John Deere 310E Backhoe with trans fluid pushing up dipstick?

[JL Sargent]

I was using the backhoe today and the parking brake light came on. I switched it on and back off and that worked until I put the F-N-R lever back in forward. Then the parking and STOP lights came back on. So I suspected that my transmission fluid might be low. I'm unable to check it though because transmission fluid is up in the dipstick tube. Anybody seen this problem? Transmission seems overfull as it is. Even with tractor turned off fluid seems too high in dipstick tube. Any suggestions appreciated as I don't think it has had too much fluid added to it.

 

[JL Sargent]

I called dealer and service manager said that transmission low in fluid cause fluid to get up in dipstick tube and to "add 1 quart and see what ya got."

 

[mg2361]

Check the vent on top of the trans. Left side of the machine looking at the transmission top from the engine compartment. There is a tiny little vent that likes to get buried in dirt over time.

 

[JL Sargent]

Check the vent on top of the trans.

OK, I'll check that for good measure. I did add a quart to the transmission and was able to drive it out of the woods. I'm afraid I have the dreaded trans fluid to transaxle migration problem.

 

[Lee Timmons]

OK, I'll check that for good measure. I did add a quart to the transmission and was able to drive it out of the woods. I'm afraid I have the dreaded trans fluid to transaxle migration problem.

JL Sargent, if you wouldn't mind could you please explain this "dreaded trans. Fluid to transaxle problem" because I have the exact same thing happening to my 210c. I used it for 4 hours at a neighbors house and when i brought it home, coming up the driveway it kept getting slower and slower, i barely made in to its spot and when i checked the Shuttle fluid it was coming out the top of the fill tube. I'm lost, so if you find anything out please, share it with me! Thank you

 

[JL Sargent]

if you wouldn't mind could you please explain this "dreaded trans.

OK, I'm not so smart about it myself. Apparently the transmission fluid either through the brakes or differential lock or parking brake or ??? can migrate back to the main hydraulic system. My big hydraulic tank has too much fluid in it right now. My transmission is low. It's apparently going there somehow. The question for me right now is how fast is it doing it and can I live with it. What would it cost to repair it? All else seems to work properly except this fluid migration.

 

[Lee Timmons]

OK, I'm not so smart about it myself. Apparently the transmission fluid either through the brakes or differential lock or parking brake or ??? can migrate back to the main hydraulic system. My big hydraulic tank has too much fluid in it right now. My transmission is low. It's apparently going there somehow. The question for me right now is how fast is it doing it and can I live with it. What would it cost to repair it? All else seems to work properly except this fluid migration.

JL Sargent, thanks for your quick reply. Did your hoe quit moving in forward and reverse? And at the same time had the overfill condition? Or did it still go into forward and reverse and move under its own power when this occurred?
Mine just quit moving in forward and reverse, and when i got off of the machine is when i dicovered the overfilled shuttle tube.
thanks again, Lee

 

[JL Sargent]

You have a different problem than me apparently. My 310E is working properly. The parking brake is released by hydraulic pressure from the transmission. When my trans got low in fluid it didn't relase the brake. I'm having an issue with hydraulic fluid slipping by a seal or o-ring somewhere!

 

[br1474]

The 310E has a transmission the spins the rear axle forward and backwards. When the inside of the case gets warm oil expands and tries to vent somewhere. usually out the dipstick when the vent as mentioned before is plugged. The transmission fluid in your machine or anything with a torque converter is checked with the engine running. Once you unplug that vent as MG2361 mentioned. the part number is T116918 it will take a 7/16 wrench or 3/8 wrench to remove it and the clean out with break cleaner. Then recheck your oil level

 

[br1474]

The 210c has a reverser/shuttle. And a separate transaxle that spins forward and reverse with the speeds inside it. The hydraulic oil level is separate from the reverser oil level. The reverser oil level also needs to be checked with engine running.

 

[Lee Timmons]

The 210c has a reverser/shuttle. And a separate transaxle that spins forward and reverse with the speeds inside it. The hydraulic oil level is separate from the reverser oil level. The reverser oil level also needs to be checked with engine running.

BR 1474, thanks for explaining that. I do check the reverser oil level with the machine warmed up, in neutral and running.
I'm just at a loss as to what this problem could be. I have found a lot of threads by searching, that say their machines are acting the same, but they never post whether it got fixed or not.
thanks again, Lee

 

[mg2361]

Lee, as far as the 210C reverser oil coming out of the dipstick I would check the vent on that transmission. Also those Borg Warner (used on the C's)(SE's use a ZF) units had some issues with the park brake return line causing oil to come out of the dipstick when the park brake is applied. There was a change applied to the return routing of the park brake oil to eliminate that issue. If your vent is clear then I suggest seeing your Deere dealer about acquiring the parts to address the park brake return. It will involve reverser removal and drilling so that might be out of a lot of peoples comfort zone.

 

[mg2361]

JL, As far as your trans oil going down and your rear axle overfilling (if in fact that is what is happening), then you would most likely have a park brake seal issue. That is what I see most of the time. The only other place would be the diff lock seals. Those two areas use trans oil to apply. Your brakes use oil from the hydraulic system so that would not be your issue.

 

[JL Sargent]

Then recheck your oil level

Thanks for the info, I'm working on this today and will report back.

 

[Lee Timmons]

Lee, as far as the 210C reverser oil coming out of the dipstick I would check the vent on that transmission. Also those Borg Warner (used on the C's)(SE's use a ZF) units had some issues with the park brake return line causing oil to come out of the dipstick when the park brake is applied. There was a change applied to the return routing of the park brake oil to eliminate that issue. If your vent is clear then I suggest seeing your Deere dealer about acquiring the parts to address the park brake return. It will involve reverser removal and drilling so that might be out of a lot of peoples comfort zone.

Lee, as far as the 210C reverser oil coming out of the dipstick I would check the vent on that transmission. Also those Borg Warner (used on the C's)(SE's use a ZF) units had some issues with the park brake return line causing oil to come out of the dipstick when the park brake is applied. There was a change applied to the return routing of the park brake oil to eliminate that issue. If your vent is clear then I suggest seeing your Deere dealer about acquiring the parts to address the park brake return. It will involve reverser removal and drilling so that might be out of a lot of peoples comfort zone.

mg 2361,thanks for your help, i really appreciate it. If this would be an issue with the parking brake return line, would that explain why the machine will not move forward or back all of a sudden?
They both quit at the same time, so I'm thinking it's not a clutch problem. I could believe it was, if only one direction say forward went but the other surely would be good.
My 210c still has the lever down along side the seat that you pull to set the parking brake, not a button on the dash. I thought that my pbrake was a steel band in a groove of a gear or something.
Thanks again Lee

 

[JL Sargent]

Your brakes use oil from the hydraulic system so that would not be your issue.

OK, thank you for clarifying that.

I was able to dig out the transmission vent. Accessed it by removed the shroud over the hydraulic tank. (hopefully that's it?) I cleaned all around it real good, removed it. I then cleaned it up like a new penny with brake cleaner. I reinstalled it and cranked the tractor. I let it run a few minutes and checked the trans fluid. Still reading high on the dip stick though. Remember that I had to add a quart to the transmission to get the parking brake released the other day.

 

[JL Sargent]

I'm thinking my problem is actually NOT hydraulic related at all but rather something amiss with the 4wd electrical circuit and simply the previous owner overfilling both the transmission and the axle hydraulic tanks. I'm going to get both tanks down to correct levels and see where we are on this thing.

 

[br1474]

The rear axle is it own oil cavity separate from the hydraulic system. All this is confusing I know. However that being said. The park brake and the runs off the transmission. The foot brake runs off the main hydraulic system. But unless the seals are not holding inside the axle then the oil will not overfill the rear axle.

 

[JL Sargent]

All this is confusing I know.

This is crazy. After supper I go out and crank the tractor. Cranks fine. I take off parking brake just fine. Raise the loader bucket and push the direction selector to F and tractor does not move???? I then try R and tractor does not move??? Any guess as to what this is all about. I then check transmission fluild level and it is spot on the full mark. This thing is driving me nuts.

 

[mg2361]

Check the clutch cutout switch.