[AT] Getting water out of a gearbox

Ken Knierim ken.knierim at gmail.com
Mon Jun 1 19:02:08 PDT 2015


Heat can work but you have to get everything HOT enough to make steam and
boil the water... engines evaporate condensation this way.

Hard part would probably be heating evenly and controllably.

My experience: I got water in the rear diff of my Blazer (flash flood) and
changing the oil multiple times never cured it; fought it for a while.
Finally got the rear end hot pulling a long hill with a parts DC on a
trailer (AZ, summertime). Partway up the hill I had all kinds of smoke.
Stopped to check it out. Turns out I got the diff hot enough to flash the
water to steam and the vent on top couldn't keep up. Forced some oil past
the yoke seal and spun it out on the tailpipe. Couldn't do much about it so
I hopped in, kept pulling the hill. Smoke stopped before long. Got home,
refilled the oil (missing less than half an inch in the diff) and never had
water in there again.

Hope this helps.

Ken

On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 5:40 PM, charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
wrote:

> I was thinking diesel and WD-40 mixed but any of what has been mentioned
> should work.  Like Spencer, I would tend to stay away from the gasoline
> just
> from a safety perspective but in a pinch I'd probably use it....carefully.
>
> Charlie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike
> Sent: Monday, June 01, 2015 1:10 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Getting water out of a gearbox
>
> Thanks Spencer, I was thinking of using a mix of diesel, or mineral
> spirits with some HEET mixed in.
>
> Mike M
>
>
> On 6/1/2015 12:17 PM, Spencer Yost wrote:
> > I'm with Cecil on that one.   I would be looking for a housing/mounting
> > bolt that is also a drain.
> >
> > If not, I wouldn't use gas for flushing. I would use diesel.   Gas with
> > alcohol is only negligibly more hygroscopic than diesel and more
> dangerous
> > to use.
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> > Spencer
> >
> >> On Jun 1, 2015, at 8:53, Cecil R Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> There may be a bolt that goes into the gearcase that will drain the
> >> oil...
> >>
> >> Cecil in OKla
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>> On 5/31/2015 9:02 PM, Mike wrote:
> >>> Thanks Warren, it is a 3 point implement, I'll try the gasoline trick,
> >>> then turn it upside down and let it sit for a bit.
> >>>
> >>> Mike M
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> On 5/31/2015 8:54 PM, Mogrits wrote:
> >>>> If it's the self-powered unit take the engine off and flip it. Upon
> >>>> reflection, the heater won't help much because the moisture, as steam,
> >>>> will
> >>>> have a hard time coming out the hole when oriented towards the ground.
> >>>> But
> >>>> you could put some gasoline with ethanol or kerosene with a water
> >>>> absorbing
> >>>> additive in the case and put it through it's motions and then pour it
> >>>> out.
> >>>> E10 or higher will suck the water right out!
> >>>>
> >>>> Warren
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Sun, May 31, 2015 at 8:48 PM, Mogrits <mogrits at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Take the fill plug out, turn the entire rotovator upside down so the
> >>>>> fill
> >>>>> plug is "down" and leave it a while? Maybe even overnight with a
> >>>>> torpedo
> >>>>> heater aimed at it? I am assuming it's a three point implement.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Warren
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> On Sun, May 31, 2015 at 8:20 PM, Mike <meulenms at gmx.com> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> So I bought a used Howard Rotavator over the winter, and am going
> >>>>>> through it so a friend can borrow it to till up his garden.  When I
> >>>>>> checked the gearbox oil, it was a nasty color, and way overfilled.
> >>>>>> After
> >>>>>> pumping what I could of the old stuff out, I found out why it was so
> >>>>>> full, water.  There is no drain plug for the gearbox and no cover
> >>>>>> that
> >>>>>> can be taken off to access the inside. What would be the best way to
> >>>>>> get
> >>>>>> all the moisture out of the gearbox. Thanks for any input.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Mike M
> >>>>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>>> AT mailing list
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> >>>> _______________________________________________
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