I have a leak from what looks to be rivet covered holes on the side of the flywheel housing on my Kubota L355ss. There are four such holes right under the clutch arm. I am also noticing fluid leaks around the column under the steering wheel, leaking onto the dash. Perhaps related? Any suggestions on what I can do to address this? The leak from the flywheel housing is pretty significant so I hesitate to use the tractor much until it is addressed. Appreciate any advice! Thank you!
Leak from flywheel housing on L355ss
- Thread starter Pappa_farmer
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rbargeron
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L5450, L48, L3250, L345 never enough attachments
Just noticed this thread - may I ask is this machine a recent acquisition? Has it been leaking a long time? Or did it just start?
Diagnosing oil leaks near this location on this model is tricky - Have you needed to add oil to the trans? or is it the power steering that's getting low? They are separate systems (but use the same kind of fluid).
If its just a steering fluid leak, the PS reservoir will get low, but the shuttle system will be unaffected. Steering may get stiff, but the tractor will still move fine.
Oil leakage into the clutch housing can be from the steering - or can be from internal transmission, shuttle, or crank seal. My L345's clutch housing has a small intentional weep hole at the bottom so any leakage gets out before building up enough to soak the clutch.
The transmission contains a lot of oil, so it would need to leak couple gallons to affect the shuttle and drive-ability. The steering has only a couple quarts so a significant leak here would show up sooner in hard/loud steering.
Using the tractor that way isn't going to hurt it if all levels are checked and corrected now and then. You can buy a lot of conventional tractor hydraulic oil from Walmart (don't need UDT) for way less than disassembling the machine looking for internal leakage.
Bottom line is except for the mess the leakage may not be a threat to the viability of the machine - and depending on how you use it, it may not be worth chasing very hard. If you can abide the leaks, the machine may still prove usable as-is. A trip to a dealer's shop might prove RI$KY. Hope this is useful. Best luck - Dick B.
Diagnosing oil leaks near this location on this model is tricky - Have you needed to add oil to the trans? or is it the power steering that's getting low? They are separate systems (but use the same kind of fluid).
If its just a steering fluid leak, the PS reservoir will get low, but the shuttle system will be unaffected. Steering may get stiff, but the tractor will still move fine.
Oil leakage into the clutch housing can be from the steering - or can be from internal transmission, shuttle, or crank seal. My L345's clutch housing has a small intentional weep hole at the bottom so any leakage gets out before building up enough to soak the clutch.
The transmission contains a lot of oil, so it would need to leak couple gallons to affect the shuttle and drive-ability. The steering has only a couple quarts so a significant leak here would show up sooner in hard/loud steering.
Using the tractor that way isn't going to hurt it if all levels are checked and corrected now and then. You can buy a lot of conventional tractor hydraulic oil from Walmart (don't need UDT) for way less than disassembling the machine looking for internal leakage.
Bottom line is except for the mess the leakage may not be a threat to the viability of the machine - and depending on how you use it, it may not be worth chasing very hard. If you can abide the leaks, the machine may still prove usable as-is. A trip to a dealer's shop might prove RI$KY. Hope this is useful. Best luck - Dick B.
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Thank you for your reply! I just acquired this L355ss. I did notice a little fluid seep from the hole on the side of the flywheel housing when test driving the tractor. I was told that old tractors will have some small leaks so nothing to worry about. I loaded it onto the trailer and drove it home. Unloading it I notice some fluids on the dash and around the steering column under the steering wheel. The tractor seat had flipped over against the steering wheel during transport - not sure if the impact of the seat hitting the steering wheel could have jarred something further loose. When driving it around on my property after unloading it off the trailer, the fluid was no longer seeping but rather running down from the flywheel housing hole. Do you know where the power steering reservoir is on this tractor, and how to assess if it has the needed amount?
North Idaho Wolfman
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This is the power steering reservoir.
Fill to level on the dipstick on the cap.
Just use UDT hydraulic fluid.
Then look down at the second message and image.
Your model does not have a split pin drain (weeping drain).
So you will need to pull the drain and see what's in there and what's coming out of there.
You can also run it with the plug out and watch for excessive leaking out of the drain hole.
Try to get a sample of it.
If it does have a leak then you have a problem.
You could have a leak in one of several things.
and could be several different fluids.
Candidates for leaks are,
Steering box
Hydraulic shuttle valve
Rear main seal
Fuel tank
Frost plug
Sealing cap
Here is the plug you need to pull.
It's possible that the plug is hiding under the plate below it.
Fill to level on the dipstick on the cap.
Just use UDT hydraulic fluid.
Then look down at the second message and image.
Your model does not have a split pin drain (weeping drain).
So you will need to pull the drain and see what's in there and what's coming out of there.
You can also run it with the plug out and watch for excessive leaking out of the drain hole.
Try to get a sample of it.
If it does have a leak then you have a problem.
You could have a leak in one of several things.
and could be several different fluids.
Candidates for leaks are,
Steering box
Hydraulic shuttle valve
Rear main seal
Fuel tank
Frost plug
Sealing cap
Here is the plug you need to pull.
It's possible that the plug is hiding under the plate below it.