trans flush

[briankd 817]

the eight speed i have had water in it when i bought tractor . i drained it and refilled . seen some post on here should raise front of tractor to drain . i didn't do that and now the oil is somewhat milky . going to re drain and someone here says put diesel in it and run it around and drain ? put the 2 quart diesel in or just a half of what the oil calls for ?  how long drive it around ? just a minute or two don't want to gall the brgs with just diesel  

[SylvanLakeWH 25,914]

Key thing is to get the front up high. And drain it all...run it around a while using all gears before you drain...

 

Replace the rubber shift cover also. That will prevent more water getting in. (Wheelhorsepartsandmore has them. Vendor on this site.)

 

I’ve never done the diesel or kerosene flush, but I would think another flush with the oil you just put in and will now drain completely should do the trick...

 

[JAinVA 4,620]

I have an 8 speed that had serious water intrusion ,so much so that I drained it and was going open it up just to be safe. I filled it with 2 quarts of motor oil just to keep the internals covered. I changed my mind and  decided to flush the transaxle. Motor oil out , it was milky ,and I put 2 quarts of 90 weight in , running the machine for awhile. The 90 weight looked milky on the dip stick.  I raised the front of the tractor for the 3rd time drained the oil and put in 2 quarts of diesel and ran it around for 15 minutes. I did this 3  times and then put in fresh 90 weight.  The tractor will get a gear oil change in the summer, but it still has a milky tint.

Edited February 28, 2021 by JAinVA

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Each flush just reduces the amount of water rather than eliminating it.  Last one I did I flushed twice with kero and moved on.  Others will have more thoughts.  I'll be listening in...

[Pullstart 63,086]

The diesel is oily enough, it won’t hurt your bearings just driving it around.  Your damage might occur if you try to pull a Ford out behind the barn  but otherwise no worries.

[JAinVA 4,620]

Not funny Kev, But I am still a fan!

[oliver2-44 9,848]

I've done this to a couple of transmissions. For what it's worth, what I do is similar to others here.

Jack up front of horse as safely high as possible 12-18+ inches.

(since it winter time consider safely putting an electric heater under transmission to get transmission warm, then remove heater).

Drain and let it drain until it quits dripping.

Refill with 2 or more quarts of diesel or kerosene

Drive it around for at least 5 minutes in each gear, or jack it up on jack stands and  run through each gear.  .

Drain and refill with diesel/kerosene.  If it's still really milky or solid rusty brown tranny needs to be opened up.  If it has some tinge of white or brown then thats about as good as a flush can do.

Drain thoroughly and refill with 90wt gear lube.   Run for a season and change oil again.

[JoeM 7,874]

Might want to remove dip stick tube and put a telescopic or flex magnet through the hole, fish around a bit and see how much rust you pull out. I put a magnet drain plug in mine when flushed and it was full of rust debris, the machine sat for a while and the water ran across the top of the case during ( I figured a few years ) that time. 

this one needed opened and cleaned but I have used the diesel fuel flush successfully when the machine just had milky fluid. 

When flushing, you don’t have to drive it around, just put it on jack stands. I run it in high gear to mix / throw the oil through the case. 

 

[Pullstart 63,086]

10 hours ago, JAinVA said:

Not funny Kev, But I am still a fan!

it’s all in fun...  I don’t care what’s under the hood, long as it purrs 

[peter lena 8,719]

briankd , what do you have close to you , that you can safely drive on ?  in addition to a magnetic heater to help warm up the milky / oil in your trans , road time is the best . not just rolling around your yard , unless you have a very large area. lucky to have , housing cul de sacs , near by , for safe road time. once you do the initial , milky oil drain , refill with kerosene, atf, gear oil , you must put hours on that to watch it change. you will be regularly checking dip stick , for verification of clean up , this does not suddenly happen . you are checking and gaining on the moisture problem . done this procedure on my 3 horses , and still regularly stay after fresh gear oil . hope this re affirms the process to do this , put time on that flush oil , and road time if you can , picture the oil spraying every ware and flushing down the moisture . at least 2 times , went from noisy / stiff  to quiet and smooth . pete    

[gt14rider 795]

You can put on  jackstands, put in some kerosene and run a belt to small electric motor, run in all gears , flush, repeat, lift and drain.

I ran some cheap oil, drained and fill with your favorite gear oil

[peter lena 8,719]

gt14rider,like your simple / easy set up, agree with cheap oil reflush to clean things out . one you are satisfied with the result , it will be easy to maintain it , pete

[stevasaurus 22,857]

@briankd  I am not a huge fan of flushing Wheel Horse transmissions.  Look at the picture in Post #8...that is a very clean transmission, but if you look at the sides, there is no way flushing is going to clean that out.  The fact that you just bought your horse tells me you have no idea what the transmission looks like inside.  If it has been sitting for a year or more with all that water in it, you can bet you have a sludge build up, and maybe some rust.  If you know your horse, and you get some water in it, then a flush and re-fill with 90 wt is maybe OK.  Which ever way you go, the do's and don'ts have pretty much been discussed.  One thing, don't drive around your yard with diesel or kerosene, this stuff is thin and may leak through your seals.  You will have a trail in your yard.  It is better to jack your horse up level and run it in all gears for about 20 - 30 minutes.  Jack the front up more to drain over the hump in the trans case and do again if not clean.  Use only 2 qts of diesel or kerosene...the gears throw that stuff around.  If you pull your shifter, or take off your seat and fenders, you can look down in there to get a better look at what you are up against.  

   Flushing a transmission is like taking a shower with a raincoat.  Think about it, these guys are saying it's OK to gargle and you never have to brush your teeth.  

[briankd 817]

2 hours ago, stevasaurus said:

@briankd  I am not a huge fan of flushing Wheel Horse transmissions.  Look at the picture in Post #8...that is a very clean transmission, but if you look at the sides, there is no way flushing is going to clean that out.  The fact that you just bought your horse tells me you have no idea what the transmission looks like inside.  If it has been sitting for a year or more with all that water in it, you can bet you have a sludge build up, and maybe some rust.  If you know your horse, and you get some water in it, then a flush and re-fill with 90 wt is maybe OK.  Which ever way you go, the do's and don'ts have pretty much been discussed.  One thing, don't drive around your yard with diesel or kerosene, this stuff is thin and may leak through your seals.  You will have a trail in your yard.  It is better to jack your horse up level and run it in all gears for about 20 - 30 minutes.  Jack the front up more to drain over the hump in the trans case and do again if not clean.  Use only 2 qts of diesel or kerosene...the gears through that stuff around.  If you pull your shifter, or take off your seat and fenders, you can look down in there to get a better look at what you are up against.  

   Flushing a transmission is like taking a shower with a raincoat.  Think about it, these guys are saying it's OK to gargle and you never have to brush your teeth.  

Ok this sat outside about a month before I bought it and the shifter boot was non existent. I'm  to the point don't really want to tear it apart it works fine no noises .I didn't Jack it up to get oil over the hump last time I drained it I am a little hesitant  running diesel in it is why I asked .maybe the oil I didn't get out last time contaminated the new oil . I I will try running it awhile then drain  Jake it up let it drain overnight or my case will sit couple days and refill . I think I can get new oil for free. At work synthetic 75  90 so will change it more often. First time I drained it wasn't hateful in my opinion was just milky. Just wanted to get this taken care of before I start pulling yard roller and plowing gardens  Thanks Steve

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by briankd

[stevasaurus 22,857]

I just don't want anybody to get a false sense of security.  I am not trying to scare anybody, but these horses are 50-60-70 years old, and unless it is yours, you don't know how it was taken care of.  At this time you can always re-build it...all the parts are there.  It's about $200 to replace all the bearings and seals and gasket.  If you break loose the junk and it doesn't all come out...well ??  

[Jhook 849]

My shift boot was bad causing water to enter the trans, i drained the chocolate milk that was in it, filled it with diesel fuel, and let it run in high gear on jack stands for 10 minutes then drained again. Repeated til it was clean enough for me. 

[peter lena 8,719]

@Jhook  regularly check my lubrication statis , using the lucas heavy duty , 80-90 diff oil weight (  climbing oil additives ) slings around like a light stp clinging to anything , also refill thru the shifter hole to enhance shifter gate area . when you put on that shifter boot . add a tye wrap just AFTER THE BOOT  to the shifter shaft , that will prevent it from moving around . like a little silicone spray under the boot , so it slides with out effort . also found this oil to be very quiet in use. pete

 

[23 Reo 229]

My transmission fluid is not milky it is a little dark. Should I flush with diesel or just drain and fill with differential fluid?

[peter lena 8,719]

@23 Reo  , would get a little use on it , maybe even a road drive , just to stir it up / warm it up , then elevate the front end off the ground to enhance the drainage . any crud / moisture would call for a flush , black oil is ok to just drop , pete