rear end questions

BTW, the oil that came out was thick as syrup, and brown, like it was discolored. There was also some water in the rear end, not enough to fill up a shot glass, but water in there none the less.

Is THAT normal?

I did all this in prep for breaking down the rear end and axle assembly for gasket replacement.

Is there anything I should look for while I'm in there dointg this job???

As always, any input is appreciated, and thanks for looking.

Bill

I'm surprised you only got a shot glass of water. I assume you had run the tractor recently. Even 60 year old oil should not be brown -- brown means water. I agree with the advice you got so far -- check/clean all bearings. I would also recommend you get a narrow rubber scraper and pull the sludge at the very bottom of the chassis. The drain plug (the rear one) is actually a bit higher than the lowest point of the chassis. If you have the PTO out, you can easily get in there with your hand. I recommend a washing with mineral spirits to get all that crud out.

I have my '41 H apart right now, and replaced the right rear gasket this afternoon. If you're replacing the chassis/axle gasket, you MUST pull the cover to unbolt the bull gear, otherwise you can't pull the axel out. Pulling the cover also makes replacing the PTO a cinch. Downside is that you'll spend another $16 for a frame cover gasket.

Remember, there is a second oil drain to the rear of the lift all. The mail fill hole empties into both chambers.

When I emptied the 62 year old 90 weight oil from my trans chassis, I got about 3 gallons of water then the thick, heavy, black oil.

Also found my PTO thrust bearing sitting in the sludge in the bottom of the chassis between the bull gears. How lucky that it never made it into the bull gears!

Good luck!

• Gasket Replacement Procedure