BX23S 50 Hour Service

[Soopitup]

Did my service a few days ago.
I thought I'd post up what I did.
It's not rocket science. Some stuff I didn't think about beforehand. Maybe the next new owner of one will benefit.

I spent the money on good stuff.
Owners manual says replace engine oil/filter and transmission filter only.
Repair manual says replace engine oil/filter and transmission oil/filter.
Plus greasing/checking stuff.
I wanted to replace the trans fluid anyways, I don't know how long it was sitting at the dealer *(edit; found a tag on the wiring harness by the battery dated June of this year, so apparently not that long)*, and I wanted to clean out the mesh pickup that seems to be caked with rtv from new.
Moly grease.

Obligatory tools required pic.
IMO The best overall filter wrench you can get. Though there are times it won't work as you'll see in the next post.
14mm for the drain plug.
Optional 8MM? for the hose clamps on the intake (so you can rotate the intake out of the way to make room for the funnel). I'll try to remember to double check the size.

Clean off the fill cap area before you open.

I hate filling oil with small funnel openings. But this is slightly too large for the hole.

Ended up using this. Fits perfect.

Toyota drain plug gaskets are a perfect fit.

As lots of others have mentioned, the original filter is on HARD.

Nozzle to clean the air filter. I prefer something like this that has a wider "spray" pattern. Covers the filter better and lessens the pressure coming out so there's less chance of damage.

Some people have mentioned their coolant has been low. My level has dropped since new, but still barely good for now.

Front axle oil.
Hard to tell from the picture; level is on the tip of the dipstick. Also lower than when I first got it. I topped this off. Since it's winter I'm sticking with the SUDT.

 

[Soopitup]

Originally I had intended to do the transmission part of the service with both rear wheels on. My rears have ballast in them so they're a bit of a pain to get on and off.
But I found my large drain pan wouldn't fit under the bottom of the rear axle and it also was too wide to fit between the rear wheels. It's actually not that large; it's a regular round 4? gallon pan.
Since the rear holds 3 gallons I couldn't use my small pan.
So, off came the left rear wheel.
Lug nuts/bolts are 13/16".

Tools needed.
Strap wrench for the filter.
27MM For the drain plug.

This filter is a pain to access. I tried a bunch of filter wrenches I had plus a pair of large channel locks. The factory skid plate blocks everything; I had to use a strap wrench.
You can also remove the skid plate, if the strap wrench hadn't worked I would have.
You can also see how the pan is 1/2" or so too high to slide under.

Still barely fits against the right wheel. But it made it.

Not a lot of space under there.

Drain plug seal for the transmission is on the case. Not a huge fan of this design and didn't expect it so I don't have a replacement. I'll have to order one of these so I have a spare in case there's a problem down the road. These tend to get beat up over time, though that's more due to carelessness. I don't anticipate a problem, but I'd rather have one gathering dust in my box than find out in the middle of a service I need it.

Tools for the transmission strainer.
12MM
Screwdriver to knock loose.

This is directly below and behind the L rear axle.
Lower bolt painted gray is the 12MM bolt holding the strainer in.
There's an oval flat piece the bolt goes through and pushes against the strainer end.
Bolt comes out and you need to use something to knock against a groove in the head of the strainer to knock it loose, then pull out.
Very little fluid comes out. Transmission is already drained, if it wasn't you would be draining the entire 3 gallons from the transmission. I guess this could be used as an alternative drain, though I don't know if it drains every last bit or not (like the drain plug does).

Bolt is loose, you can see the oval flat piece. Groove in the head is in shadow and whole thing is slightly removed from the case.
I put the tip of the screwdriver against the outer edge of the groove and tapped. Came out easy.
Keep in mind down the road it may not come out easy, be careful knocking at the groove so that you don't break a piece off.

Big reason why I wanted to drain this. I've seen worse in pictures/vids, but don't like this.
You definitely shouldn't be seeing this in a car transmission.
I will pull this next transmission service to inspect. I shouldn't see any of this at that point.
May be a good idea to have that O ring hanging around at some point as well. Eventually (many hours/years) it will harden/wear out. Don't want to find out when it's out I need one.

 

[whitetiger]

Why did you replace the original drain plug seal??? They last forever and are a much better seal than what you replaced it with.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Why ? Looks like he's used to changing them often on his Toyota, seeing that box FULL of seals !
OP. be sure to check front axle oil level, grease the peddle Zerk(under the floor mat access ) and scrape off the paint from all the BH/LDR zerks.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

be sure to check front axle oil level, grease the peddle Zerk(under the floor mat access ) and scrape off the paint from all the BH/LDR zerks.

This +1

My front axle was a tad low.

 

[ve9aa]

So far, so good. Well documented.

You're correct. Depending on which manual you consult, one will tell you to replace the hydraulic fluid @ 50hrs and one won't. Depending on who you start a conversation with here, some will argue with you that it can last as long as 200(?) hours.

I changed mine @ 50hrs for peace of mind. Wasn't much RTV in it, but enough that I felt better about doing it,.(and cleaning the screen too)


Good job on your post so far,

 

[The Evil Twin]

Why ? Looks like he's used to changing them often on his Toyota, seeing that box FULL of seals !
OP. be sure to check front axle oil level, grease the peddle Zerk(under the floor mat access ) and scrape off the paint from all the BH/LDR zerks.

50 hours? If more than 24% of that time was in 4wd, then you probably should change the front axle oil instead of checking it.
Crush washers are crush washers. I have a box of Yamaha crush washers. They are used on Ford, VW, Hyundai, Kubota, Kawasaki, KTM..... oh yeah, and Yamaha

 

[Soopitup]

I'm not even going to try to get pictures of all the grease points.
They're well documented in the manual.

If I remember I'll post a picture of the diagram(s).
I use moly grease (I believe that's what they call for?). I didn't have any paint on any fittings. The shop greased it the first time and may have cleaned them off.

I actually grease every 10 hours if I'm using an implement. For example if I only use the FEL from 50 to 60 hours I'll only grease that and not the backhoe.
However the grease inside the fittings can harden over time if it's not cycled through, so I will grease everything every 50 hour service.

 

[whitetiger]

Crush washers are crush washers. I have a box of Yamaha crush washers. They are used on Ford, VW, Hyundai, Kubota, Kawasaki, KTM..... oh yeah, and Yamaha

He removed a sealing washer which typically lasts for life and replaced it with a crush washer.

 

[The Evil Twin]

He removed a sealing washer which typically lasts for life and replaced it with a crush washer.

Huh. I never noticed there was rubber bonded to them.

 

[Soopitup]

So far, so good. Well documented.

You're correct. Depending on which manual you consult, one will tell you to replace the hydraulic fluid @ 50hrs and one won't. Depending on who you start a conversation with here, some will argue with you that it can last as long as 200(?) hours.

I changed mine @ 50hrs for peace of mind. Wasn't much RTV in it, but enough that I felt better about doing it,.(and cleaning the screen too)


Good job on your post so far,

Thank you

Both manuals (user and WSM) call for fluid change every 400 hours normally.

50 hours? If more than 24% of that time was in 4wd, then you probably should change the front axle oil instead of checking it.
Crush washers are crush washers. I have a box of Yamaha crush washers. They are used on Ford, VW, Hyundai, Kubota, Kawasaki, KTM..... oh yeah, and Yamaha

Why?
The fluid should be good for 400 hours. I don't see why the front gears would be any harder on the fluid than the ones in the transmission?
The main reason I changed the transmission fluid is to clean that screen.

And even in 2WD the gears still turn in there. No driving force of course.

Why did you replace the original drain plug seal??? They last forever and are a much better seal than what you replaced it with.

The seal it was replaced with will also last pretty much forever.
And seals just fine.

A crush washer is malleable and is designed to deform as the plug is tightened.
That washer is aluminum I believe, but the amount of force you'd need to deform it would strip the threads. They normally get used over and over and over again.

As a general rule I don't reuse seals if they've been removed unless I have to.
I definitely don't like reusing drain plug seals. I'm sure it will be fine a bunch of times, but as you reuse it the likelihood of it being damaged increases.
Replacing it is easy painless insurance.

 

[Henro]

Aside from the debate over washers, I love the enthusiasm of new tractor owners!

I was there once myself...little bit different these days after over 20 years...still love the tractors though!

 

[The Evil Twin]

Thank you

Both manuals (user and WSM) call for fluid change every 400 hours normally.




Why?
The fluid should be good for 400 hours. I don't see why the front gears would be any harder on the fluid than the ones in the transmission?
The main reason I changed the transmission fluid is to clean that screen.

And even in 2WD the gears still turn in there. No driving force of course.



The seal it was replaced with will also last pretty much forever.
And seals just fine.

A crush washer is malleable and is designed to deform as the plug is tightened.
That washer is aluminum I believe, but the amount of force you'd need to deform it would strip the threads. They normally get used over and over and over again.

As a general rule I don't reuse seals if they've been removed unless I have to.
I definitely don't like reusing drain plug seals. I'm sure it will be fine a bunch of times, but as you reuse it the likelihood of it being damaged increases.
Replacing it is easy painless insurance.

If you drained the front axle, you'd see why I did mine at 50. It was low by about 5/16" and I tried topping it up. Ended up over filling. What drained out was a dramatically different color than the fresh SUDT2. Now, I know color is meaningless when it comes to oil life. However, I decided to anyway and put gear lube in because I am never out of 4wd. The glittery sheen made me glad I did. Probably going to do it again at 150.
Edit- looked for photos but didn't find any. I may have just posted it here somewhere and deleted them.

 

[TheMurf]

Did the 50 hr service last month on my 1880 bx.. Followed the shop service manual. I had changed the engine oil at 25 hours,new filter, and Shell Rotella T-6 full synthetic..At fifty hours I changed the air filter and a new per filter ( yes, I installed a pre air filter on an 1880 ). Drained the hydro fluid, cleaned the screen which was clean to my surprise,. Cleaned it anyway, refilled it with new Super UDT. Changed both fuel filters,.I grease it every 10 hours or so when I clean and service the deck.. Anti freeze and front axle fluids are fine. Checked the torque on the wheel lugs and frame,etc. Battery clean and fluid level good.. Tire psi set per the service manual. Always hooked to a smart charger and Kept in heated garage..Ready for winter ..

 

[Soopitup]

If you drained the front axle, you'd see why I did mine at 50. It was low by about 5/16" and I tried topping it up. Ended up over filling. What drained out was a dramatically different color than the fresh SUDT2. Now, I know color is meaningless when it comes to oil life. However, I decided to anyway and put gear lube in because I am never out of 4wd. The glittery sheen made me glad I did. Probably going to do it again at 150.
Edit- looked for photos but didn't find any. I may have just posted it here somewhere and deleted them.

Hmm
Good to know.
Kind of irritating how much break in these have; considering the price. You can buy a new car or truck and not need to change anything early.

I'll have to take a look at mine. I'll drain it into a clean pan just in case.
Funny thing is, before I read this I stopped at the dealer for some missing adapters from my third function kit. Since I used the last of my SUDT topping off after the install I picked up a fresh gallon to have as a spare. I almost got just a quart but something told me to get a gallon instead.
And the front axle takes just under a gallon.

I wonder if I should stick gear oil in there if I drain it.
Going into winter, but it will see less use, and it doesn't normally get much below 20 where I am.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I just went gear oil. Cheaper, and (IMO) protects sliding gear teeth better. If my 4wd use was occasional, maybe not.
FWIW, probably should reconsider changing vehicle fluids sooner also. I always have and am no longer surprised at what I find. Ford, Honda, Kia, Toyota..... all of em have had wear metals in their original fluid. The only ones that were pretty clean at the 1st 10k were German.

 

[Soopitup]

I finally got around to draining the front axle. It didn't look bad, just dark.
I figured since I had it empty I might as well just put new fluid in.
I thought about using gear oil; I only had 3 qts on hand, while I had the gallon of SUDT. So I went with the SUDT.

The irritating thing is, when I first looked in the manual it said the front axle takes 3.9 qts. While I was draining the axle I found another part of the manual that said it takes 5 qts. Which pissed me off because I only had 1 gallon of SUDT and I wouldn't have drained it if I knew it took 5 qts.
Then when I refilled it only took 2.5 qts. Even after running it for an hour and a half.

Good to know for next time.

 

[Soopitup]

Drain plugs are on both front knuckles. It took me a minute to find them. I crawled underneath first and checked all over the bottom and rear of the axle. Finally crawled out and found them on the front.
Drain plugs are 14mm.
They have the same type of seal as the oil pan, albeit a little smaller. I reused them for now.

Dirty fluid.

BG transmission filter saves the day again! I had to raise the hood to fit it in the fill hole though.
You can see the Land Pride third function in there. I'll do a thread about that when I get a chance.

2.5 qts when I first filled (overfull). A little over a 1/2 inch over? You can barely see the full line. Drove for a bit and the level dropped to full.

Both pages from my WSM. One says 3.8 qts, one says 5 qts. My axle took 2.5 qts.
Good to know you can trust the manual....

 

[JSL]

Did my service a few days ago.
I thought I'd post up what I did.
It's not rocket science. Some stuff I didn't think about beforehand. Maybe the next new owner of one will benefit.

I spent the money on good stuff.
Owners manual says replace engine oil/filter and transmission filter only.
Repair manual says replace engine oil/filter and transmission oil/filter.
Plus greasing/checking stuff.
I wanted to replace the trans fluid anyways, I don't know how long it was sitting at the dealer *(edit; found a tag on the wiring harness by the battery dated June of this year, so apparently not that long)*, and I wanted to clean out the mesh pickup that seems to be caked with rtv from new.
Moly grease.
View attachment 116542

Obligatory tools required pic.
IMO The best overall filter wrench you can get. Though there are times it won't work as you'll see in the next post.
14mm for the drain plug.
Optional 8MM? for the hose clamps on the intake (so you can rotate the intake out of the way to make room for the funnel). I'll try to remember to double check the size.
View attachment 117094


Clean off the fill cap area before you open.
View attachment 116544

I hate filling oil with small funnel openings. But this is slightly too large for the hole.
View attachment 117099

Ended up using this. Fits perfect.
View attachment 117100


Toyota drain plug gaskets are a perfect fit.
View attachment 116545


As lots of others have mentioned, the original filter is on HARD.
View attachment 116546

Nozzle to clean the air filter. I prefer something like this that has a wider "spray" pattern. Covers the filter better and lessens the pressure coming out so there's less chance of damage.
View attachment 117095

Some people have mentioned their coolant has been low. My level has dropped since new, but still barely good for now.
View attachment 117096

Front axle oil.
Hard to tell from the picture; level is on the tip of the dipstick. Also lower than when I first got it. I topped this off. Since it's winter I'm sticking with the SUDT.
View attachment 117097

Did my service a few days ago.
I thought I'd post up what I did.
It's not rocket science. Some stuff I didn't think about beforehand. Maybe the next new owner of one will benefit.

I spent the money on good stuff.
Owners manual says replace engine oil/filter and transmission filter only.
Repair manual says replace engine oil/filter and transmission oil/filter.
Plus greasing/checking stuff.
I wanted to replace the trans fluid anyways, I don't know how long it was sitting at the dealer *(edit; found a tag on the wiring harness by the battery dated June of this year, so apparently not that long)*, and I wanted to clean out the mesh pickup that seems to be caked with rtv from new.
Moly grease.
View attachment 116542

Obligatory tools required pic.
IMO The best overall filter wrench you can get. Though there are times it won't work as you'll see in the next post.
14mm for the drain plug.
Optional 8MM? for the hose clamps on the intake (so you can rotate the intake out of the way to make room for the funnel). I'll try to remember to double check the size.
View attachment 117094


Clean off the fill cap area before you open.
View attachment 116544

I hate filling oil with small funnel openings. But this is slightly too large for the hole.
View attachment 117099

Ended up using this. Fits perfect.
View attachment 117100


Toyota drain plug gaskets are a perfect fit.
View attachment 116545


As lots of others have mentioned, the original filter is on HARD.
View attachment 116546

Nozzle to clean the air filter. I prefer something like this that has a wider "spray" pattern. Covers the filter better and lessens the pressure coming out so there's less chance of damage.
View attachment 117095

Some people have mentioned their coolant has been low. My level has dropped since new, but still barely good for now.
View attachment 117096

Front axle oil.
Hard to tell from the picture; level is on the tip of the dipstick. Also lower than when I first got it. I topped this off. Since it's winter I'm sticking with the SUDT.
View attachment 117097

Thanks for this great post w/pictures--and thanks to all the other posters in this thread. I am currently wrestling with getting the factory oil filter off and hadn't even considered the front axle at this point. Am at 50 and have kept up with greasing and was aiming at trans filter and oil /filter change now

 

[The Evil Twin]

They can be a bear to get off the first time.