Case 580C producing oil

[Greg in KY]

I have a Case 580C in excellent condition from all appearances, 3,500 hours, cab, barn kept, gets used very little. Never been in belly deep water in the 4 years I have owned it.
All the fluids were changed about this time last year and I have probably put less than 100 hours on it since then.

It has not been started for about a month.

Yesterday I noticed the there was fluid dripping from the dipstick tube for the shuttle transmission. The dipstick tube was completely full. I am not sure how much leaked out- I suspect less than a few ounces. It is parked on a clay dirt barn floor and the oil spot was about 8" diameter. The fluid looks good-like new.

We recently had some below zero weather which is sort of uncommon for us.
I have a 18yr old feller that helps me some and he said he had not added any fluid to it. I have not added any and I am quite certain it was at the correct level when we changed the fluid a year ago.

My questions-
What would cause this?
Do I need to check anything before I start it?

Thanks, Greg
Frequent reader- seldom poster- I appreciate y'all

 

[Greg in KY]

No ideas?

 

[02Dmax]

I'm in no way familiar with those but I'd say its full of hydraulic fluid. Does a hydraulic pump run off of the tranny somewhere. If the shaft seal went out of the pump it could've filled that tranny up pretty quick.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[roadrunner81]

I would at least loosen the drain plug until fluid starts to seep and see if there maybe water. If fluid looks good drive it around till warm and recheck.

 

[Goose]

The shuttle on this machine is pretty self contained. The cooler is separate from the radiator and it has no aux drives coming off of it. If it over full that far the extra fluid would have almost had to have come in through the dipstick/fill tube or maybe if the breather was missing it could have come in through there if it had set outside through a good long rain. Only other thought would be if the fuel tank was leaking and running into an open vent hole but you should have more fuel on the ground also.

 

[backhoe1]

Could it be fuel? There are 2 seals on the injection pump shaft that can fill the crankcase with fuel. Easy fix just make sure they don't roll when installing.

 

[Goose]

Fuel or engine oil cant transfer to the shuttle past the bellhousing unless the big weep hole in the bellhousing is plugged and the rear crankshaft seal is leaking.

 

[Greg in KY]

I will report back.

Saturday I loosened the drain plug- The no water -the oil looked like it did when it was put in.
I fired it up drove it around about 5 minutes. Everything working as it should.
Then- I forgot to check the dang oil level- Getting old and forgetful.

I appreciate the help(moral support) you all gave me.

Thanks, Greg

 

[RHINOS TRANNYS]

:usaWhen checking the shuttle oil level the engine has to be running a low rpm

 

[melben]

Securely fix the tractor so it can't move, brakes on or wheels chocked. 4th gear Fwd shuttle idling, that makes the pump the only running item and stops all oil slinging as the geartrain is stopped, check at idle. Best, most accurate way to check it.

Mel

 

[Serpentine]

I have had a 580C for about 25 years and there is nothing I haven't taken apart down to pieces including the engine, power shuttle, rear-end/trans, injector pump, steering pump, etc... I encountered the power-shuttle issue you have with oil leaking out the dipstick filler pipe after sitting for some time...no one on this planet seems to be able to figure this one out... after your hoe sits for some time, and the outside temperature climbs, pressure will somehow build inside the shuttle and force the trans oil up filler pipe and start leaking as you describe... before I realized this was happening, my hoe shuttle started to slip one day and within seconds you will burn your clutch plates forcing you to tear down the shuttle and replace them...fun job... I had to do this twice for same oil issue... so much oil will eventually leak out that it will starve of oil and like I said burn your plates within seconds if you feel the shuttle slipping... so I thought I'd be smart and vent the filler pipe... didn't help... so I securely plugged the pipe and then the oil came up through the vent plug on top of the shuttle... before I knew it, I was into another shuttle rebuild (not impressed)... Case reps were clueless to issue... so I decided to run a 4 foot line from top of shuttle vent... guess what, it still climbed to top of line and out.... after 20 years of this nonsense and oil loss, I decided to mount a plastic lawnmower gas tank at rear of engine compartment (tie wrapped it)... so now oil will flow up into tank (as outside temps rise), and after starting it, oil will dropped back down into shuttle... seems to have pretty much resolved loss oil issue... once you start hoe, oil will clear from oil filler pipe as it drops back into shuttle... let it idle in neutral and check to see it is at least on dipstick when cool... won't hurt anything if it is low when you start and run it in neutral... don't dare put it in gear if it is off dipstick; otherwise, the fun starts!! My 580C has been nasty to me at times; first day I received after buying used, I went to start it and yes a fire due to positive battery cable shorting to frame... a week later, pinion jumped onto top of crown gears...2 months in my yard rebuilding... and not able to get bearing pre-load despite having all shims out... Case reps never heard of that either... go figure...very $$ for parts once I was finished... and anything I sent out for repair came back problematic and had to be sent back... I could write a book... DO NOT get your torque converter rebuilt (should you ever have to) unless you have them guarantee in writing it will be working... OMG I went through hell over this issue for months...long story... anyways, enjoy your 580C... any questions, feel free to ask me... pretty much an expert with the 580C hoe... take care

Jerry

 

[Greg in KY]

Thanks, Greg

 

[Andy01]

I recently purchased a 580C with power shuttle. I let it sit for about 3 weeks outside and noticed a new leak, (one of many) the dipstick tube for shuttle was dripping. When I removed dipstick the tube was full of oil and about 250ml of clean looking oil ran out. It was at proper level when parked. I figured it must have some how filled up with rain water. After reading this thread that may not be the problem. I will remove drain bolt and check for water. This forum has a lot of valuable information thanks for posting.

 

[Andy01]

I removed the drain bolt for shuttle/torque converter and machine had been sitting for 4 weeks i figured any water would be at the bottom but it looked like well used oil no sign of water so I will make sure I top it up before i use it. Must be siphoning oil out of sump some how?

 

[melben]

There is a small vent on top of the shuttle body that could get plugged or covered over, it may be wise to check that, it has a semi loose cover crimped over the stem and probably has a spring and disc to stop leakage, probably the place where you that have added a separate vent took the cap and associated parts off to install a hose. A thing to remember is that during shut off periods the TC does drain back to sump so it is perfectly normal to be overfull before starting but oil loss is not typical. I have never had an issue with leakage associated with sitting for a period of time but have had a couple that erupted oil after fast roading and an immediate shutdown after stopping.

Probably one thing I would suggest and everyone gets tired of hearing it is to use a good grade of oil designed for that service such as case's Hytran Ultra or JD HYgard. They use the same Borg shuttle nearly identical to Case and I have rebuilt JD shuttles out of Case parts stock. Do not underestimate the problems that oils are capable of causing if not designed for the proper service.

 

[Andy01]

Thanks for the reply I will check the vent