I just assumed it was hydraulic fluid leaking. There is a small rectangular hole on the bottom side of where the adapter and pump hook together. This is where it is coming from. It’s not horrible just annoying. Am I opening a can of Worms tearing it apart, or is it worth it to fix. Also, the only place to check the trans oil I can find is on the very back of the drive housing. There is a pipe plug at an angle about 1/3 of the way up. Does this fill do the transmission and differential?
Well it all depends on a few factors, is this a hobby level machine or more serious? A company I worked at a few years ago used a heavily modded A as a front line grader with a repowered G as a secondary grader and a repowered L to use on the plant site to keep the roads and lot smooth.
The pump can be difficult to remove because the drive splines will get a groove in them causing them to lock together, this also means the splines are getting well worn, as in approaching a strip out. If it's a hobby machine, maybe just live with it leaking, but that also means no brakes due to the wet brake band. That's why when I had one apart, I brazed a pipe coupler over the drain hole for a drain hose past the brake band.
The transaxle oil is the angled plug on the bottom rear, fill it up to it and it is full. I would recommend some Lucas to help the oil climb up the gears to the top.
DO NOT idle these for extended periods of time, the upper shafts won't oil unless the machine is moving in gear!
The tandem chain cases are supposed to be separate oil from the transaxle, but a leaking seal can cause an internal leak. There is a plug on the side of these a few inches up to fill to, again a little Lucas will help.
