tarcoleo 119 #1 Posted October 25, 2009 My recently acquired C-85 8-speed trans. is showing a milky oil color on the dipstick. Should I be worried and is it enough to change the oil to solve whatever the problem might be? Tom in RI Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy w h 4 #2 Posted October 25, 2009 If you have milky oil in your tranny you have water inside. That's not good on the bearings. You will haft to change the 80/90 lube a few times to get the milky oil out. Or if you don't change it you will do damage to th bearings and this gets expensive. Indy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelly 1,028 #3 Posted October 25, 2009 Me I drain the old oil, then add 2 qt.s reg. motor oil, drive it around for say 20 min. then drain it again, if still milky do it again then add the gear oil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KyBlue 652 #4 Posted October 25, 2009 Ya Need to find out where the water got in, Maybe the shift boot, its where it gets in on mine (yes I know, I need to change it, its on my next Toro Order list) Also might try flushing with a bit of K1 Kerosene to get the oil out, thou at todays prices, 80/90 is just about cheaper... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tarcoleo 119 #5 Posted October 26, 2009 Thanks felllahs, just wondering if letting the trans. drain for 2-3 days would be a good thing. Anybody ever connect an air hose to the fill tube to force air through the drained trans. to evaporate moisture that might remain? Also, is there a commercial cleaner for manual transmissions? Tom in RI Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bell 11 #6 Posted October 26, 2009 Well, generally speaking, moisture is a by-product of compressing air. I guess it might work if you have a good moisture trap on your compressor. I would do as suggested and drain it... fill it with some motor oil and drive it around for a while and then change again, using gear lube. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tarcoleo 119 #7 Posted October 26, 2009 Well fellahs, I did it like you said--triple flushed with oil and then filled with gear oil. Looks good. Also repaired loose fit of boot around gear lever. This puppy had been outside way to long. Thanks all for good advice. Love Red Square, comrades! Tom in RI :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tgranthamfd 28 #8 Posted October 31, 2009 Don't want to steal the thread, but can moisture get in from a leaking brake shaft seal or bad axle seal??? :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tgranthamfd 28 #9 Posted October 31, 2009 On the donor oil, what weight regular oil would one use to clean out the moisture? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KyBlue 652 #10 Posted October 31, 2009 30wt or 10/30 or 10/40 Its really not gonna matter much as its just in there for a short time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldandred 15 #11 Posted October 31, 2009 Don't want to steal the thread, but can moisture get in from a leaking brake shaft seal or bad axle seal??? the tranny is not sealed at the top were the boot is over the shifter but if you keep your tractor in a garage or good shed and no rain can get to it it want get any moisture in there so a leaking seal isnt a way for moisture to get into a tranny Now if theres is moisture in the tranny what I do is mix half and half with 30 weight and fuel oil fill tranny drive around for a good twenty min, drain add red oil and away you go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldandred 15 #12 Posted October 31, 2009 Thanks felllahs, just wondering if letting the trans. drain for 2-3 days would be a good thing. Anybody ever connect an air hose to the fill tube to force air through the drained trans. to evaporate moisture that might remain? Also, is there a commercial cleaner for manual transmissions? Tom in RI Air from a compressor will add moisture Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HorseFixer 2,012 #13 Posted November 1, 2009 Air from a compressor will add moisture Not if you have an Air Dryer like me! :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tgranthamfd 28 #14 Posted November 5, 2009 Have any of you folks had to do the drive and drain more than, say, 3 times?? Counting the gear oil I drained out, I have done it 3 times and it still came out a little milky and a whitish color, but it is getting less everytime. Do I just keep doing it until there is nothing but oil drained out, no matter how many times it takes? :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Save Old Iron 1,563 #15 Posted November 5, 2009 Tom, maybe a little off topic, but as far as evaporating moisture in an enclosed environment -- look to our friends in the air conditioning business - a vacuum applied to a closed area will actually "boil off" the moisture in short order. That assumes you can seal the trans up enough to form a good vacuum ..... and have a vacuum pump .... etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duff 206 #16 Posted November 5, 2009 Have any of you folks had to do the drive and drain more than, say, 3 times?? Counting the gear oil I drained out, I have done it 3 times and it still came out a little milky and a whitish color, but it is getting less everytime. Do I just keep doing it until there is nothing but oil drained out, no matter how many times it takes? Terry, short of a complete tear down you may still have a few traces of "milk" in the oil but I don't think it will cause you any problems at this point. There are some nooks and crannies in the tranny that don't flush out as easily as other places. Others may correct me, but if the oil is clear except for a few traces of the milky stuff you should be all set. JMHO.... Duff :notworthy: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tarcoleo 119 #17 Posted November 5, 2009 Chuck- Would be nice if a vacuum could be pulled on a trans. to evaporate moisture and remove same. No way that can happen with all the seals and the gear shift that would not permit such a negative pressure. When I suggested attaching a compressor to a drained trans. it was with the idea that one could run air through the system at only a sufficient pressure to obtain flow. The air going through would not be saturated with water vapor at such a low pressure -only slightly over atmospheric. Therefore, drying over time would result and moisture would be evaporated from the system. How long would that take? -probably a day or more. Anyway, I don't have that problem anymore after three flushes with 10W30 followed by short runarounds. Terry- I'm sure you know that to drain the trans. completely it is necessary to open the system using the allen key tap at the bottom of the trans. Otherwise, three flushes won't do it. Tom in RI Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linen beige 14 #18 Posted November 5, 2009 Just a thought about a vacuum in a tranny. For anyone wanting to try this with a tranny that is off the tractor just wrap it in a heavy trash bag and suck the air out with a shop vac. Instant, redneck vacuum chamber. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tgranthamfd 28 #19 Posted November 5, 2009 Just finished the 4th drain fill and drive, this time the oil looked like a dark colored honey, think I got all out that I can now. Guess it is time to fill her up with gear oil and see how she does. I looked at the dipstick right before I drained it this last time and it was clear oil, inbetween the 3rd and 4th flushes, I left the plug out and let it dain for about 20hrs. don't know if that helped some or not. Didn't have a choice, though, had to go to work. Thanks for the information and thanks for letting me borrow this topic tarcoleo. :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Save Old Iron 1,563 #20 Posted November 6, 2009 Tom, good to hear that all the water is out. At least you did not have to resort to Jim's redneck vacuum chamber and have us searching for this post using the words possum, dynamite or the famous last words "Hey watch this!" :notworthy: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linen beige 14 #21 Posted November 7, 2009 "Hey watch this!" Ya left out "Y'all"! Glad you got her dried out Tom. :notworthy: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #22 Posted November 7, 2009 Ah, milky oil in the trans.. had fun cleaning all that nasty gunk out of a '71 Raider trans yesterday. Not wanting to high jack your this thread, but click the link below to see the StigsShack way of doing things Wheel Horse Trans Flush link Thingy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tarcoleo 119 #23 Posted November 7, 2009 Ian- That looked more like a colon flush. Tom in RI, New England :notworthy: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #24 Posted November 8, 2009 :thumbs: As fun as it was it's something I don't plan to do too often, my back was killing me yesterday :notworthy: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tarcoleo 119 #25 Posted November 8, 2009 Ian- I also had back and other problems identified as the Bouncy Wheel Horse Ride Syndrome (known as BWHRS in clinics here in the USA) 'til I reengineered the seat. It was replaced with a u-shaped spring with 6" between the spring arms combined with a classic implement steel seat. Jolts are no longer transmitted to the spine. Tom in RI Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
