John Deere 310d 1993 crawls forward, backward is fine.

Hello, I just brought this 310d home and was having some issue with the brakes sticking. When cool the brakes are fine and I’m thinking they were never sticking just forward drive failing. When on a flat the machine will barely move forward but goes backward perfectly. What would cause this? Anything to check?

Hi, update.. the machine runs fine, the only thing I can think to do is change the reverser oil and from what I’ve found online there’s a forward clutch to be replaced. Is there also a reverse clutch? Has anybody changed one of these and can you speak to how difficult it is?

Did you check forward pressure? Are you sure it is working electrically and that the solenoid is not an issue? Did you drop the transmission pan to see what might lurk in there?

Richie0 said:

Is there also a reverse clutch?

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Yep. Deere calls it a reverse brake.

Hi mg, how do I check the pressure? I believe it’s working because if you pick the rear wheels off the ground the wheels will go forward just not strong enough to do anything with weight on them. Is the trans pan different than the reverser pan? Thanks.

Richie0 said:

I believe it’s working because if you pick the rear wheels off the ground the wheels will go forward

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Just because the wheels spin does not mean there is adequate pressure. I mention this because I would want to be sure I have a internal reverser issue before dropping the thing out (though they are easy to remove). Too hard to explain where the port is. It changes with serial number. I recommend you acquire the Operation and Test manual TM1496. For any repairs to the reverser you would need the TM1497 repair manual.

Richie0 said:

Is the trans pan different than the reverser pan?

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Sorry, I meant the reverser pan.

Hello, I figured I should try and look into/change the reverser fluid first, I drained it and pulled the pan, the oil was dark but it did not smell burnt. When putting the pan back on I somehow cracked it but I think I was able to mend it with some permatex and now I will have to wait till tomorrow ot refill. Would dark oil indicate anything? There was nothing crazy to tell about in the pan, one or 2 tiny metal flakes, and the magnet had a bit of magnetic dust on it. My pickup screen is loose and possibly falling down low into the pan.. possibly sucking air?

Richie0 said:

My pickup screen is loose and possibly falling down low into the pan.. possibly sucking air?

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The pan actually holds the screen in place. The only thing holding the screen when the pan is removed is the O-ring on the screen where it slips into the housing. I always replace that O-ring. If it were sucking air you would also have issues with reverse.

Well I do not think it’s an electric issue as it goes forward and backward fine while cold, slowly fading in forward as it warms. Replacing the fluid helped but not enough.. other than doing the pressure test I guess I should start looking to replace/rebuild the reverser. I’ve read that people do them without a ton of trouble, does anybody know of a guide other than the manual? Reading the manual is only so helpful. It might be worth it to pay someone to have it done any idea on what I am looking at spending? Thanks.

Lotta information on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=john+deere+310d+reverser+rebuild+

Just curious...how many small clutch plate fragments in the pan is too many?

There were obviously fragments from the clutch plates, but not 4 or 5 plates worth. I would assume that deterioration is somewhat normal.

My filter/screen was clogged with some sort of greenish sludge that laughed at brake cleaner. I have a new one on the way, and I have cleaned just about everywhere in reach of any accumulated sludge. Looking at things, it is somewhat of a given that simple draining/refill of fluid is not enough (I did that when I first brought it home); that pan had to come down.

I am hoping that there is life in the plates, but I am also guessing that forward power is a function of clutch plate condition. Reverse still works fine, so perhaps I can refill the fluid and back it up to a gooder repair location.

If I need to...it looks like the rebuild kits are in the $300 range. Now creating an environment where this can be taken down and repaired (I do have the TM-1419, TM1420, and CT manuals), I mean things like movable/jackable platform to raise/lower the assembly will be some effort. From looking at the manuals and some other similar procedures, ability to control alignment in all directions is definitely a thing. I need to plan on doing this alone, or maybe a tiny bit of help.

And a tent covering the whole thing, maybe with a torpedo heater (no garage). Yeah, let's hope I just fill it up and everything is good...

MarcNH said:

Just curious...how many small clutch plate fragments in the pan is too many?

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Pictures?

It definitely sounds like an internal pressure leak that my reverser had on a 97 310d. Like this flat spring thing broke, might be called a Bellville washer or spring or something. So we replaced that and some clutch discs also. Simple enough, right?

Apparently a little piece of broken metal found its way into some hydraulic ducts and ground some stuff up. Carved a perfect little ring in the housing around the neck of the splined shaft that comes out of the reverser and goes into the driveshaft.

After I switched mechanics midway through this drama (the first guy may not have had my best interests at heart) the new mechanic was able to track down the leak by blowing through all the ducts with a compressor and seeing if everything actuated as it should. Found the little duct outlet at the neck of that shaft and it was leaking a lot of air.

This awesome machine shop was able to press a sleeve into the housing and fill and turn the shaft. Pretty amazing really.

I've learned a lot about backhoe mechanics in the four years since then but back then at the beginning of my journey I was so lost and so screwed. I'm forever thankful to my mechanic who has since been teaching me all about the machine but also about the industry here.

Anyways your issue sounds the same as the one I had, hopefully it will be easy to fix. Make sure you flush the system thoroughly and perhaps you'll avoid the mess I had.

Good luck!

Attached is a pic taken during the initial oil dump, passed through a paint filter. There are a few bits of leaves/etc that always seems to fall in from above.
There was quite a bit of micro-sized pieces (almost like sand) at the bottom of the pan, and apparently small enough to go through the paint filter I was using.

I can't find the filter that I pulled off; it may have already been discarded. It was clogged with green gelatin-like substance, with sand-sized grains all around. If I find it, I will take a picture.
The green sludge did not want to come off the filter at all. It laughed at brake cleaner. Diesel fuel did not seem to do anything either. I am guessing that a large blob of sludge worked its way into the pan with all the reverse driving I was doing, and finished clogging the filter. Fortunately, I did not drive it at all once the symptoms started (I drained it in the field, and dropped the pan). The fluid was in amazingly bad shape, even though the fluid had been replaced when I got the machine. There were small flakes of clutch disk, but not that many large pieces.
Worse yet, when refilling with new fluid and checking the level, the new fluid already had that green look of the old fluid. Nearly the full 2 gallons was changed-out. It is pretty obvious it will need another change. I am considering this as the initial flush. Not sure if I should do much more than a few changes to clear it out.

The Good News - After I put the new screen on and filled it all back up, forward started working just fine again. I got away with2 gallons of hydraulic fluid and a screen ($50 from Broken Tractor). And a bit of time making the gasket that I forgot to order. I think that stopping the machine when I did prevented extensive plate damage.

I am sure that the reverser will need a rebuild at some point, but I am psyched that I got it all working. I have been busy removing the final stumps and clearing an access road for fill trucks to deliver some nice new dirt.

Congratulations, glad it was a simple problem to fix. You're probably good for a while.

Soooo...I have cleaned out the reverser again, and the fluid was not pretty. There were not that many hours on it since the last fluid change (removed pan and I let it drip out as much as possible). I am guessing that the goop trapped in the TC made its way through the rest. More clutch pieces.
Forward is pretty weak, to the point where it will only run in 1st gear forward (though reverse appears fine). It will not move forward if it is in a rut, and will not carry much anymore.
I have figured that I will need to rebuild, and just ordered the complete kit.

Fortunately, I am still in stumping mode, and hopefully I can get through fall while I make some sort of mechanism to go along with my floor jack (I will be doing this alone). Maybe some leveling screws etc. to make it easier (I am not a very strong person).

My question: how much "forward power" should this thing have? I really cannot dig without a running start. The wheels have never gotten to the point of spinning (they are farm tires). It would never push much snow. I will need power to move dirt next spring (I need 10 loads or more) and would not attempt with the reverser in this condition. This thing must have really been beaten to hell in a past life.

Everything else is running like a top. I got my bucket and dipper seals repaired, and there are no leaks anywhere.

MarcNH said:

My question: how much "forward power" should this thing have?

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With the loader bucket against an immoveable object, trans in 1st gear, diff lock engaged, shift to forward, increase engine speed to full throttle, the rear wheels should not stall.

mg2361 said:

With the loader bucket against an immoveable object, trans in 1st gear, diff lock engaged, shift to forward, increase engine speed to full throttle, the rear wheels should not stall.

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Thanks! I had a feeling.
Glad I got all the repair manuals. I will have a few threads to re-review and a few measurement tools to get to make sure of the forward pack clearance, etc. as I recall. Likely a September project.

I’ll be keeping an eye on this forum form to hopefully hear good things so I can do mine around November.

Man, what a bear getting that thing out. I don't know how I am ever going to get it back in again, especially without some assistance. Not a lot went right.

It looks like someone had the drive shaft off at some point in the distant past, as those dang 1/4" 12-point screws were rather stripped already, and getting anything in there square on the screw was very challenging. I ended up needing to hammer-on a 1/4" extractor to remove two of them. I ordered new ones for re-assembly.

In my case, the MFWD case really makes this tough. I took out all the linkage that would get in the way well in advance, but the available space makes it all very difficult to say the least. I did not remove the torque converter. Perhaps this makes it easier for the well equipped (tools, garage, and maybe an actual upper-body!) but that was not something I was willing to try.

Likely that a stripped-down reverser will go back in, and I will worry about getting everything back on once it is re-installed. The hose going from the hydraulic filter back to the reservoir was a real obstacle, for example. Everything with a fitting or clamp was stuck pretty hard. I am hoping that I can get things cleared under there, now that I have more access (e.g. now that the reverser is out of there). There is also an oil seal leaking from the 4WD rod coming out of the case (I have a replacement, which also looks like a fun time).

Fortunately I have just about every other tool, and the book which goes through things like the forward pack clearance.

Hi Marc, any luck getting it back in?