BX service help!

[leveraddict]

Well I screwed up doing my 400 hour service on my BX23S.! Ill chalk it up to old age and a new pup with me only 9 days! Distracted! I serviced the HST and refilled before cleaning the dang HST screen! Sooooo....I imagine if I pull the screen now all the fluid will drain out? Maybe just a little? It was pulled at 200 hours without a speck on it but I want to check it. Any words of wisdom or suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

[85Hokie]

I stole this from another site ...... i have heard this done with a rubber stopper too (1 in - 1.5" taper) .....
but either way - you will only loose a small amount of fluid if everything goes to plan!!!

I changed my hydraulic filter WHILE laying on a gravel driveway , loosened the old, and had the new already greased and ready in the other hand.... lost about 5 ounces..... and that was from spinning the thing off and back on.......

the screen will come out quickly and go back in quickly ......well in theory it will!!!

here is that persons post:

"half-fill a small container (e.g. a coffee can) with mineral spirits.

Make sure the hydraulic oil fill plug/dipstick at the rear of the tractor is still in place.

Now, in behind the left rear wheel, remove the retaining bolt and hold-down tab for the strainer. I want to say 10mm bolt head but check your manual.

Ideally now you could pull the strainer straight out but you may have to use a pair of slip-joint pliers to give it a slight twist and draw. There is a rubber O-ring keeping the strainer in place, and in my case it kept the strainer from easily pulling out. But give it a twist and get it unset with the pliers.

Once you have a little pressure on the strainer and you can at least rotate it and begin to draw it out a bit, STOP.

Go get your neighbor, your wife/girlfriend, your son/daughter, etc. -- hand them a pair of latex gloves, and a shop rag.

That person holds the shop rag in a ready position, and then you pull the strainer straight out. Once it is clear of the hole, your helper covers the hole with the shop rag. Using this process of pre-tilting the tractor in conjunction with my untrained, unqualified, mechanically inept, and fashion-conscious wife resulted in the loss of about 3 tablespoons of hydraulic oil. There will be some questions from your helper at this point, mainly involving how long they need to maintain this position.

Drop the strainer into the aforementioned coffee can with mineral spirits. Swish it around a bit. Some glitter-like metal specks may come off the strainer and settle in the can. Do not panic. Inspect the strainer visually for tears or other issues. Give it a final swish and rinse.

Back at the tractor, say something like, "Ready? OK here we go, on 3, 1-2-3 ..." and your help removes the shop rag whilst you push the strainer into the hole, giving it a nice shove at the tail end to get the rubber O-ring seated. About 3 tablespoons of hydraulic oil will again escape. Fully seat the strainer back in place, rotate into alignment, reinstall tab and retaining bolt, and torque bolt to 197,000 ft-lbs using a NASA-calibrated torque wrench.
"

 

[Orangeglow]

I wouldn,t bother checking the screen until your next fluid change.
The first time is the worst, and you mentioned there wasn,t much of anything on it.

 

[leveraddict]

85Hokie I was thinking the same thing! Thanks!

 

[leveraddict]

I wouldn,t bother checking the screen until your next fluid change.
The first time is the worst, and you mentioned there wasn,t much of anything on it.

That was my first thought but that screen is bothering me. Still kickin myself!

 

[William1]

You changed the HST fluid. How did it look? If you want to see what 'might' be in it, pour the old fluid through a coffee filter (or paint filter). I'll assume the can pan was clean beforehand. If you find anything of note, check the strainer.
But as others have said, it is only critical to clean it at the first change and the debris is 99.9% manufacturing sparf.
I've read of some putting a shop vac on the HST fill port and then removing the strainer. The claim is no, fluid was sucked up and none leaked from the strainer on removal. Again, I've only read this and never tried it.

 

[Henro]

I wouldn,t bother checking the screen until your next fluid change.
The first time is the worst, and you mentioned there wasn,t much of anything on it.

This is the advice I would follow if I were in your situation.

 

[leveraddict]

You changed the HST fluid. How did it look? If you want to see what 'might' be in it, pour the old fluid through a coffee filter (or paint filter). I'll assume the can pan was clean beforehand. If you find anything of note, check the strainer.
But as others have said, it is only critical to clean it at the first change and the debris is 99.9% manufacturing sparf.
I've read of some putting a shop vac on the HST fill port and then removing the strainer. The claim is no, fluid was sucked up and none leaked from the strainer on removal. Again, I've only read this and never tried it.

I remember reading about the shop vac trick!
The trans fluid didnt look bad at all! Now the front axle fluid looked slightly darker.

 

[leveraddict]

This is the advice I would follow if I were in your situation.

Thanks Henro I think im going to wait.

 

[William1]

I remember reading about the shop vac trick!
The trans fluid didnt look bad at all! Now the front axle fluid looked slightly darker.

My ill-informed opinion regarding front axle fluid color Vs the HST is heat and moisture related . I do not think the front axle gets hot enough in most cases to evaporate condensation, lending it to become darker, assuming both stated with the same fluids.
When check for debris in fluids, I look for metallic (ferrous and non-ferrous) fibrous (like from a brake or clutch pack) and general debris (dirt or gasket/case sealer). Fluid color change in the axle or HST is usually a moisture issue. It is not like a engine that deals with combustion blowby.