JD310D won't go into Fwd or Rev when warm

Hello all, this is my first post. I have a 1995 JD 310D with 3200 hours that's in pretty solid shape for an almost 30yr old machine. At startup and with light use, everything works just fine with FNR or shifting. The Park break and startup are fine always. However, it has recently started to have issues with going into gear after it gets warm, say 10+ minutes of moderate/heavy work load.

Today, I needed to drive the hoe about 4 miles to a friends house (he and I are going to share the 310D now...he has a winery and I have run out of playground here at my homestead). All was working fine, I shifted from 2nd to 3rd, then into 4th. A mile or so in, I shifted fine into 3rd gear as i entered a stretch of hills, then into 4th for a flat stretch. As I approached an intersection, I idled down, and shifted from 4th to 3rd. At that point though, the transmission would not engage, regardless of gear 1-4. I then tried moving from F to R--nothing. Fortunately I wasn't in the middle of the busy intersection, otherwise I'd have had a real mess on my hands.

So I used my hoe to crab and pull myself off the pavement a bit more. As additional steps/data...if I leave the shuttle in gear (F or R) and press Park switch, I get parked and the buzzer sounds as normal noting I'm in gear. Remove the Park switch and light and buzzer stops. Also upon F or R, i can hear the relay click in the right dash. This persisted for 10 minutes or so, then my wife picked me up and brought me home to get my truck. Upon return after an elapsed say 15 minutes, I started the JD, and wallah, I could move!

I proceeded to drive the remaining 2 miles in 3rd gear, taking it easy and pulling into the winery and parked. At that point, after shifting from F to N, I was then again NOT able to move in either F or R. I shut the tractor off and crawled underneath. Upon inspection of the Reverser area, I found the solenoids. They were quite hot, too hot for comfort to leave my fingers pressed against for more than a sec or so. Also, of note, there was/is a zip tie tightened around the solenoids vertically (i have owned the 310 for about 10 years and had not had reason or occasion to inspect this area...so the zip tie has been there for a decade or more)?? I fiddled briefly with the wires and connectors to the solenoids and removed some pine needles, etc. Upon returning back to the cab, say after 10 minutes elapsed, the JD again could travel F/R just fine.

Any ideas after hearing these symptoms? Would seem to be temperature related? Now whether that is hydraulic in origin or electrical....not sure. It does NOT seem to be mechanical like a heavy gear/clutch issue in the Reverser itself.

Cabling/short? Solenoid going bad? What about the Clutch button/Neutral functionality? Is there a solenoid for this as well??

Much appreciate any help or advice!

My first thought would be transmission oil aeration. Did you check the transmission fluid when it wouldn't go? Did the parking brake engage on it's own when you couldn't go? Certainly would also inspect that clutch button also.

The parking break did NOT engage when the issue occurred, although I could manually engage. I did not check trans oil and am not familiar w aeration. How would I further troubleshoot? Also not not familiar w operation of the clutching and how best to troubleshoot? Any further help is appreciated.

Aeration occurs when the trans pump sucks air along with the trans fluid. When this occurs it decreases the fluids ability to do work. Aeration can cause the clutches to not work properly and it can apply the parking brake as well as working pressure is lost. We have a guy "MG" that is really good on these machines. He usually stops by on workday mornings and maybe he will have some suggestions for you Monday morning.

My 310d ground up it's reverser shortly after I got it. I learned a lot about tranquility and meditating the aneurysm away.

My first guess if the fluid aeration theory isn't it, is that you have oil squirting internally somewhere which heats things up a lot. Then it gets thin and won't maintain pressure and my machine would be stuck same as yours. You said your solenoids were hot, but what about the whole reverser?

Theres a magnet in the reverser pan. When I took it off the first time to see what the heck it was full of curly little metal shavings. It sucked.

But yeah check your fluid level like JL said cuz maybe it's just low enough to whip up a froth.

Welcome to HEF Del!

First, if your oil level is correct (check with the engine idling), then I would start with the clutch disconnect switches on the shift lever and the loader lever. Particularly the shift lever since you had just performed a shift when the issue occurred. Power has to flow through those switches to the clutch disconnect solenoid for the reverser to work. If power is interrupted (bad switch, broken wire, etc), then the reverser will not work.

Update. First, BTW, my S/N is: T0310DA 790215. I believe this translates to a 1995.

I was able this am to get some time with the 310D. I started by checking fluid levels. Checked engine oil cold-good! Checked transaxle level in cab floor-good! Checked hydraulics resevoir-good! Got under the hoe and inspected the underbelly around the reverser and the hyd filter. It is dry everywhere except around the hyd filter. It appears the fluid leak source is on the top of the filter and pointed to even the top of the "plate" on top of the filter. heave (I'll attach pics here following...). One wire/connector at the rear side of the filter was wet w fluid at the base of the connector (no bare wire). I took pics and then did some wipe up of grime.

I then started the tractor and let it idle, then climbed again underneath to look for any sign of running or spraying fluid. None seen. Waited 3-5 mins, put everything in neutral, and then checked the Reverser level-good, but the fluid did have a slight appearance of cloudiness on the stick, not sure if bubbles or water or nothing?!?) With tractor running I then got under again and conducted further inspection for the source of the fluid leak. Again it looked to be high, on top of the plate on top of the filter. There is a hyd line running through that location that is fastened to the plate but continues to the rear end of the tractor. I then proceeded to look at my problem area from the driver side of the tractor. I could see in the "slot" the top of the plate and the hyd hose running through. I cleaned up the area a bit with a rag, then shined my light in and sure enough, I could see just a small glint of fluid at 10oclock on the hose. I wiped it up again, and after a few secs, the spot was wet again (not even a drop, just the head of a mechanical pencil of wetness). After a bit another wet spot 1/2" to the rear of the first and even smaller could be spotted. So I have a leaky hyd hose, above the hyd filter. IT is NOT one of the ones going into the filter, rather it continues to the back of the tractor, I believe to the master cylinder for the hoe?? Going forward, the hose travels somewhat diagonal to the "passenger" side then appears to route upwards at the back of the engine. I did check reverse fluid level again and again appears Ok (a bit overfull actually). The fluid on the stick was clear, no bubbles. So question 1 is what are my repair options, as this obviously needs to be fixed.

Question 2 is....is this my root problem, ie the reason the 310d will stop moving fwd/rev??

Some more troubleshooting info. I then started using the tractor moderately. Fwd, reverse, back and forth many times, shifting gears, all good. I then found some open space and ran the tractor for another 5 mins at med rpm for a couple hundred yards, shifting into 3 and 4th gear, back to 2nd, fwd and rev...all good. Then decided to turn up engine rpms while sitting. Ran at 2500+ rpms for about 3-4 mins (note, 3198 hrs on the dial). Idled down, in 2nd gear, went fwd and rev a few times..all good. Shifted gears and walla, couldn't go in fwd or rev. Put into Park, no problem. Out of park, no prob but still no movement. Checked reverser oil level and still same (a tad over, but all clear for sure). Then decided to extend legs and lift the rear tires up. Took brake off, then after a time or two back and forth w f/r lever, the tires wiggled a bit, then turned freely, both in fwd and rev. I set the tires back on ground and could move freely fwd and rev, just fine, including shifting gears.

I then repeated the process, high rpms while idling, then fwd and rev Ok, then shifting and walla, nothing. This time with rear tires free, I could occassionally get a little wiggle but no turning. Tried for 2-3 mins, then just shut the tractor off. Rev level same (no bubbles) and hyd resv level ok on the stick. Still only a small but visible bead on the leaking hose. The surfaces underneath, hyd filter, fwd/rev solenoids, reverser are all quite warm to touch, ie uncomfy to put finger on and leave for more than a couple seconds. Note: when working normal, all movement is snappy and strong, not sluggish or delayed. Buckets all work great and responsive all the time.

So 1, I have a hyd leak. 2, when hot and after a gear shift, I lose fwd/rev. All normal after rest/cooling. Is the leak my root and only problem? Does it correlate?? Hopefully this helps you pros....thanks again in advance!

Pics to large to upload. Will have to shrink them up. Now, the computer guy can work in that space--lol. But have to jump on a couple other matters first...

I don't think that small hyd fluid leak has anything to do with your fwd/rev problem. I suspect all 20+ year old backhoes have those little leaks. I know mine does. Top off fluids every few months keeps it all happy.
Your problem could be this scenario: When your backhoe is cold the fluid is thicker and will allow the backhoe to do work. Once hot, the fluid is a lot thinner and the fluid finds a way around doing the work. Just like electricity, the fluid will follow the path of least resistance. You may end up having to rebuild the reverser as Finca mentioned.

The intermittent nature of your issue tells me your issue may be electrical and that has to be eliminated first. Check the clutch cutout circuit and your FNR lever circuitry first.

Posting pics here now that I have had time to resize them....

Pic of reverser dipstick at begin of morn, after idle for 5 mins, machine working normal. Bubbles? Did NOT appear later in the day, ie all clear fluid on the stick even when issues were occuring. ??

Oh, and here's a pic of the reverser solenoids area. Zip tie install predates my ownership. Purpose?? Solenoids are not wet w fluid. Wiring harness and connectors above and to aft towards the hyd filter are wet.

So this is leading me towards follow-up to mg's post on electrical troubleshooting of the clutch disconnect switch and solenoid. Anyone have documentation/info as to where exactly how that's wired and where components are located? Theory of operation? Does it go something like this....to allow transaxle gear shift, the reverser must be momentarily put in neutral during the shift. The disconnect button (on shifter or loader lever) energizes (or denergizes) the solenoid which puts the reverser in neutral, then upon shift into the new gear, returns power to the reverser. ??

So how do I test this?

Check your PM's.

The mystery is not solved yet but...is becoming more clear. I was able to get back to the 310D yesterday, went out with my 82 yo dad. We were armed with more info from the Service/Test 1496 manual for the Park/Clutch Disc Solenoid circuit. We started first by checking fluids. Front hyd fluid resevoir is not full, but about 1/2" between add and full. The reverser stick shows overfull, by maybe 3/8" (running idle, after 5 mins).

First enaged FNR going forward and reverse, normal operation. Then, while moving F, pressed the Clutch Disc Switch on the Loader Lever with an immediate loss of fwd power, then resuming on release of switch-check! Same for reverse-check. And same for F and R with the Gear Shift lever-check. Operation of both Loader and Shift Clutch Disconnect SWITCHES is normal at normal conditions (not "Hot" usage). We had planned to check the switches with a multimeter but don't see a reason to at present as they are unlikely as culprits and disassembly of the knobs was unknown.

So we transitioned focus to the SOLENOID for the clutch disconnect circuit. As you may recall, I noted and uploaded pics of this area showing a large ziptie around the solenoid?! (Note: At this point we decided to pull out the 4 floor mat screws, pull up the floor mat, remove the 2 floor plate access panel screws and the plate...thinking it would provide better access to the solenoid area for testing. News flash--it does NOT!). So from underneath, I first snipped a small ziptie holding the solenoid wiring harnesses together and was able to easily disconnect the connector for the clutch disc solenoid (CSD for short!). Next, we decided, let's remove that big ziptie on around the CSD. Once snipped the solenoid housing end rotated down immediately, ie it was loose. With a little further eyes-on, it was evident that the housing of the solenoid end is supposed to have a bolt/screw male piece through it and fastening the 2 parts together. This was/is missing and now we know what the ziptie was/is for. So the solenoid was loose and easily pulled off the metal shaft of the valve piece which screws into a manifold on the Reverser. The fit was/is really quite loose, with slight rust dust on the surfaces of both. The end of the shaft, is rusty and the bolt end with threads broken off close to the smooth shaft.

Wallah...So apparently, this zipties assisted fastening is sufficient for proper operation of the CSD when cold/warm, but NOT functional once engaged after being hot?!! Simple solution right, find the replacement part(s), install, and problem solved. Well not so fast!

In searching online, the part no's on the solenoid don't come up. So I called a local JD dealer and with 30+ minutes of sleuthing together with great difficulty in finding the part, for at least my S/N 790215. We eventually found a Parts List TP42266, Disconnect Linkage Assembly (-792482) - ST311172. THere are 6 parts on this with 3-Electrical Coil showing in Remarks: AT151393 NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SUB AT163601. And 4 - Solenoid Remarks - AT151393 NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SUB AT163601). She could NOT get either thru JD or couldn't find it through other parts sources handy to her. So it appears that there was some sort of design issue and a new replacement solution required. The kicker was/is, that the new Sub AT163601 is a new assembly which includes the CSD, the FNR Solenoid and a Manifold, for the nice price of $7000. WOW!! So now, the mystery of the ziptie becomes less fuzzy. Likely the prior owner (>10 years ago) felt a 1-penny ziptie was a more effective solution than the $7k replacement (pretty solid decision as its worked quite well for a decade!).

So, just to be clear, I don't have $7k for a new assembly from JD. Maybe this is available in used or reman'd?? Thoughts? I haven't had opp to check this out just yet, but will.

Or, would anyone have specific knowledge maybe of this original "bad design" issue? Or advice as to how to get hands-on the AT151393/4? Used or remanufactured?

Finally approach here, at least that I'm thinking, is how to "retro" the existing parts to get them working properly, warm or hot. Can I take the valve assembly to someone to "tap out" the broken bolt on the end of the shaft and thread in a new bolt end to allow fastening of the solenoid to the valve/shaft assy. ?!? Thoughts on this? Anyone gone down this path.

Anyway, that's where I'm at....and again, appreciate any direction or feedback from the experts!! And thanks for the help so far as well.

Look up Brokentractor.com. They have solenoids for your machine pretty cheap. Couple hunnert if I remember.

A zip tied solenoid will not be the problem by itself. Maybe the coil when it gets hot? You have to perform your electrical testing while the issue is happening. Do you still have voltage and amperage to that solenoid when the issue is happening? Do you still have voltage coming out of your FNR when the issue is happening? You have to eliminate these simple electrical tests before moving on.

Del Ingalls said:

The mystery is not solved yet but...is becoming more clear. I was able to get back to the 310D yesterday, went out with my 82 yo dad. We were armed with more info from the Service/Test 1496 manual for the Park/Clutch Disc Solenoid circuit. We started first by checking fluids. Front hyd fluid resevoir is not full, but about 1/2" between add and full. The reverser stick shows overfull, by maybe 3/8" (running idle, after 5 mins).

First enaged FNR going forward and reverse, normal operation. Then, while moving F, pressed the Clutch Disc Switch on the Loader Lever with an immediate loss of fwd power, then resuming on release of switch-check! Same for reverse-check. And same for F and R with the Gear Shift lever-check. Operation of both Loader and Shift Clutch Disconnect SWITCHES is normal at normal conditions (not "Hot" usage). We had planned to check the switches with a multimeter but don't see a reason to at present as they are unlikely as culprits and disassembly of the knobs was unknown.

So we transitioned focus to the SOLENOID for the clutch disconnect circuit. As you may recall, I noted and uploaded pics of this area showing a large ziptie around the solenoid?! (Note: At this point we decided to pull out the 4 floor mat screws, pull up the floor mat, remove the 2 floor plate access panel screws and the plate...thinking it would provide better access to the solenoid area for testing. News flash--it does NOT!). So from underneath, I first snipped a small ziptie holding the solenoid wiring harnesses together and was able to easily disconnect the connector for the clutch disc solenoid (CSD for short!). Next, we decided, let's remove that big ziptie on around the CSD. Once snipped the solenoid housing end rotated down immediately, ie it was loose. With a little further eyes-on, it was evident that the housing of the solenoid end is supposed to have a bolt/screw male piece through it and fastening the 2 parts together. This was/is missing and now we know what the ziptie was/is for. So the solenoid was loose and easily pulled off the metal shaft of the valve piece which screws into a manifold on the Reverser. The fit was/is really quite loose, with slight rust dust on the surfaces of both. The end of the shaft, is rusty and the bolt end with threads broken off close to the smooth shaft.

Wallah...So apparently, this zipties assisted fastening is sufficient for proper operation of the CSD when cold/warm, but NOT functional once engaged after being hot?!! Simple solution right, find the replacement part(s), install, and problem solved. Well not so fast!

In searching online, the part no's on the solenoid don't come up. So I called a local JD dealer and with 30+ minutes of sleuthing together with great difficulty in finding the part, for at least my S/N 790215. We eventually found a Parts List TP42266, Disconnect Linkage Assembly (-792482) - ST311172. THere are 6 parts on this with 3-Electrical Coil showing in Remarks: AT151393 NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SUB AT163601. And 4 - Solenoid Remarks - AT151393 NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SUB AT163601). She could NOT get either thru JD or couldn't find it through other parts sources handy to her. So it appears that there was some sort of design issue and a new replacement solution required. The kicker was/is, that the new Sub AT163601 is a new assembly which includes the CSD, the FNR Solenoid and a Manifold, for the nice price of $7000. WOW!! So now, the mystery of the ziptie becomes less fuzzy. Likely the prior owner (>10 years ago) felt a 1-penny ziptie was a more effective solution than the $7k replacement (pretty solid decision as its worked quite well for a decade!).

So, just to be clear, I don't have $7k for a new assembly from JD. Maybe this is available in used or reman'd?? Thoughts? I haven't had opp to check this out just yet, but will.

Or, would anyone have specific knowledge maybe of this original "bad design" issue? Or advice as to how to get hands-on the AT151393/4? Used or remanufactured?

Finally approach here, at least that I'm thinking, is how to "retro" the existing parts to get them working properly, warm or hot. Can I take the valve assembly to someone to "tap out" the broken bolt on the end of the shaft and thread in a new bolt end to allow fastening of the solenoid to the valve/shaft assy. ?!? Thoughts on this? Anyone gone down this path.

Anyway, that's where I'm at....and again, appreciate any direction or feedback from the experts!! And thanks for the help so far as well.

Click to expand...

Holy ****. Those are mind boggling repair costs.

emmett518 said:

Holy ****. Those are mind boggling repair costs.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's barking up the wrong tree. I've had plenty of electrical and hydraulic issues with this same transmission and I think some part numbers got mixed up here.