What comes out doesn't necessarily go back in!

[JKS3613]

Please help me figure out this mystery. I have a MX5200 with just over 200 hours. During the recent flooding here, I was forced to operate it for a couple of hours in water that was over the front axle but below the exhaust pipe. Knowing that there is a vent on top of the axle, I planned to drain both wheel hubs and replace the oil as soon as I could. I attempted this yesterday and this is what happened. Each side holds 4.5 qts. I drained the left side and removed 4.5 qts. (no water btw) I then proceeded to add 4.5 quarts back into it. Simple right? Went to do the right side and drained 4.5 qts from it but when I went to replace the oil, it would only take 1.5 qts! I drove it around a little thinking maybe an air bubble or something was preventing the me from adding the rest of the oil but when I removed the top fill plug, oil shot right out as if it was overfilled. Let it sit overnight, drove it around some more, rechecked it, and same thing! What the heck is going on? Only thing I changed was, on the advice of a Kubota mechanic, I refilled with 80-90 gear oil instead of the thinner HST. Both are approved for use in the manual.
Thanks in advance....

 

[100 td]

Is this a 4x4? If it is, the oil in the axle housing and front diff is probably all the same and floats from one to the other. Therefore you can check the level in the main axle housing when on level ground with tires inflated identically. I expect you'll need it about half filled in the axle housing. Check your user manual for front diff/axle levels. I expect if you check levels at each side housing they should overflow while you have oil in the axle housing and diff.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Im betting 4.5 quarts is the total for axle housing. The L4610 i used to service had drain plugs on either side at knuckles and a upper level plug. Fill in centre housing wait til it ran out the level plugs. Cap and top off diff housing. If i recall it had a dipstick.

 

[bxray]

To test that both sides are the same.
Get a clean drain pan to save and reuse oil.
Drain both sides before adding to one side.
Then with one drain plug out add to the opposite side and see if it flows to the other.

Ray

 

[JKS3613]

Is this a 4x4? If it is, the oil in the axle housing and front diff is probably all the same and floats from one to the other. Therefore you can check the level in the main axle housing when on level ground with tires inflated identically. I expect you'll need it about half filled in the axle housing. Check your user manual for front diff/axle levels. I expect if you check levels at each side housing they should overflow while you have oil in the axle housing and diff.

I feel like such an idiot! You are exactly right in your diagnosis. I was only draining and adding at the wheel housing, which is LOWER than the axle housing so naturally as soon as I added enough to fill both wheel housings it started to over flow. Sure enough, there was a fill plug on top of the axle housing, which I neglected to see, and it allowed me to add the remaining fluid. Thank you all for your help leading me to the obvious solution. Sometimes I don't see the forest for the trees! Thanks again, you guys are the best!

 

[JKS3613]

One last thing...Do you think I did any damage by driving it around with only oil in the wheel housings and barely any in the axle? I probably drove it it slowly approx. 1/4 mile total.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I would think not, oil slinging around and not working it hard it should be fine.

 

[JKS3613]

Thanks! That's what I was hoping..