L185 transmission level - oops, unscrewed wrong bolt!

[p3ter]

Hi, my first post here, and a bit of a cry for help!

I recently purchased an old L185, and today was giving it a bit of a service. I don't have an operators manual, but after some searching online I found that the oil level check is. via a bolt on the left side of the transmission case, roughly in line with the gearstick.

This tractor has an aftermarket cab, and the footwell obscures a fair amount of the transmission housing. Anyway, long story short - the bolt I removed was NOT the oil level bolt, but one about 2 inches to the left, and now it won't go back in all the way, and seems to be stopping with maybe 4-5mm thread protruding.

With a bit of jiggling of gear levers, clutch etc it feels like this bolt has something to do with the PTO shifting mechanism. At the moment everything seems to still be working, I can shift PTO high/low/neutral and all gears feel normal.

So can anyone tell me what I undid, and if there is any way to get the bolt to engage again without rebuilding the gearbox

Feels like a real newbie first post, feel free to point & laugh...

 

[thespanishfarmer]

P3ter,

The last thing that any one here would do would be to point a finger and laugh at you.

You have made an honest mistake by removing the wrong bolt.
The bolt you have removed would probably be the bolt securing the shaft that allows the fork shifters to slide along. It is a shame that you have jiggled the gear levers as by doing this you have more than likely moved the shaft.

I have not yet had to remove any transmission components myself so would not want to ill advise you of the correct procedures to rectify this.

If it were me how ever, I would remove the the gear levers and top housing to gain access to the shaft and try to jiggle it back into place and then tighten the bolt.

I hope that someone else here can advise you further before you take up my advice.

I too have an L185 and can supply you with the operators and workshop manuals along with the parts list in PDF formats. Please send me a PM with your email address if you would like me to send them to you.

Good luck.

Gary

 

[MikeL]

The L185 top cover is an easy off, but it is a bugger to re-install with 3 sets of shift forks to play with.

I would review the parts list on the Kubota web site to verify which bolt you removed. If you can address your issue with out popping the cover all the easier.

The shift forks for the 3 speed pto are on the same side as the level check plug.

 

[p3ter]

Thanks for the responses and the sympathy

I tried a number of things to get the bolt back in before jiggling levers, including using coathanger wire to try and 'fish' for the hole. But it seems like whatever has gone out of alignment has dropped far enough that there was no hole to be found, and if felt like the bolt was bottoming out against a flat surface.

So I tried holding the bolt with finger tension against the obstruction, then gently moving a few things to see if I could feel the movement. Moving the PTO lever gave the most definite feedback.

I suppose If its PTO shifter it could be worse - at least I hope it will be driveable until I get around to fixing it! Plus winter is on the way now, and the snowplough attachment doesnt need PTO!

Thanks for the offer of manual PDF's Gary, I have PMed you.

 

[ipz2222]

It would not be a good idea to drive it without that bolt back in there holding what ever it's supposed to hold,, something might fall out of place and get in between 2 gears... serious damage!

 

[aquaforce]

It would not be a good idea to drive it without that bolt back in there holding what ever it's supposed to hold,, something might fall out of place and get in between 2 gears... serious damage!

Huge Mega dittos here!!!!!!
If something gets loose and moves into gears you will have massive damage and or an undesired tractor sale.

 

[Apogee]

I also agree that you need to fix it before using the tractor. If something moves and binds in the transmission, you will be looking at a VERY expensive repair bill.

Yes, it's a hassle, but you really need to take the time and fix it correctly. Sounds like perhaps the shaft may have rotated so the bolt hole is no longer lined up. You might be able to see in the hole using a flashlight to figure out if this is the case.

Good luck!

Kind regards,

Steve