Oil Leak Question

[mac15b]

Ok, so first off, I am a high school ag teacher, teaching mostly shop classes. We have a 1952 8N in the shop that my classes are going to restore. I want to confirm what I think before I do something I don't need to do. We have an oil leak. It is coming out of the "weep hole" with the cotter pin in it underneath the clutch housing behind the engine. Is that a rear main leak I am looking at or am I going the wrong direction? Thinking we're going to have to split the tractor but not looking forward to it!

 

[showcrop]

Shame on you!!! You need to be looking forward to the split!! It is a tremendous teaching opportunity. The oil can be coming from either the engine or transmission. Provided the oil is not contaminated with moisture, engine oil is black, transmission oil is yellow. Teach your students safety. Block the front and roll the rear. Support the rear with a wheeled type trailer jack attached RIGIDLY to the hydraulic housing through a bracket that you fabricate. You remove the round plate that the PTO lever is mounted in and use three of the threaded holes there. This method is instead of an unattached floor jack that can slip out from under.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

If it's oil, it's the rear main seal.

If it's hydraulic fluid, it's the front transmission seal.

But if you're restoring the tractor, why worry about it? Both seals should be replaced in a restoration.
75 Tips

 

[jimtrs]

(quoted from post at 07:57:10 03/31/22) .....We have an oil leak. It is coming out of the "weep hole" with the cotter pin in it underneath the clutch housing behind the engine. Is that a rear main leak I am looking at or am I going the wrong direction?

Could be. May more likely be a front transmission seal leak. While either require a split, the tranny seal is a much easier replacement.

Whenever we split for say a cluth, the front tranny seal gets replaced. 4 bolts, R&R the seal, bolt up.

 

[Btzj02]

I agree with Bruce if you are doing a complete rebuild. Someday I will be rebuilding my engine but until then a little oil dripping out that hole is ok by by me. The old girl is just marking her spot in the pole barn!

I have not done much mechanic work since High School Shop class but my 8N52 was/is the perfect way to re-learn all the mechanical basics that every modern vehicle is based. Splitting the tractor or opening up the rear end is an awesome way to teach kids how a clutch, transmission, or a rear end differential actually works.

Good luck on your project. Much good advice on this forum. My hat is off to you and anyone else that has the temperament to be a teacher. I know I could not do it.
JB

 

[Mike Groom]

I've split over 20 N series tractors by myself. I block the rear tires and put jack stands under the trans. remove the hood and all needed hardware to roll the front end forward using a cherry picker attached
to the engine. I detach the radius rods and steering linkage at the rear by the clutch and brake pedals. You can change a clutch in 3 hours or less by yourself. 8N's are one of the easiest to do and great
teaching tractor.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I have only split two Ns but a couple dozen later Fords and beg to differ.
I suggest he block the front end and roll the back away.
Trying to steer the front wheels while they are flopping left and right is a pia.
Rolling the rear half back you have those big round handles (rear tires) you can grab to pull/push the rear end away then steer it back up to the engine for reassembly.
That was the only way you could do the one in the photo.
Try moving the back half once. You won't go back.

<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto121689.jpg>

This post was edited by Ultradog MN on 03/31/2022 at 08:44 am.

 

[Eman85]

Which fluid is below full level? That's the one that's leaking.
You say you're going to "restore" this tractor, does that mean completely disassemble and restore to original? Or are you just wanting to clean and paint it and make it look good and run OK? Do you have all of the manuals for the tractor?

 

[mac15b]

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it! I will check the oil that is dripping out and see what our issue may be.

When I say "restore", it's more of "restoration light"... being a school program, we obviously don't have a ton of cash to throw into a full-on restoration. We're going to fix the major issues, repair some of the minor things, replace missing parts, rewire, paint, and just get it looking good and use it around our shop.

We have the I&T shop manual, but not much else. I grew up using a 49 on my dad's farm, so I do know a [i:a636a018b0]little[/i:a636a018b0] about them. I have split a tractor before, but it was an unpleasant experience... I was in college and it was an old John Deere backhoe used by our farm. Hopefully this will be a more pleasant undertaking!

 

[lha]

When I did my restoration light,it started as an oil pump rebuild and while there,I checked the main and
rod bearings. They were all good,so I left it alone apart from the oil pump and tube.The valve clearances
were way off[too loose],so I set that,replaced the rope seals,clutch and since the bell housing was fairly
clean,put it back together. I then set about rebuilding the hydraulics,lift and all of that stuff. It wasn't
that bad of a job,but I've worked on many engines.

 

[ASEguy]

If both fluids are close to the same color, put some dye in the engine and run it for a bit (1/2 hour) before you split it. You'll have a better idea what you need.

 

[DMartin9N-2N]

(quoted from post at 14:26:37 03/31/22) I've split over 20 N series tractors by myself. I block the rear tires and put jack stands under the trans. remove the hood and all needed hardware to roll the front end forward using a cherry picker attached
to the engine. I detach the radius rods and steering linkage at the rear by the clutch and brake pedals. You can change a clutch in 3 hours or less by yourself. 8N's are one of the easiest to do and great
teaching tractor.

Good afternoon: I seem to recall a mechanic telling me it is possible to roll the N front end away from the rear by leaving one radius rod connected so the front will not tip over.
The mechanic telling this has a shop with an overhead I-beam made like a boom, meaning it can be rotated left or right in an arc, always parallel to the floor. A chain fall hangs from the I-beam and can be moved along the I-beam.
The chain fall may be what he uses to hold up the rear half of tractor.

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

 

[mac15b]

Sorry I've not checked back in here for a while, we were on Spring Break and I've been nursing an injury. Anyway, the oil dripping out of the
weep hole has a yellowish tinge to it with a trace of darker oil. I'm assuming the dark is engine oil and the yellow is hydraulic... correct?
So if this is the case, am I looking more at the front transmission seal? If so, anyone have a part number for that? Is YT the best place to
get that?