and he  was removing engine in an effort to clean and repaint tractor. guy lost interest, and sold as a basket case with "most parts" . I know im all over the map here, just trying to give the back story. The trans related questions are : how to remove and replace dipstick and is there a way to make these rims work? Meaning spacers are something so stock fuel tank will work? Kinda liked the look however if they are not practical, or more of a hassle ill search for stock. My plans are to replace any gaskets or seals but would prefer not to have to rebuild eng/trans myself, im more of a assembly guy. Ive done a few 57 chevys, im aware of limitations and when it pays to have the right person handle a certain task. Im not taking anything else apart until i research a few builds done. Havent really found anything yet. Thanks in advance for any advice or answers to my questions

[wallfish 17,023]

The plastic trans tube is threaded into the hole in the trans. Unscrew it

[matt monte 132]

not sure if u saw pic, i dont have much material to work with,lol

[ebinmaine 67,717]

4 minutes ago, wallfish said:

The plastic trans tube is threaded into the hole in the trans. Unscrew it

 

I may have broken one of them off thinking it pressed in. Maybe. 

 

You've got a good base there. 

 

Wheel adapters are available and easy enough to use.

They are however a bit tough to choose because there's sooo many available. 

 

I can PM you a link for a set on ebay that works well and adds 2" per side. 

 

You'll likely need to touch each lug hole with a half inch drill to clean them out. 

 

While there it's a GREAT idea to install lug bolts and nuts. Makes installing wheels a new world of easy. 

[ebinmaine 67,717]

1 minute ago, matt monte said:

not sure if u saw pic, i dont have much material to work with,lol

Should be just enough to lock a pair of vise grips on there. 

[wallfish 17,023]

13 minutes ago, matt monte said:

not sure if u saw pic, i dont have much material to work with,lol

I saw the pic. If you can't grab what's there you will need to get creative to remove it.

A large easy-out to fit in that hole

Hammer and Chisel to split it

Cut it - use a vacuum to catch the dust pieces

heat it - warm it until it's pliable and pry it out

Edited January 4, 2021 by wallfish

[Pullstart 62,923]

That plastic should be fairly malleable when treated like @wallfish suggested.   if I haven’t already, good luck with your new project!

[953 nut 55,372]

1 hour ago, matt monte said:

guy lost interest, and sold as a basket case with "most parts"

Looks like a good project. You will find lots of information and help with any questions you may have, please ask if in doubt.

[JCM 9,213]

Almost looks as though the tranny may have been split before, is that orange permatex on the case halves, usually just a gasket there. Also the nuts & bolts are usually painted red when the trans get's painted at time of build.  Good luck on your resto.

[Ed Kennell 38,289]

3 hours ago, wallfish said:

I saw the pic. If you can't grab what's there you will need to get creative to remove it.

A large easy-out to fit in that hole

Hammer and Chisel to split it

Cut it - use a vacuum to catch the dust pieces

heat it - warm it until it's pliable and pry it out

 

                          I would try the easy out first.    If you don't have one large enough, you may be able to rent one from any auto repair shop or auto parts shop.

  Lincoln at A-Z Tractor should be able to supply you with the new parts.      Lincoln is a vendor listed in our classified section at the bottom of the home page.

 

                                    to the 

[matt monte 132]

thanks guys for all the great responses. now that i know its threaded and not pressed, i have a better idea how to proceed. Good eye on permatex. i noticed that was well and wondered what happened there. 

[R. L. Addison 299]

Drive a piece of square keystock in it. should back right out.

[peter lena 8,647]

MATT,  good choices on that removal, take advantage of the total access to the area , and detail and lubricate linkage areas, also noticed the home made rear hitch mount on that angle steel to top of rear end plow hitch , making up a similar set up to be a weight mount base, bolt on . just a good opportunity to improve and correct while you are there , pete 

[pacer 3,174]

While we're in tranny talk mode, while youre messin with it go ahead and drain/flush the tranny. While the shifter boot looks really good, the PO just may have replaced it and never drained/flushed the cavity - the case is very prone to collect moisture.

[peter lena 8,647]

pacer, that's what I am  talking about !  regularly go over areas and look to see if I can improve or change out a problem. pete

[rmaynard 15,525]

If it won't turn out, I would take a hacksaw blade or saber saw, run it up and down until it cuts through, making a relief cut, then pry it out with a flat screwdriver. Similar to the procedure used to remove a rusted exhaust nipple.

Edited January 4, 2021 by rmaynard

[matt monte 132]

ugh, wanna get out to garage and tackle this dipstick now that i have a game plan  but i have week off to paint a few rooms that i promised old lady before christmas, dont you just hate when life gets in the way of tinkering!!! Friday i should have free time, ill report back then. P/O said trans worked shifted without issues. ( yeah i know to take with grain of salt) Any decent videos out there on replacing all seals without taking all the gears apart? Like was mentioned earlier, definitely appears trans has been apart for reasons unknown and a permatex was used in place of gasket. Also i zoomed in on what looks like a leak at axle, wanna fix that as well. Last year i bought a HF media blaster and a hand truck as well as fittings from box store to make a killer blaster that works well,all things considered. Ive had great results with their black oxide media, although pricey. Ugh, im drifting again,lol  So to recap, im not gonna remove, clean, blast and paint only to have these possible leaks reappearing. Briefly searched YT didnt exactly see what i was looking for. Not sure what that homemade hitch thing is but it impedes the brackets for stock fuel tank so its gonna go

[stevasaurus 22,769]

Matt, should you decide to open that transmission, and I would because of how it is sealed.  I'm thinking it does not have a gasket.  You may have as much of that sealant inside the transmission as outside, and if you do, you could flush that transmission everyday for a year and you will not get any of it out of there.  Anyway, check out this thread on opening and closing your transmission.  

 

 

[pacer 3,174]

1 hour ago, matt monte said:

their black oxide media

On the blast media --- TSC carries 'Black Diamond" media at $7.99/50lbs(last I bought which was a couple yrs ago) 

I run their fine grade in my cabinet, you might get by with the medium grade with your pot set-up........

[rmaynard 15,525]

Make sure you get one of these, a pair of overalls, and heavy gloves. That media will come flying right back at you. I know that from experience. Also set up a good painters tarp behind, under, and on the side to catch overspray.

 

[matt monte 132]

safety is paramount, i would go as far to the mask pictured is really only good enough for small pieces. When im blasting im thankful enough to have access to self contained breathing apparatus. I try only to blast in fall/winter. during warm weather u can go thru a "45 min" tank in like 15-20.

[ebinmaine 67,717]

4 hours ago, matt monte said:

safety is paramount

EXCELLENT

[KAA 1973 71]

17 hours ago, matt monte said:

ugh, wanna get out to garage and tackle this dipstick now that i have a game plan  but i have week off to paint a few rooms that i promised old lady before christmas, dont you just hate when life gets in the way of tinkering!!! Friday i should have free time, ill report back then. P/O said trans worked shifted without issues. ( yeah i know to take with grain of salt) Any decent videos out there on replacing all seals without taking all the gears apart? Like was mentioned earlier, definitely appears trans has been apart for reasons unknown and a permatex was used in place of gasket. Also i zoomed in on what looks like a leak at axle, wanna fix that as well. Last year i bought a HF media blaster and a hand truck as well as fittings from box store to make a killer blaster that works well,all things considered. Ive had great results with their black oxide media, although pricey. Ugh, im drifting again,lol  So to recap, im not gonna remove, clean, blast and paint only to have these possible leaks reappearing. Briefly searched YT didnt exactly see what i was looking for. Not sure what that homemade hitch thing is but it impedes the brackets for stock fuel tank so its gonna go

I did a trans flush and seal replacement on my 312 a few weeks ago, no video but a few pics in a thread I created.

Took me about 3 hours start to finish.

I  bought a seal puller on Amazon but it was a waste of money, the seals are so small you can't get the hook in to pull it out.

At the advice of folks here I grabbed a few small screwdrivers and jammed them in and took a hammer and got them to spin enough to get them cocked and yanked them out.

 

17 hours ago, matt monte said:

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,717]

59 minutes ago, KAA 1973 said:

screwdriver

I have a very particular screwdriver that I use to remove seals on these transmissions. It's a long thin flat blade a quarter inch across that's fairly sharp.

 

I put the tip of the screwdriver on the seal right near the edge of the cast iron transmission case and with a few taps of a hammer it will penetrate the edge of the seal.

Usually do this two or three locations around the outside diameter of the seal and it will start to spin on its own.

Be sure to take a pick or some sort of small tool and maybe a rag on the end of it and clean out the place where the seal was. 

 

[Skipper 1,788]

Last time I had a broken off dip stick, I took a small piece of flat bar, cut it to width a bit wider than tube ID. About 1/8" wider. Rounded one end, and sharpened sides and round tip. Nudged it in with a hammer, and turned it right back out with the broken off stump attached. Easy as 1-2-3, and it is now a part of the "special tools" box.