My Tractor Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

John Deere Lawn Tractor L130 - dying hydrostatic drive

339K views 213 replies 81 participants last post by  rdaisley 
#1 ·
Over the last 6 months, I've noticed the hydrostatic drive getting weaker and weaker, to the point where if the ride-on has been mowing for an hour or less it cannot get up slopes it used to handle with ease. If I continue mowing I'll be lucky to get the machine back to base.

Two years ago, about 2 years after purchasing the new L130, I noticed the same problem, resulting in the John Deere agency replacing the hydrostatic transmission under warranty.

I expressed my concern at the time that the same fault may happen again, with us having to foot the out-of-warranty bill next time. The agency's response was that this was most likely a 'one-off'.

When I contacted them before Christmas about the present problem, the service guy said, "Oh, we don't bother repairing these transmissions - we just throw them out and put in a new one."

This did not reassure me at all, and made me wonder how many other L130 owners are being taken to the cleaners by John Deere with having to replace their transmissions about once every two years!

It also makes me wonder if there is some underlying fault in this transmission that JD are not being straight about.

Any insights very much appreciated.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
:Welcome1: and sorry to hear about your tranny. Since you've already had it replaced once and JD has a record of the problem this may help you to get it fixed or replaced once out of warranty You may also want to think about trading it in while it still working. JMO. slkpk
 
#3 ·
Our churches L has over 400 hours on it with many riders and less than recommended maintenance. The only problem we've had was a burned out electric pto clutch. I wouldn't say all L's had hydrostatic problems. If I remember correctly, your tractor doesn't have a serviceable hydro. I've heard of owners draining the hydro (by tipping tractor or removing the unit) and replacing the fluid. This may help in your case, otherwise, the only other thing I can think of is that this wasn't the right tractor for your uses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: David Russell
#4 ·
I've heard of owners draining the hydro (by tipping tractor or removing the unit) and replacing the fluid. This may help in your case,
Just as was my case, with my L118 TRACTOR.... If you can turn a wrench or two, it isn't all that hard to do.

I took the tranny out, dumped the original ugly oil out of it, refilled with synth oil, runs as good as new, it has been 2 years since the service to the un-serviceable unit. I plan on doing the same again this summer.
 
#5 ·
pefer,

Thanks for chiming in!:thThumbsU
 
#7 ·
I like the product review in the link Mayor provided,I think it's the first time I ever saw a tool described as visually pleasing!!Truly written by someone who appreciates a finely made tool.:fing32: :ROF
 
#8 ·
you can easily change the oil inthe tranny. Wally2q posted instructions over on garden web, but looks like the post is gone now due to age. shoot him a PM and see if he cna repost in detail.

the simple breakdown is to remove the tranny from under the mower, pull out the vent cap, turn the tranny over and let it drain. then refill with 10w30, reinstall the vent cap, and reinstall onto your tractor. i did mine on my L130 end of the summer and it ran fine afterwards. took me all of about 2 hours to do, and that was due to a stuck bolt!
 
#12 ·
If I was going to take the transaxle out ONCE to change the oil, I'd take it down to a shop and have a plug installed in the lower housing. Once is enough the hard way!!:goodl:
 
#13 ·
on my L130 a drain at the bottom would be fine. but the problem is trying to get something inthe top to refill it. space is real tight!

i did dump my old fluid in a bucket and mark teh level. then i poured it in teh jug with my other burnt oil, cleaned the bucket, and filled to that level with new fresh oil. that way i pretty much put the same amount back inthat i took out. i still had to top it off a little, but not much.
 
#14 ·
Just thought I would butt in and ask a few questions about transmissions. I have a '94 LX 176 that I bought used a few years ago. A single cylinder 14HP Kawasaki engine and a K-61 transmission. It is used only for mowing a 1/2 acre flat city lot. Anyway I just wanted to know how the K-61 compared with the transmission on an X300 and am I able to change the oil in the K-61 without removing it from the machine. As far as I know the oil has never been changed. Thanks.
 
#17 ·
I think the L130 uses the K46 trans axle if so the Husqvarna rider155 uses the same setup only it is serviceable with a reservoir to show a high and low oil level looked like a brake fluid reservoir. Any way the trans has 2 bolts at the bottom to drain the oil and you refill through the reservoir. This takes 2.2 liters with the reservoir or 1.87 with out the reservoir. When I saw this I thought I would put a reservoir of some type on mine and drill the bottom cover of the trans. I will try to post pics from the owner’s manual to show where to put the drain plugs
 
#18 ·
HY,

Welcome to the forum! :Welcome1: Looking forward to your pics.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I'm wondering if someone who has been-there-done-that with regard to removing the sludge and changing the oil in the L130's transmission can give me some how-to tips on doing this - i.e. how to get at the transmission in order to remove/drain it. To all intents and purposes, the transmission does not exist in the L130 user manual, the only reference to it being something like: Not a user serviceable part. Many thanks for any help! PS: I've PM'd Wally2q
 
#20 ·
Couldn't find the original procedure I wrote, so after 18 months, I'll try to do it from memory...

By the way - this was done on the L120; basically the same machine but different engine.

DISCLAIMER: if you break your tractor while following these instructions, it ain't my fault. If you break your tractor while not-following these instructions, it ain't my fault either.

Read all the instructions before you even get up off your computer chair. Then read them again, slowly. Then print them and take them with you to the garage.

It took me 2 hours start to finish to do this.

OK, Here goes:

Refer to pictures below.
Step 00. Put a couple of frosties (Bud, Busch, or Molson Canadian) in the fridge. Or stick them into a snow bank (applicable to Molson only).
Step 0. Jack up the tractor and secure properly on jack stands.
Step 1. Take the wheels off
Step 2. Take the washers & spacers off.
Step 3. Take the belt off, the belt retainer bar, and the pulley & fan off. Reason for the fan, is so you don't break it while handling the transmisson - the blades are quite fragile: I broke 2 blades off the fan, by not doing this while taking my tranny off.
Step 4. Unbolt the torque brackets off the frame. I think there are 2 of them - one on either side. I can't remember if I took them right off, or just unbolted one end (either the frame end, or the tranny end)
Step 5. Decouple the fwd/rev actuator link by removing the spring clip & washer, and removing the pin from the lever
Step 6. Decouple the brake actuator link by removing the spring clip & washer, and removing the pin from the lever
Step 7. Decouple the free-wheeling actuator link by removing the spring clip & washer, and removing the pin from the lever. Then pull the lever all the way out the back, as far as it will go, so it's out of the way
Step 8. Take a break & crack one of the frosties, because the next step, you'll be dropping the tranny.
Step 9. Secure a jack (a hydraulic one works best) under the tranny - use a block of wood between the tranny and the jack. Remove the 4 bolts that hold the tranny onto the frame. Slowly lower the tranny with the jack, while observing for interferences - which you obviously want to clear so you don't break anything.

Once the tranny is out, use a paint brush, and low-pressure air to blow all the dirt off it, before you open any internal cavities. If "one speck" of dirt, or one "blade of grass" gets in the tranny - you're screwed! Wipe the area around the fill plug with a rag, to get all the sticky dirt off.

Take the filler plug out, and stick your (clean) finger in the hole. The oil level should be right near the top. Make a mental note if that's not the case. Invert the tranny to drain out the oil. Put the fill plug back in. Rotate the tranny around to get all the oil out of all the nooks and crannies. Take the plug out, and invert the tranny again to get the rest of the oil out.

Set it down, right side up, and measure the amount of oil you took out.

Replace the same amount of oil that you took out, with a good quality product. If your "finger dip-stick test" showed you were low, then obviously you should be able to get more oil in than you get out. The level should be almost right to the top, but not too full so that if you put the plug back in, that oil will leak out.

If you put in less than you took out and the tranny is full, then obviously you didn't refill all the nooks and crannies. Put the plug in, and twist and rotate the tranny around. Then set it back down, and top it off again.

I did this, and was able to get the same amount of oil back in.

To reinstall the tranny, reverse the 10 steps above. Grease all the hardware while you're at it.

At the end, you may need to bleed the air out of the system. I published a procedure for that too... either here, or on GW. You'll have to find it yourself, because I just ran out of beer, and so my typing has to stop.....

Last step: grab the 2'nd frostie out of the snow-bank, and enjoy it, while wiping grease off your fingers with a shop-rag.

cheers!
:trink40:





 
#23 ·
Here is the air-bleed procedure. This came straight from a TuffTorq tech-support guy. Note that it's applicable to various trannies, K46, K57, K66 etc.... but it's done in-situ, so keep in mind when topping off the oil, that it's hard to get to the fill plug without stirring up dirt that's around in that space where the tranny sits... so be very careful. I used a small funnel and a length of soft clear plastic tube - to get the oil in there.....

Also keep in mind that when you first change the oil and start up your tractor, the tranny may not move at all... because of air-lock in the internal hydraulics... so don't be alarmed, and just follow the procedure as below....


1. Jack up the tractor on jack stands so the rear wheels can spin freely, and the tractor is secure.
2. Start engine and operate at low idle
3. With either a weight or a person in the seat, repeat opening and closing the tow release valve (wheel release lever ), while depresing fwd and rev. pedals.
4. Once wheels run at normal speed, increase engine speed
5. Continue by placing tractor on the ground, and doing panic starts and stops at full throttle - until tractor gives proper start/stop response.
6. Recheck oil level and top-off if necessary.
 
#55 ·
Hello guys, You guys know that what we are talking about sends shivers down the JD shop owners and mechanics spines. Why the very thought of servicing a "non-serviceable throw away trans" is probably somewhere close to treason enough to keep them from sleep. I bet if you were to say something about it they would quickly discourage you. I have been reading this thread and a couple others and I have heard this opperation done once. I got to tell you the thought of drilling a hole in the bottom of the case without knowing how far to drill or where the case might be the lowest and thickest much less the chips that would be undoubtedly left inside is kind of scarry. But in the same breath it would be kind of easy to drill the cast aluminium and a good thing to us a tapered pipe tap and plug. But thinking beyond the repair how about on the refill side of this equation put in a remote fill plug somewhere maybe under the seat where it can be easily accessed the next time. The side or top of the case could be drilled and tapped with a pipe tap and that way the parts to do this opperation could be bought at the local lowes or home depot. Once the hole was tapped a plug inserted with the correct thread on one side and a hose nipple on the other. Then run a length of hose run to another nipple and thread plug into maybe an elbow or I remember a fitting for a shower that had a flange with two bolt holes to mount it to a stud in the wall or in our case a fender or some other easy place where it could be mounted. Then it could be easy to top off or fill the trans from I don't know maybe under the seat. Then maybe a 2 hour job would be ten minutes. Though your JD mechanic is going to want to know why you haven't been in to throw away your money oh I mean your trans. What do you guys think could this be done. I'm posting on behaf of my Scotts that is in the same boat. Good luck and save you some money, John.
 
#24 ·
#28 ·
FYI... I bought a K66 from that place once already.... got the unit - brand new... as Mayor said - it's sitting on the shelf as backup - I'm waiting & waiting for the K46 to die... 375 hours and still no change in performance....

...I think I'll swap out my tranny in the spring, because I'm sick of waiting...
 
#31 ·
The ongoing saga of the L130 John Deere hydro: After inspection we found our hydro is filled with a thick black sludge, replacing what I guess must have been clean trans oil originally. I'm wondering what causes the oil to end up like that? IOW, what, if anything, is being ground up? I've never seen inside one of these hydros so haven't a clue if there are gears, plates or whatever. Is the trans oil on the L130 pumped through the hydro or is the oil 'static' - just put it in and forget it? My understanding is that it's the hydro's job to transmit the engine's power to the drive wheels on the L130 so (theoretically speaking) if for 200 hours or so I just drive the L130 up and down the lawn slopes and flats, WITHOUT engaging the cutting tray, would the oil in the hydro still go black and gunky? Many thanks for your help.
 
#32 ·
it is just like regular engine oil, burn it and it goes black. sounds like your hydro was getting too hot and scorched the oil. make sure you keep the fins clean and the fan working. this will drastically reduce the temps of the hydro when they work as designed. if the vent cap was loose, a lot of dirt/debris can get in, adding to teh sludginess of the oil.

my hydro had a few more hours on it than yours, but it was pretty black sludge when it came out.

BTW, anytime the engine is running your fan is turning onthe hydro and the oil is moving around. if you putter around with teh engine at partial throttle, then the fna is turning slower and thus not cooling it as much. i keep mine set WOT and learned to control my speed with the pedal. the only time i don't go WOT is when i am spraying, as it is impossible to hold a slow consistant speed, then i go about 1/4-1/2 throttle and put my foot to the floor. every time i stop to refill teh tank i go WOT and let the motor run to cool the hydro.

it makes no difference whether the blades are engaged or not.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top