Help - Hydraulic Fluid Leaking from Rear Axle Hub

[armylifer]

Today while clearing brush from my property I noticed a LOT of hydraulic fluid leaking from the area of the right rear axle of my BX1860. It is leaking to the tune of about 1 gallon per 5 minutes. It is a steady stream coming out of the rear axle on the right side. I cannot see exactly where it is coming from but it appears to be right next to the right rear wheel hub.

Can anyone tell me if there is an axle bearing seal that I might have torn, that would cause that much fluid to leak out? Also any tips on repair would be appreciated greatly. Sorry, no pictures. I had to jack the right side of the tractor up to stop the fluid from leaking out and I did not have any time to get pictures.

 

[100 td]

Read the manual.

https://apps.kubotausa.com/illustrated-parts/

 

[whitetiger]

Pry the seal from axle housing, remove the snap ring, the axle will now pull out of the housing. Remove another snap ring and tap bearing off of the axle shaft. Replace seal and reverse procedure.

 

[armylifer]

Pry the seal from axle housing, remove the snap ring, the axle will now pull out of the housing. Remove another snap ring and tap bearing off of the axle shaft. Replace seal and reverse procedure.

Thank you very much. This sounds simple enough. Should I replace the bearing while I am in there? Also, is it common to lose so much fluid so quickly when the seal goes?

 

[armylifer]

Today I called my local Kubota dealer and asked them for an estimate for the replacement parts. I asked them to include the cost for the two bearings and the interior and exterior circlips in the estimate. The total for all the parts including tax and shipping is $63.23.

I thought that is not a bad price so I asked them how much it would cost me if they do the whole job. They quoted me $400.00 + tax for the labor. They said they charge a flat rate for the labor. That would make the total for parts, tax, and labor almost $500.00. That seems really unreasonable to me. This is from a dealer that I use exclusively for all my Kubota needs, including implements, filters, and fluids.

If I had any other choice of dealers I would change just because of this unreasonable quote. I don't really have another option for dealers because they own both of the stores within 50 miles of where I live. Crazy!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Today I called my local Kubota dealer and asked them for an estimate for the replacement parts. I asked them to include the cost for the two bearings and the interior and exterior circlips in the estimate. The total for all the parts including tax and shipping is $63.23.

I thought that is not a bad price so I asked them how much it would cost me if they do the whole job. They quoted me $400.00 + tax for the labor. They said they charge a flat rate for the labor. That would make the total for parts, tax, and labor almost $500.00. That seems really unreasonable to me. This is from a dealer that I use exclusively for all my Kubota needs, including implements, filters, and fluids.

If I had any other choice of dealers I would change just because of this unreasonable quote. I don't really have another option for dealers because they own both of the stores within 50 miles of where I live. Crazy!

Are you forgetting fluid and filter in cost?
That's sounds like about what I would charge (as an Independent mechanic) to do that job too.
I don't think any other dealer would be any cheaper.
It's an easy job, you can do it, and if you get stuck on anything, just ask for help.

 

[armylifer]

Wolfman, The quote for labor was just for labor. Anyway, I took the wheel off this morning and discovered that the whole seal had come out of the axle. I thought that was odd so I inspected the seal very carefully. I could not see any damage to the seal itself. The whole thing just came out of the axle housing.

Anyway, I checked the axle for excess play and there was nothing remarkable about that. Just on a hunch, I tapped the seal back into the axle housing to see if it was loose. The seal was tight after I tapped it in. I started to use a scraper edge to pry the seal back out but it was tight. I decided to tap the seal all the way in again and see if it stays in the housing. I drove it around (after refilling the fluid) and worked it for about an hour. There are no leaks so far. I am going to continue using it and see if the seal blows out again.

Now to a general question. Does anyone have a hypothesis on how the whole seal could have come out of the axle housing without any damage to the seal itself? I have never seen this before.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Check the vent on the hydraulic system, over pressure (air) in the transmission can pop seals out.

 

[armylifer]

Check the vent on the hydraulic system, over pressure (air) in the transmission can pop seals out.

Can you tell me where the vent is? With all the dust flying around me when I am working I would not doubt a clogged vent. As it is I have to clean out my engine air filter every time I operate the tractor during summer months.

 

[MilkyWay]

....the whole seal had come out of the axle. I thought that was odd so I inspected the seal very carefully. I could not see any damage to the seal itself. The whole thing just came out of the axle housing....
....Now to a general question. Does anyone have a hypothesis on how the whole seal could have come out of the axle housing without any damage to the seal itself? I have never seen this before.

I have not had this on my tractor, but I have had it on trailer axle seals. These guys can teach both of us a lesson here. What I did was clean the seal casing and the wheel where the casing is pressed in then put a thin coat of Permatex gasket maker on the seal casing then tap it in. It has not come back out (yet). Guys is this a bad idea and if so, why?

 

[Ramos]

If this were me, I would pull the opposite rear tire and make sure that seal is fully seated.

If you feel better gooping your seals, that's fine. It should not be necessary if everything is to spec.

 

[armylifer]

I did pull the other wheel and checked that seal too. Actually, I didn't have to pull it to check the seal, it could be seen plainly without pulling the wheel. I pulled the other wheel because there was some pieces of wood stuck in the inside of the tire bead.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Can you tell me where the vent is?

Under the seat in the rear:

 

[armylifer]

Under the seat in the rear:

Thank you very much! I appreciate your help a lot!

 

[armylifer]

Under the seat in the rear:

What manual did tou get that drawing from? Under my tractor seat is a big plastic thing, maybe the fuel tank? There is so much crud wunder that seat I could not tell one thing from another under there. I will have to clean it before I do anything but I would like to identify all parts by assembly so I know what I am dealing with.

 

[Duke]

What manual did tou get that drawing from? Under my tractor seat is a big plastic thing, maybe the fuel tank? There is so much crud wunder that seat I could not tell one thing from another under there. I will have to clean it before I do anything but I would like to identify all parts by assembly so I know what I am dealing with.

The illustrations for your tractor can be found on the Kubota Parts website here:

https://apps.kubotausa.com/illustrated-parts/

You enter your Tractor model number in the search window and you can find all the parts illustrations there.

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