B7100D oil seep front differential

[Susan]

Hi from west TN: i've recently noticed that my workhorse of a B7100 is seeping oil from the beneath the slotted nut at the top of the front differential. (A teeny amount of oil - in the realm of a teaspoon, maybe.) The weather is warm, I've been mowing and bush hogging like crazy. There's plenty of oil in the differential. Is this seepage something to be expected under heavy use in hot weather, or are we talking new bushings and/or o-rings on the center pin? If the latter, is it call the shop ASAP, or monitor oil level and haul it off to the shop in the fall?

All advice welcome!

 

[hodge]

Welcome to OTT! I don't think there are too many ladies hanging out here. Glad the Kubota appreciation isn't just a guy thing!
A photo would be helpful- if it is at the pivot pin, it probably is migrating from somewhere else. Like you, I would want to know where it is coming from, but at this point, if it were my tractor (we all approach potential problems differently), I would find out where it is coming from, check that level, and then watch it for a little while. That little bit of oil makes it hard to justify tearing into something, if it is only conditional (such as high stress usage, overfilled, etc.).

 

[Susan]

Hi Hodge,

Thanks for the nice welcome! My dad was a Cat mechanic, and he never considered mechanics a man's only pursuit. Besides, it's fun and usually involves all sorts of logical problems.

I've attached what I hope is a legible (if upside down) picture. The leak comes from under what looks like an enormous safety pin - okay, that's probably more descriptive than technical. From reading the parts list, I don't see that the oil can originate anywhere else than the differential case. It seems to me that it would have to expand too, in order to reach this fitting. The fill port being a couple inches below it.

 

[skeets]

HOT DAWG,,, A girl and her Kubota,,,, its a beautiful thing my girls grew up around jeeps and Harleys,, Welcome Aboard

 

[lsmurphy]

Wouldn't worry about it.

 

[hodge]

Wouldn't worry about it.

I wouldn't worry, either.
It is amazing how far a little oil can migrate. I would lay money that it is from the engine, not the differential. Unless it has been rolled, oil from the axle isn't going to move up hill.

 

[Dennis]

That oil may likely to be coming from a leaking front axle pivot pin seal.
The pivot pin on the B7100 passes through a cavity in the front diff and is lubricated by diff oil.

I had a similar leak on my B7100 for many years and finally got around to replacing the pivot pin and seals.

Put a jack under your front end then check for excess play in the pivot pin.

My concern was that dirt was getting past the seals and into the diff.

 

[Susan]

Thanks guys. This is reassuring. I'll check for wiggle in the pivot pin, but otherwise won't worry about the seep .. and will keep my usual beady eye on the engine oil.

@Skeets, Funny you mention jeeps. I learned to drive in a '46 Willys. It's parked in my barn.