i bought this l3010 last year, and when i bought it, it had a new engine oil filter and the current hours were written on it. i'm 99% sure i checked the oil level before i paid for it, and it looked fine... my plan was to do a full service on it this spring, but when i double checked it, i only had like 50 more hours on the machine so i said "maybe not". i do not have any history on the maintenance on this tractor. got to my brother's today after dragging it down the highway may an hour or so and when i got there the oil was halfway up the dipstick (the dipstick is probably 36" long and the oil was 6 or 8 inches past the full mark) even after a wipe and plunge. i'm not freaking out just yet - i'll let it sit at my sister's overnight and check it after work tomorrow.
my question... is there a way to tell if there is hydraulic oil in the engine oil? does it separate if you let it rest? if the pump seal was leaking, it'd have to be significant to make a difference in a 10 gallon hydraulic tank, and i've had a hose burst and replaced some hard lines, so i can't say if i'm losing any fluid for sure. short of pulling the pump and replacing the seal (let's face it - if you pull the pump and don't replace the seal at that point it's likely you need a helmet to keep you from licking the windows anyway) is there a way to identify that 'yes, this is the trouble'?
my question... is there a way to tell if there is hydraulic oil in the engine oil? does it separate if you let it rest? if the pump seal was leaking, it'd have to be significant to make a difference in a 10 gallon hydraulic tank, and i've had a hose burst and replaced some hard lines, so i can't say if i'm losing any fluid for sure. short of pulling the pump and replacing the seal (let's face it - if you pull the pump and don't replace the seal at that point it's likely you need a helmet to keep you from licking the windows anyway) is there a way to identify that 'yes, this is the trouble'?
