Use a good degreaser like Gunk and clean the whole area thoroughly first and then blow it dry with an air compressor or leaf blower and then watch for the exact spot where the leak starts. It could just be the hose clamp needs tightening, or it could be a split in the hose or a crack in the plastic reservoir right at the neck where the hose connects.

 

Yeah I figured I’d try that. Can I use a hose to rinse it off or should I just spray with degreaser and then blow it dry a few times?

 

Since it's oil that's leaking, just a hose spraying water won't clean it off. You could use a bucket of hot water with some Dawn dishwashing detergent itf you don't have any spray degreaser. You'll just be doing it by hand and going through a few rags rather than spraying, waiting and rinsing.

 

Sorry, I meant is it safe to spray off with a hose after covering in degreaser....? Should have been more specific haha.

 

I went ahead and cleaned it the best I could a few times with degreaser and being careful with the hose. I'll try and keep an eye on it to find the leaking spot.

Still could use some help on the below:

Fluid - Can I use 5w50 or 5w40 synthetic engine oil? If not, what can I use? I want to be sure to keep it full until I fix the leak.

I’d also like to “upgrade” the washers I’ve read about in the axles to the hardened ones. What are they? Where do they go? Where do I get them?

Thanks again to everyone for the assistance!

 

Hello,
Oil-wise I would either use the John Deere J20C which is the original oil or get the Tuff Tech oil.

 

Thanks! I ended up going to JD dealer near me and grabbing the JD stuff anyway to be safe. Got it all cleaned up now and will try and narrow down the leak.

Got the deck leveled correctly and a bent corner back into place and also set the anti-scalp wheels at the correct height.

Got some new blades so I'm going to remove the deck, pressure wash everything and grease all of the zerks when I put the new blades on.

The quick-disconnect pints had been replaced with bolts so I got some cleevis pins and washers to replace those as well. Going to change engine oil and filter, make sure all tires have correct air pressure and give the whole thing a good wash/degreasing. I'll post some more pics after.

Going to go ahead and order an overflow tank and hose as I am pretty sure that's where it is leaking now. It's much cleaner under there so hopefully I'll be able to spot it easily.

The Briggs runs great and fires up instantly, sounds good too haha! Beast of a mower! Hopefully can have it perfect here soon!

 

Think I found it! It was really clean and dry so I ran it and let it sit all day. I circled where the fluid is. So it’s either that hose/connection or that little plastic piece. What is that little plastic piece and is it replaceable?

That is where the rubber hose enters the transaxle from the reservoir.

 

Alright, found the parts I need on JD website and will order those. Last night I removed the deck, cleaned it, replaced the blades and greased everything along with replacing the "J Hooks" with Clevis pins.

However, now I have noticed another issue. See pics below where main belt from engine to mower deck is rubbing on this arm. Any ideas here?

 

After looking at this again, it seems the only way this arm would be in the way (everything else is tight, nothing bent, no play, etc.) is if the wrong size belt was on the deck. I'm leaning towards that.....calling JD near for me a belt.

Here's some pictures in case this can help anyone in the future. I have not picked up a new belt yet but this is the only reason (with everything else correct) for this arm to sit in the incorrect path.

"My Deck" is showing the current belt path and contact area in blue with a red line showing where it should be.

"Deck With Correct" is showing the correct belt on a 48C deck and a red line showing the angle of the spring and arm on my deck currently. Hopefully I solved this here!

 

Your deck is missing the idler pulley. The center blade wont cut very well.

 

Well dang I can’t believe I missed that. I guess that would make sense as well, so belt is probably the correct length then. Thanks for the reply.

 

LOL. The suck thing is you will need the whole assembly not just the pulley.

 

All good, got the parts! That should definitely pull the arm outta the way! Will report back later! Thanks again!

 

Got the new parts on and we're up and running - cuts GREAT! Love the way these 48C decks cut! Now just need to get parts to fix the small transaxle leak and should be all set but I'll have to order those.

Wasn't really the "turn-key" tractor the guy explained to me. But, I was in a hurry and took his word on a lot of things (nice old man with a Vet/Navy hat on) plus this was the only "clean" one I've seen near me for the last 4 months that was not $2k or more. So overall I think I did pretty well still.

Going to pressure wash and give this thing a full detail next with some fresh oil and a filter, I'll post pics after! Thanks again for the input and help!

I think I'll eventually order a new bottom hood piece and refurb./paint the deck to really shine er' up!

 

Awesome, glad you got it sorted out! My parents had a GT235, that's the model I was trying to find for a while. They were happy with it, it served them well.

 

Alright I’m back, one more thing lol. Should be it after this! So it’s definitely leaking in the one spot mentioned above where the hose from reservoir meets the transaxle.

However, I swear there’s another small leak on the bottom corner. It’s not wet up top above this area, and it’s not dripping over from the other leak because I’m keeping a rag in there and it’s in the other side (I think). Would it just randomly leak between the two cases?? It does not seem like a high-hour tractor. Any ideas? And thanks a ton for the response. You can see the fresh fluid I’ve circled and arrowed towards.

Not a huge deal if it doesn’t get any worse, but I cannot stand a leak and pretty much can’t leave something alone until it’s right haha. I’ll plan to find a spare K71 that I’m going to tear open and refresh so I’ll have it ready to go in here if this one ever gives me fits. But I’d still like to try and fix this one as well while on the tractor if possible.

Again, it does work perfectly well and doesn't skip a beat - just annoying to see fluid where it shouldn't be!

Hopefully this is my last “new issue” post. Thanks for the help again!

EDIT: I ordered a new reservoir tank, hose, o-ring, and the plastic fitting that goes into the transaxle. I'm going to fix this first and then see if it leaks anywhere else. I'm 100% positive it is leaking from here so hopefully that's the only place.

 

Alright, so I cannot stop looking at this. I stuffed a shop towel for the time being under the leak at the hose/fitting so it would not drip down anymore to the bottom of the case
and wiped all of the fluid off. That worked and is definitely the main source for the fluid. However, in the last two pictures I posted above, it is still getting fluid accumulating on the bottom of the case on that side. That is the drivers side tire removed (facing tractor from rear, the left side). It is not coming from up top, that is all dry above it. I also do not see a path of it coming over from where I know it is leaking. It's almost like it is coming out between the two case halves. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? The case has never been opened, all bolts are tight, etc. etc. I'm stumped. Sorry to keep posting, but I gotta get this thing right!

 

Hoses are cheap and the upper leak is most likely the hose so I would replace that first just to see if the upper leak stops. The lower leak sounds like the gasket is shot between the upper and lower halves of the housing and the only resolution for that is to pull it apart and replace the gasket.

 

Thanks Nouveau, all the parts for that assembly should be here soon: hose, tank, plastic piece, o-ring, etc. so I'll definitely be replacing all of those. I just literally cannot find a single thread anywhere of a K71 leaking between the case halves, but I agree that is what it looks like to me as well. There's literally nowhere else for it be coming from down there. How bi of a job is it to remove the transaxle and replace the gasket/re-seal? Is there a gasket or is it some sort of silicone?

 

Alright, so I’m starting to think it was lied to about the history of this tractor. Doesn’t make sense though Because I called the guy and asked some questions about everything I’ve discovered with the trans. He said it had never leaked a drop of fluid in the ground, period. I just don’t see how that’s not true, no way possible. Nice old man that swore he’s the original owner. I also checked the back left larger bolt in the pic above (that’s circled) out of curiosity (area it looks like it could be leaking) and sure enough, it’s stripped. How is this stripped if nobody has ever been in the trans? He said the trans has never been worked on etc etc. I’m in a weird spot, he said he’d come get it and give me my money back if I was not satisfied and got extremely offended. I’m asking questions that I feel are completely viable. (He also misses the missing idler pulley) I’m torn. I’m kind of attached now lol but I did pay $1,500 for something I was told was issue free. But I did buy a 20 year old tractor and I knew there’d be bugs along the way, but nothing major. Anyway, here’s where I’m at. I’ve now put several 3-4 hours nights into getting the kinks out of this thing as well as 4 trips to the JD store. I ordered all of the parts that I am 100% sure will fix the major trans leak (hose connection to trans). But I’m stuck with what could be a possible leak between the two cases and a bolt I believe to be stripped on the trans. Should I just keep at it and hope that if there is a second leak where I’m suspecting that it doesn’t get much worse and use as is until after grass cutting season and address then? Or should I tell this guy he was full of crap and take him up on his offer to come get it? Overall the tractor is very clean and I paid $1,500 for it. Overall everything works great and seems OK now minus this. Let me know your thoughts!

Also, should the level of fluid in the reservoir ride after using the tractor for a while? I’m assuming that’s OK as it obviously heats up but just making sure.

EDIT: I’m going to keep it. The only other 235, 245, 325, etc. within four states of me for the last four months have been 2-$2,500. I’m sure they would take the same going-through I’ve done to this one as well once I got them home. So even if I have to buy a $500 K71 to appease myself I’m still not doing too bad. So even if I end up replacing a few things, I’ll have an “X5 series equivalent” for a lot less money. I’ll post as we progress into learning more about what I have haha! Thanks again!

 

Cool, good luck with it! I have split a geared Craftsman transaxle (lubed with grease, not oil), I remember having to buy a particular gasket maker. As I recall, it got sticky as it dried, but didn't really harden fully. So it would seal, but not really glue the two halves together.

And it worked, I was able to split the housing again a week later, without damaging anything. But then I was really glad I bought the proper stuff. If I had used RTV or something, and glued all the way around it, it would have been a nightmare to split the 2nd time.

Not to say they are all done this way, but this stuff worked well for my application, anyways.

Hopefully once you can get these initial issues resolved, it will be a robust and reliable machine for you. Ideally not needing a backup tranny (I'd hold off on that until I needed one, personally).

Oh, and from what I've read, I'd expect an external reservoir's level to rise as the tranny and oil heat, and expand. But my machine doesn't have an external tank, so just going by what I've read.

 

Don't get discouraged. All tractors need a little this and that. The GT235 is a very well built machine made to last. You can do a lot more than just mow the grass with them. On a smiley face note your tractor was over $5,000 when new.

 

First off, sorry for the broken English, when I post from my phone for the auto-correct for whatever reason completely goes haywire on this website lol!

Very true! I compared frames, engines, transaxles, etc. etc. on new JD's in all price ranges before deciding to buy a JD of this era. I wanted a proven engine, a thick frame, and at least a K71 grade hydro. So it'll definitely be worth it for sure! I'd be at close to $7k if I were to buy an equivalent machine today (outside of creature comforts such as hydraulic deck lift and power steering which I do not need). So my plan is to get this thing right, then make it really pretty and keep it for the next 20 years!

 

Earlier you said that all of the bolts were tight but now you say one is stripped. Is it the bolt or the threads in the casing that are stripped? If it's the bolt I would replace it. If it's the threads in the casing I would try a helicoil insert plus a new bolt just for good measure. In either case simply tightening up that bolt once you have the stripped threads issue resolved may stop the leak. But it may be stripped because it was leaking earlier and someone over tightened it trying to stop the leak. If that is the case a new gasket will be the final answer.

 

Yeah, I lightly checked the bolts and they all seemed tight. But I checked that corner again by “loosening it”, and it just spins. Doesn’t back out at all. So out a little more pressure forwards, doesn’t tighten either. Just spins. Since the case is aluminum I bet the case is stripped. I’m going to wait u til I fix the other leak first. I don’t want to make it worse and render the tractor useless unless fixed. I’ll be able to get a better idea of how bad that leak is once the hose leak is fixed. Then I’ll go from there. Parts should all be here Sunday.

 

Not directly related to your issue but I bought my Legacy this spring and I've ended up putting another $500 into it just getting things right that I missed when I bought it. Compared to what else has come up I saved money and have a known machine now but there have been growing pains. I think it just comes with the territory of used machines. It's always a gamble.

 

I can't help much with the leaks or anything, but I also have a gt235 that I love. My situation was the other way, I got it very cheap (relatively speaking) because there were a few minor issues that the previous owner thought were larger issues.

 

Nice, lucky you! I've been fortunate enough to get a few things like that. Fortunately they outnumber the ones where I underestimated the issues.