L2500 No Power Steerong hydraulic issues

[Raceman17]

I have a L2500 kubota that was given to my by a family member. Just prior to me getting it the hydraulic steering went out and the steering was hard to turn. At that point the bucket would still respond to movement. Several days later the hydraulics completely went out and fluid started pouring out the side of the tractor (towards the rear of the tractor) the engine also was filled with hydralic fluid to the point of coming out the dip stick. Any suggestions on where to start looking. Hopefully it's just a stuck pressure relief valve but I have no clue. I have the manual and all the tools to fix it I just don't know where to start looking.

some back story on the tractor

My uncle owned the tractor. He bought it new from the dealer years ago. He always used it hard. He would let me borrow it anytime I need to do work around my property. In the early years the tractors hydraulics were very strong. I never had issues digging or picking up heavy loads. As the years went by it just seemed that the hydraulics weren't as strong as when it was newer. The bucket was slower to respond and it just seemed like the lift capacity went down. Is this more signs of another issue with the hydraulic system or just normal wear and tear on the system and general signs of the pump going out over time?

Any suggestions?

 

[random]

How much do you change anything that requires connecting/disconnecting hydraulics?

 

[Raceman17]

How much do you change anything that requires connecting/disconnecting hydraulics?

Never

 

[Roadworthy]

Disclaimer - I'm unfamiliar with your tractor. When my Mitsubishi filled the crankcase with hydraulic fluid it was because the shaft seal had failed on the hydraulic pump. You may wish to start there.

 

[whitetiger]

There are only two ways for hydraulic oil to get into the engine.
#1; pour the hyd oil into the engine oil fill plug.
#2; Input shaft seal for the hydraulic pump failed or pump housing has a crack.

Remove your hydraulic pump and check it.

 

[Raceman17]

I took the pump apart this week. The front seal on the pump looked OK and didn't seem like it was blown out. Reguardless.. I ordered all new seals and orings for the pump and will put them in and see what happens.

 

[Raceman17]

After doing more research and looking... I took the side cover plate off the tractor by the clutch and the bellhousing area is filled to the top of the cover with oil/hydraulic oil...
So next question.. is it possible for hydraulic oil to get past the lower seal in the steering shaft assembly/column and dump pressurized hydraulic oil into the engine.

 

[Raceman17]

So it is evident that kubota had a major mess up in the design of their power steering column/rack/whatever it's called. I took the steering column off the tractor and found the problem. The end cap is held on with a internal snap ring. The end of the column is also machined at an angle for additional clearance for it to fit into the case. Well the machining pretty much leaves about an inch of the snap ring bore very close to the angle cut. So after years of use all it takes is turning hard up against the steering stops and end cap is forced down against the retaining ring. After a while the area is fatigued and ends up cracking and the snap ring pops off and the end cap becomes loose and the seal blows out. This causes the power steering to quit working. The leak fills the clutch compartment with pressurized hydraulic fluid. Once it's full it gets pushed into the engine through the rear seal.

So I'm gonna do some welding on the end of the steering casting to build that area up. I also need to come up with a way to ensure the c clip doesn't come off again.

I split the tractor today and pulled the clutch and rear oil seal out. It came apart quite easily. I'll post pics of the steering column later.

 

[Raceman17]

This is what kubota puts out of their factory. The very small lip on the end of the casting is suppose to keep a c clip from popping off. They machined the edge of the casting for additional clearance to get the column on the case. This clearance is not needed and severely weakened the area and over time it snapped and the casting off. This dumps pressurized hydraulic fluid into the clutch area and inturn is forced into the engine through the rear seal.

 

[Dave_eng]

I am not saying this is the cause in your particular case but rather many owners are unaware that snap rings have a right way and a wrong way to be oriented. The WSM of all Kubota's contains this caution:

Dave

 

[wokndadog]

So it is evident that kubota had a major mess up in the design of their power steering column/rack/whatever it's called. I took the steering column off the tractor and found the problem. The end cap is held on with a internal snap ring. The end of the column is also machined at an angle for additional clearance for it to fit into the case. Well the machining pretty much leaves about an inch of the snap ring bore very close to the angle cut. So after years of use all it takes is turning hard up against the steering stops and end cap is forced down against the retaining ring. After a while the area is fatigued and ends up cracking and the snap ring pops off and the end cap becomes loose and the seal blows out. This causes the power steering to quit working. The leak fills the clutch compartment with pressurized hydraulic fluid. Once it's full it gets pushed into the engine through the rear seal.

So I'm gonna do some welding on the end of the steering casting to build that area up. I also need to come up with a way to ensure the c clip doesn't come off again.

I split the tractor today and pulled the clutch and rear oil seal out. It came apart quite easily. I'll post pics of the steering column later.
View attachment 57053

Oh crap...
Wish you had posted this and I had seen it prior to St Patrick's Day 2021.
I am now having issues with hydraulic oil in the crankcase of my L2500 which I purchased on St PD 2021.
Was hoping it might be as simple as replacing seals/diaphragm in the hydraulic pump mounted on the side of the engine.... (fingers crossed that I am not experiencing the same issue you had).

Was your repair a success?

 

[wokndadog]

View attachment 57373
This is what kubota puts out of their factory. The very small lip on the end of the casting is suppose to keep a c clip from popping off. They machined the edge of the casting for additional clearance to get the column on the case. This clearance is not needed and severely weakened the area and over time it snapped and the casting off. This dumps pressurized hydraulic fluid into the clutch area and inturn is forced into the engine through the rear seal.

Hay Raceman17,
Just curious how things finally worked out, was the surgery a success?