hydraulic pump question

[gishee]

Hi, my brother purchased a 1987 L2250 4w kabota and it was working great. He was pushing some big rocks around and looks like hydraulic fluid started spraying. He turned the tractor off and pulled the dipstick and fluid started rushing out. Looks like hydraulic fluid. Research suggests that he blew the seal on the hydraulic pump and that needs to be replaced or a new pump.

Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations on how to fix it? Should he try to replace it himself or go to a dealer where it is assumed it will cost a fortune. Any suggestions would be appreciated for a newbie with the 1st major issue with a kabota. George

 

[Russell King]

First off learn that he owns a Kubota not a kabota and you may not get teased as much!

From your description it is difficult to know which dipstick was removed (engine or transmission (if there is one)) and where the oil was spraying from.

But I assume that the dipstick is the engine oil dipstick and the crankcase is over full of engine oil and hydraulic oil. That is a sign that the seal on the hydraulic pump has failed and pumped hydraulic fluid into the engine.

That is a relatively simple fix by removing the hydraulic pump from the engine and replacing the seal. The seal should be available from the dealer. Unfortunately there are two different parts that are based on the serial number of the tractor. You may want to order both if you need the tractor working sooner than later. The pump may have been replaced with a different used pump in the years of its existence.

The seal is held in with a circlip (#60) so you will need a good set of pliers to get it out. Then the seal (#40) should be easy to remove. Put some smooth aluminum foil over the end of the shaft splines and slip the new seal over the foil to avoid damaging the new seal. Put everything back together and change the engine oil and filter and get back to work.

This illustration came from this website: https://apps.kubotausa.com/illustrated-parts/

You may want to order any o rings that seal the inlet and outlet pipes. If you are prone to losing circlips as they fly off the pliers you may want to get one spare clip.

 

[gishee]

First off learn that he owns a Kubota not a kabota and you may not get teased as much!

From your description it is difficult to know which dipstick was removed (engine or transmission (if there is one)) and where the oil was spraying from.

But I assume that the dipstick is the engine oil dipstick and the crankcase is over full of engine oil and hydraulic oil. That is a sign that the seal on the hydraulic pump has failed and pumped hydraulic fluid into the engine.

That is a relatively simple fix by removing the hydraulic pump from the engine and replacing the seal. The seal should be available from the dealer. Unfortunately there are two different parts that are based on the serial number of the tractor. You may want to order both if you need the tractor working sooner than later. The pump may have been replaced with a different used pump in the years of its existence.

The seal is held in with a circlip (#60) so you will need a good set of pliers to get it out. Then the seal (#40) should be easy to remove. Put some smooth aluminum foil over the end of the shaft splines and slip the new seal over the foil to avoid damaging the new seal. Put everything back together and change the engine oil and filter and get back to work.

This illustration came from this website: https://apps.kubotausa.com/illustrated-parts/

View attachment 164414

You may want to order any o rings that seal the inlet and outlet pipes. If you are prone to losing circlips as they fly off the pliers you may want to get one spare clip.

Hello Russell and thank you for the warranted tease as I missed the spelling! Thanks for the help as I sent my brother the info you provided. I will follow up with him. Yes it was when he pulled the dipstick out of the oil from the engine and fluid was just pouring out. He had the right amount of oil in it but like you mentioned, guessing the seal blew out and filled the engine with hydraulic fluid. We turned the tractor off immediately and it was leaving a trail on the ground as I backed up and he noticed it and we turned it off immediately. VERY grateful for your input and clarification. Will let you know what the result is after that. He also has a local place (as he is living out in the country) that he might get to change it, assuming the pump is still ok. Thanks again and if you have any other suggestions, very open to any comments, including any more teasing...lol. George