4WD working properly?

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Getting to the front pinion shaft coupler will not require the front end to be disconnected.
Pull #90 (bolt) should bolt to oil pan??? or other location, then slide #80 (cover) back this will expose #10(coupler), that coupler attaches to the Pinion.

Here is what the front axle and diff housing looks like

 

[westx]

Perfect! Thanks Wolfman!

 

[westx]

Pulled the cover back and the shaft is spinning when in 4wd. I guess that means the problem is deeper inside the pinion.

 

[Bluegill]

Pulled the cover back and the shaft is spinning when in 4wd. I guess that means the problem is deeper inside the pinion.

Not necessarily. It could be a coupler.

 

[westx]

Hmmmm... that's the part I thought I just saw spinning?

 

[westx]

Ok, I get it now. After staring at the parts diagrams for a while I went outside and turned the front wheels manually while looking at the coupler. I can see it shake like it wants to turn and then slip. So I'm guessing the teeth are broken on the coupler.

I'm going to see if I can source one locally today so I can work on it over the holiday.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Bluegill]

Ok, I get it now. After staring at the parts diagrams for a while I went outside and turned the front wheels manually while looking at the coupler. I can see it shake like it wants to turn and then slip. So I'm guessing the teeth are broken on the coupler.

I'm going to see if I can source one locally today so I can work on it over the holiday.

Thanks for the help!

Yes the coupler turns with the shaft, but can be striped inside. The splines on the pinion shaft might be bad like mine, but it's usually the coupler that's bad. I ended up having to replace the ring/pinion, couplers, bearings & propeller shaft.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You need to pull the coupler off, it could also be the splines on the pinion shaft that are bad, then you in for a lot more work.
But here is hoping it's just the coupler!


Noteosted the same time as Bluegill

 

[Bluegill]

Noteosted the same time as Bluegill

& we are usually on the same page.

 

[westx]

Rear coupler on the left, front on the right:

Hard to tell if the pinion is stripped. I flipped the coupler and put it back on the pinion. I was able to turn the front wheels by hand. So there are some teeth at least, but I'm not sure if there's enough. I'm going to try and clean out the grease and post a clear picture.

 

[westx]

Pinion splines:

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Ugg not good, splines are gone!

A new coupler will work for a very short period of time then it will go too.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Now this is where it get's tricky, there is 2 different pinions depending on your serial#

S/N <=50582 P/N 35533-42240 $766.55
http://www.colemanequip.com/parts/KubotaParts/35533-42240/
S/N >=50583 P/N 35533-42260 $351.69
http://www.colemanequip.com/parts/KubotaParts/35533-42260/

And that's just the pinion not the ring.
And no they do not replace or supersede one another.

Coupler P/N 35300-21660 $38.37
http://www.colemanequip.com/parts/KubotaParts/35300-21660/

 

[westx]

I think this is the point at which I take it to my local service dealer. Replacing a pinion ring is not something I want to mess with on my driveway in December

I'll let them sort out which P/N I need.

 

[Bluegill]

Yep looks like the old L3750 I did. Lot of work and parts. Seals, bearings and such. Did it in Dec, but have a heated shop to pull the tractor into.

The pivot point on the front axle had never been greased, no fittings on this one. The wear was part of the couple/pinion failure, but the big reason for this failure was years of loader work with little or no rear ballast on the 3 pt hitch...

 

[westx]

So I got the repair bid back from the Kubota service dealer. OUCH. They want to replace pretty much the entire front end. Service guy thinks there was water in the front end. Wants to replace all the bearings/seals/bushings due to some rust on the bearings and leaky seals, which I had noticed too.

Even the ring gear (which is confusingly called the BEVEL GEAR) is showing signs of wear according to him. Tie rods and joints are loose too.

Any advice on how far I should let them go? I'm thinking skipping the tie rods and joints as I can do those myself at a later time; but let them replace all the bushings, seals, bearings as well as the pinion gears and prop shaft.

Here's a full rundown of the parts list if you're interested:

 

[Daren Todd]

Here's a few questions I have on the bid.

1: why the two different oils? One for transmission? One for front end?

2: are you gonna be charged for every shim? Or just the ones they use?

3: why the 120$ in freight? They get stuff bussed in all the time, just to stock there shelves.

4: whats the lever they are showing on the estimate for?

5: can you get a replacement front axle guts and all? If yes, what does it cost new compared to yours being rebuilt?

Sometimes you can replace the whole axle cheaper then buying each individual piece separately to rebuild it. Would just depend on if the axle is available or not. And if a dealer can come up with a part number for the whole axle

 

[MagKarl]

Looks to me like there are a whole lot of parts on that list that I would certainly question. I hope you do the same. That's pushing $5K, crazy.

 

[Bluegill]

Even the ring gear (which is confusingly called the BEVEL GEAR) is showing signs of wear according to him.

The ring gear has to be replaced, as the ring and pinion are sold in a match set. Not sure if they are shown separate on the parts list? When I did the L3750 I spent around $1500 & didn't replace everything your showing here. I'd talk to them and see if it can be done with less parts & I'd ask for a discount.

 

[Bluegill]

A bevel gear is usually the big ring gear in the hub where the front wheel bolt on. Maybe it needs one of them also?