oil leak, is it normal on a 9N?

[serge]

Hi everyone
I just noticed today in my garage oil leaking
there is a kind of clip under beside the transmission drain plug and one beside the oil drain plug.

is it normal that it would leak a bit when stop.
I am attaching pics

 

[HCooke]

Is it normal. Yep. That is a cotter pin and it is
there to keep that hole open so that oil and trans
fluid in the bell housing will drain out instead
of getting all over you clutch. Even my new Kubota
has a drain there! A few drips won't hurt
anything. If there is a lot of oil in there I
suggest you block down you clutch when the tractor
sits overnight, or you will be back asking how to
unstick the clutch.

 

[FLAcharlie]

the cotter pins are to prevent those holes from plugging up. You might want to move them around and make sure those holes are open. Their function is to let stuff out, yes. But shouldn't be much.

 

[HCooke]

I do this every time I park the tractor at the end of the day. My modern Kubota ever has a hook under the clutch pedal to do this!

 

[HCooke]

Here is the picture

 

[Bruce (VA)]

Check out tip # 51
75 Tips

 

[Jimmyjack]

I always tell anyone if those old fords don't have a few drips they don't have any oil in them!

 

[Jimmyjack]

I do the same thing but I wonder if it doesn't weaken the springs? Seems to me it does.

 

[HCooke]

I have never had the springs fail. I have 10 old Ford tractors and they are all parked this way. Like I said my Kubota has a hook and eye to block down the clutch pedal and the manual says to do it.

 

[Dean]

I would not use the term "normal" but certainly common on these 60+ year old machines.

Dean

 

[serge]

(quoted from post at 16:03:12 01/29/15) Check out tip # 51
75 Tips

thanks to all again for the good answers

 

[howdy1960]

Like others have stated cotter key is there to keep hole open so oil can leak out instead of getting on clutch. Blocking clutch peddle is also a great idea and one I have started doing this year do to oil same color as my engine oil started coming out that very hole.
My small knowledge in automotive repair tells me that since it shouldn't be leaking motor oil from there I may have a rear main seal leaking and I NEED to split tractor to find and fix.

 

[Dell (WA)]

Serge.......yep, the ol' jingle-jangle cotter keys designed to keep dirt from pluggin' the drain hole. In the old days of before sprays, weed control was a dusty dirty chore of draggin' V-shaped sweeps just under the DRY soil. The jingle-jangle cotter keys kept the 2-holes free to drip oil. Most oil drip is NOT engine oil but tranny oil drip. While the 1939 design spec'd 5-gals of 90wt gear oil; Ford now recommends spec: M2C-134D. (about 60wt) Most front tranny seal oil leak is caused by OVERFILLING. N's run just fine on 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 gals of M2C-134D. Not only that, but you won't be splashing oil out yer axle seals and greasin' yer brakes. ......oily Dell

 

[Gaspump]

You say "Ford now recommends". You do remember that Ford exited the tractor business in 1994 don't you?

 

[John Smith8N]

(quoted from post at 08:21:20 01/30/15) Serge.......yep, the ol' jingle-jangle cotter keys designed to keep dirt from pluggin' the drain hole. In the old days of before sprays, weed control was a dusty dirty chore of draggin' V-shaped sweeps just under the DRY soil. The jingle-jangle cotter keys kept the 2-holes free to drip oil. Most oil drip is NOT engine oil but tranny oil drip. While the 1939 design spec'd 5-gals of 90wt gear oil; Ford now recommends spec: M2C-134D. (about 60wt) Most front tranny seal oil leak is caused by OVERFILLING. N's run just fine on 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 gals of M2C-134D. Not only that, but you won't be splashing oil out yer axle seals and greasin' yer brakes. ......oily Dell

Why keep dispensing that same flawed theory? Overfilling does NOT cause seals to leak, BAD seals leak. Good seals do not leak. The front transmission seal as well as the axle seals are neoprene lip seals. They are designed to keep oil in even when completely submerged below gallons of oil and they do it well every day in numerous applications. The oil level in the N transmission and rear end even when full is WAY below the input shaft and axle shaft level. Lubrication is provided by splashing. When the gears spin in the transmission it looks like an automatic car wash spraying oil around in there. The gears, being in the lower part of the transmission, will fling oil all over whether there is one gallon or 5 gallons in there. Running it a quart or 2 low will have NO effect on the seal leaking if the seal is bad. And only bad seals leak.

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 16:33:05 01/30/15)

(quoted from post at 08:21:20 01/30/15) Serge.......yep, the ol' jingle-jangle cotter keys designed to keep dirt from pluggin' the drain hole. In the old days of before sprays, weed control was a dusty dirty chore of draggin' V-shaped sweeps just under the DRY soil. The jingle-jangle cotter keys kept the 2-holes free to drip oil. Most oil drip is NOT engine oil but tranny oil drip. While the 1939 design spec'd 5-gals of 90wt gear oil; Ford now recommends spec: M2C-134D. (about 60wt) Most front tranny seal oil leak is caused by OVERFILLING. N's run just fine on 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 gals of M2C-134D. Not only that, but you won't be splashing oil out yer axle seals and greasin' yer brakes. ......oily Dell

Why keep dispensing that same flawed theory? Overfilling does NOT cause seals to leak, BAD seals leak. Good seals do not leak. The front transmission seal as well as the axle seals are neoprene lip seals. They are designed to keep oil in even when completely submerged below gallons of oil and they do it well every day in numerous applications. The oil level in the N transmission and rear end even when full is WAY below the input shaft and axle shaft level. Lubrication is provided by splashing. When the gears spin in the transmission it looks like an automatic car wash spraying oil around in there. The gears, being in the lower part of the transmission, will fling oil all over whether there is one gallon or 5 gallons in there. Running it a quart or 2 low will have NO effect on the seal leaking if the seal is bad. And only bad seals leak.

I'll buy that for sure. But there's one thing that you are failing to mention. That is the fact that some of these seals could be 60 some years old. I think that is what people have in mind when they talk against parking nose down in a ditch to save 5 gallons of oil. I mean, why press your luck?

If I ever remove my PTO shaft, you can bet that I will drain out the oil. I'm not so poor that I can't afford 5 gallons of oil.