changing oil in K46 transaxle...

the vent.

dkuster said:

I'm trying to change the oil in my K46HD transaxle, but I'm having trouble locating the fill hole.

I've looked at the diagrams on the Tuff Torq website, and there are two possibilities: One is called a "vent", which has a rubber plug with a hole and a black cap. The other has a metal cap, and the diagrams show a magnet and magnet-holder underneath.

Which one is the correct one to open in order to drain/replace the oil?

Does it just pry off?

Thanks for the help!

-dan

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I just replaced my oil this weekend in my K46.

The 'vent', with a rubber cap and plug is where you want to go.

The vent is actually in 2 parts. a 'cap' and a 'plug'.

The cap pulls off the plug and then the plug can be taken out.

I first thought when taking it out that I was destroying the cap because it looked initially like a single piece that was tearing when I took it out. Once the cap was offf then you can remove the plug. When the plug was out I had to put the cap back on the plug it and it took some 'fiddling' to do so.

I measured what I took out and got 2.25 quarts out of mine.

I put synthetic back in, Now I can do 'wheelies'. :thThumbsU (at least it did when I did the power starts/stops to purget the air)

I replaced mine at 75 hours, mainly because the L130 sat for over 2 years in a garage and I was wondering if I was getting moisture in it from sitting and doing nothing

Thanks for the help!

thebanjoman said:

I just replaced my oil this weekend in my K46.

The 'vent', with a rubber cap and plug is where you want to go.

The vent is actually in 2 parts. a 'cap' and a 'plug'.

The cap pulls off the plug and then the plug can be taken out.

I first thought when taking it out that I was destroying the cap because it looked initially like a single piece that was tearing when I took it out. Once the cap was offf then you can remove the plug. When the plug was out I had to put the cap back on the plug it and it took some 'fiddling' to do so.

I measured what I took out and got 2.25 quarts out of mine.

I put synthetic back in, Now I can do 'wheelies'. :thThumbsU (at least it did when I did the power starts/stops to purget the air)

I replaced mine at 75 hours, mainly because the L130 sat for over 2 years in a garage and I was wondering if I was getting moisture in it from sitting and doing nothing

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For whatever it's worth. I emailed TT with questions regarding oil change in my K58. They told me the to fill through vent cap too. Said it would be slow going though because fluid had to fill one chamber before it would overflow to next. Just be sure of how much you take out so you know how much to put back.

Grasshopper67 said:

For whatever it's worth. I emailed TT with questions regarding oil change in my K58. They told me the to fill through vent cap too. Said it would be slow going though because fluid had to fill one chamber before it would overflow to next. Just be sure of how much you take out so you know how much to put back.

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did they say what oil to put back in it.i used to know but as i get older i seem to forget?:fing20:

sproulman said:

did they say what oil to put back in it.i used to know but as i get older i seem to forget?:fing20:

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http://www.tufftorqservices.com/isroot/tts/FlatHTML/TechInfo/docs/TFluidGrease.htm

Model - FLUID/LUBRICANT TYPE LITRES

K58 10w30, API Class Motor Oil 2.45




I stuck in 10w30 Mobil 1 in mine, figured the synthetic would help against the heat better.

Thanks for the info. Been wanting to do mine w/synth. since both TT and JD recommend it. However, I have to wait until the warranty is up or I could have problems with JD if the tranny goes bad...:duh::banghead3 :00000061:

(what tractor do you have the K46 on and did you remove it or pump it out?)

For my k58 he recommended synthetic. I asked him why does JD use regular then. He said to keep cost down. COME ON, REALLY??!!. How much more could synthetic be especially when ur talking bout 2 qts??

Grasshopper67 said:

For my k58 he recommended synthetic. I asked him why does JD use regular then. He said to keep cost down. COME ON, REALLY??!!. How much more could synthetic be especially when ur talking bout 2 qts??

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I paid $6.99 for a quart of Mobil 1 synthetic when I changed mine. I didn't price the conventional but it was more than $1 cheaper per quart i'm sure.

Just remember that you may see it as a small monetary difference between synthetic and conventional oil for one tractor.

JD sees that cost multiplied by each and every tractor that is built.

Same reason why they don't pay for the drain plug in the K46 or other transaxles. I think I read somewhere that it was less than $1 additional per unit but again that is another $1 multiplied by every one built and they are looking at the bottom line.

Given the volume of tractors sold that can add to a significant amount of money.

Is it right? Not when you look at it as 'cutting corners', but it is a reality...

thebanjoman said:

I paid $6.99 for a quart of Mobil 1 synthetic when I changed mine. I didn't price the conventional but it was more than $1 cheaper per quart i'm sure.

Just remember that you may see it as a small monetary difference between synthetic and conventional oil for one tractor.

JD sees that cost multiplied by each and every tractor that is built.

Same reason why they don't pay for the drain plug in the K46 or other transaxles. I think I read somewhere that it was less than $1 additional per unit but again that is another $1 multiplied by every one built and they are looking at the bottom line.

Given the volume of tractors sold that can add to a significant amount of money.

Is it right? Not when you look at it as 'cutting corners', but it is a reality...

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Maybe they should pay the extra few bucks for the oil and draing plugs then pass this on to the customer at twice that and double their money. When you are up in the 3 -4k range on a mower, most people would gladly pay and extra $10.00 for these convienences that will extend teh life of their tractor. Knowing what I know now, I would have paid and extra $100.00 to have a serviceable trans even on a LAWN tractor even on the k58.

Grasshopper67 said:

Maybe they should pay the extra few bucks for the oil and draing plugs then pass this on to the customer at twice that and double their money. When you are up in the 3 -4k range on a mower, most people would gladly pay and extra $10.00 for these convienences that will extend teh life of their tractor. Knowing what I know now, I would have paid and extra $100.00 to have a serviceable trans even on a LAWN tractor even on the k58.

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i tore off pan on 4 transaxles and it would be very easy to put a drain in bottom of pan .all that is needed is a self tapping screw with gasket on it.i actually did this on my sears mower without taking pan off but i did not like idea i may have left a shaving in the pan from the drilling .best way would be to remove pan and drill hole.

sproulman said:

i tore off pan on 4 transaxles and it would be very easy to put a drain in bottom of pan .all that is needed is a self tapping screw with gasket on it.i actually did this on my sears mower without taking pan off but i did not like idea i may have left a shaving in the pan from the drilling .best way would be to remove pan and drill hole.

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That is my plan once warranty is up. Tuff Torq sent me instructions via email. I plan on taking bottom half of housing to machine shop and having plugs installed. That way I know it is done right and I won't worry about shavings. There are already two "punch out" areas specifying where plugs should go. Will replace mesh filter while it is open. However, I don't like the idea of scraping of old silicone sealant and replacing with new stuff. I can be kind of clumsy at times and worry about scraping something into open transaxle. Yeah this is all cheap to do and shouldn't take more than a few hours BUT I shouldn't have to do it for what little it would have cost to have it done from factory. I think JD at least has sold themselves on the idea that these are really nonserviceable units. I think it is all part of the up sell plan to get those really concerned about fluid changes into the x500 whether they need that much machine or not.

i think the sealant was on pan and came off easy.what kind of plugs are you getting and where are locations they want them installed.

sproulman said:

i think the sealant was on pan and came off easy.what kind of plugs are you getting and where are locations they want them installed.

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Given the fill location on the L130 when I replaced the fluid it was easier to just take the transaxle out and dump/replace the fluid instead of trying to snake a suction line in and get all the fluid out. A drain plug would have helped this part.

With it removed I knew I had all the oil out when it was done. I could pick up the transaxle and roll it around in my hands to make sure I had it drained fully. I did this a few times and got even more oil out.

Even with a drain plug you still will have some issues with refilling it while the transaxle is still in the tractor.

With the unit out I could easily fill and make sure visually that the fluid level was where it needed to be.

Im not saying dont put in a drain plug, Im saying that by completely removing the transaxle I was able to inspect everything, clean the fins out properly (had some mud caked in from the prevous owner) and ensure that all was clean going back together. I try and blow the grass out after each time I mow but the unless I took it out I wouldn't have been able to get the mud removed from the fins and it would probably run hotter with the obstructions.

Of course I have air tools so it took longer to let it drain than it was to get the transaxle out.

thebanjoman said:

Given the volume of tractors sold that can add to a significant amount of money.

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This is true but I think that the guys who maintain their own equipment would have no problem paying more in order to service the tranny. Changing the tranny oil would most likely be done once a year or every 100 hours or so as part of a regular maintenance routine. Imagine how many "my K46 tranny is toast" posts would be eliminated by this simple solution. Then again, the tractor manufacturers would not be able to sell as many tractors either so it probably will never happen. :fing20:

sproulman said:

i think the sealant was on pan and came off easy.what kind of plugs are you getting and where are locations they want them installed.

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Sproulman, I have a photo from TT with the locations. If you have the k58 and would like, I can email it to you with the photo attachement.

I dont know how similiar the K58 is in removing compared to the K46 but if it is quick and easy then I may not have plugs nstalled. However, I do like the idea of changing out the internal filter. Anywayss, for my 35 hours a year, Iwould only have to do this once every 3 years and that is worth a few hours work. I think with these measures, I could get at least 1000 hours out of my mower and that is all I am really shooting for because that would be 20 years for me. I told my wife it would last 15 years but I think I will be ready for a zero turn way before then.

i think mine is k46 or below.its LA145 .removing the hydro is not hard as said above,then turning upside down to drain.it gets almost all oil out where the hose down vent would get about 90% of oil out.i dont think the tranny oil needs changed yearly, i would say about 3 yrs would be a good time but just my opinion.so taking the tranny out may not be a big thing if not done yearly.

if done yearly, i think i would put a plug or my idea a self tapping screw with seal.my only worry with any kind of plug in bottom is HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE SMALL LEAK?there is no dipstick to check oil daily or monthly etc.that i would worry about.

so i guess i am back to the hose down vent or removing the tranny and turning upside down to drain.i am leaning towards idea of REMOVING IT AND TURNING UPSIDE DOWN EVERY 3 YEARS.this would get all fluid out and easy to get fluid back in.i like hose idea also but its going to leave some in there but i dont think it would hurt anything.of all the hydros i removed and repaired not 1 had dirty oil,oil was nice and clear and hydros were about 7 years old.

chance of having leak on bottom and no way to check oil daily could be a big problem if it did leak while cutting grass.as of now i think that is something i would avoid.too expensive to take a chance.:fing20: