L35 won’t move, help needed to diagnose clutch or shuttle or both.

[jlongjohn]

Hello all my old trusty L35 finally has asked for help. I lent it to a neighbor and they were working it hard and it started to move slowly no matter what gear and then stopped moving at all. Nothing at all no matter the gear or forward/reverse. The clutch pedal feels solid in and out but has a different creaking that is very slight that wasn’t there before. I assume the clutch is shot, probably throw out bearing and pressure plate also. But I have also read about some issues with hydraulic pressure needed at the clutch and also about shuttle issues with a c-clip and a weak case?

Any help in diagnosing anything before I make the leap and split this machine would be helpful. I thought I saw there was a way to check pressures somehow with a grease fitting type setup?

Also while in there if/when I do split the case, what all should I replace or check?

Thanks in advance for anything you can share!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dave_eng]

You do not state which transmission you have.

You do not mention free play in the clutch pedal.

If there is none due to disk wear, then the clutch is not pressed tight against the flywheel.

Dave

 

[jlongjohn]

Dave_eng,

Thanks for the reply, no the pedal feels the same as it always did. They told me they were changing gears without using the clutch, not sure how they were changing the shuttle f/r. It seems like there just may not be any clutch material left? Would I feel play fo that was the case?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Roadworthy]

Check the clutch adjustment. Be sure the range selector is actually in a range and not between two. Be sure you have adequate fluid. You definitely want to check all the options or possibilities before splitting the tractor.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

The foot clutch also drives the PTO. Put the PTO in gear with the tractor in gear. If the PTO shaft turns but the tractor doesn't move, the clutch is not your problem.
If neither moves, clutch is probably bad.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The L35 only came in one option GST
It doesn't have a range.

PoTreeBoy, nailed the way to check it.
PTO engaged, Transmission is in forward or reverse and PTO not spinning And tractor not moving then Mechanical clutch is out.

How does the steering feel?
If normal then not very likely a Hydraulic fluid or pressure issue.

You said "They told me they were changing gears without using the clutch"

How do you do it? and the SHuttle?
Do you normally use the mechanical clutch for both?

If you do...
Well don't blame the neighbors...
Your NOT supposed to use the mechanical clutch for anything other than PTO engagement or Fine movements like hooking up equipment or movements in tight situations.
The mechanical clutch doesn't like constant use on a GST, wears too easily.

 

[lugbolt]

The mechanical clutch doesn't like constant use on a GST, wears too easily.

Yup. Just like gear drive tractors (DT). Frequent directional changes and clutching all the time wears it faster than an HST. MUCH faster.

generally when the shuttle clutch goes, it's all at once with no warning.

generally when the main clutch goes, there is some warning-such as loss of free travel, slowly slowing, etc. I've seen it a million times. Run the tractor into a pile of, dirt/whatever/poo/gravel, and feather the clutch pedal to get a full bucket, with a load on it. Wears the clutch fast. Sometimes you can just smell the lining burnt on a windless evening getting up kinda close to the bellhousing and sniffing it, not always though. Does the clutch pedal have any free travel? If it's got an inch or so at the top, it may be ok. If it don't have any, I bet it's fried.

 

[jlongjohn]

Thanks all. I was aware you could change gears or the shuttle without the clutch but was not aware of the increased wear. It’s been a great machine for years with no real change or any issues until now. There is no play in the clutch pedal currently but I did not check the PTO, will do that tomorrow when I go to pick it up with the trailer. I will keep you updated with what I find.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Billssa]

Hello, When I am in gear with the 1 thru 8 my l35 the tractor no matter what is in reverse. Pto works, clutch has pressure. I just had the tractor split and had new rings put in. When I reinstalled this is what I got.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Hello, When I am in gear with the 1 thru 8 my l35 the tractor no matter what is in reverse. Pto works, clutch has pressure. I just had the tractor split and had new rings put in. When I reinstalled this is what I got.

New rings in the engine? So no transmission work?
If so then you have a shuttle linkage issue.

 

[Billssa]

New rings in the engine? So no transmission work?
If so then you have a shuttle linkage issue.

Thanks for help, the shift lever will move on the column but stays in reverse. Can’t get it out of reverse. The speed selector works fine letting me go through 1-8 in reverse. The linkage don’t look out of place. Do you think it could be a clutch adjustment?

 

[Billssa]

Thanks for help, the shift lever will move on the column but stays in reverse. Can’t get it out of reverse. The speed selector works fine letting me go through 1-8 in reverse. The linkage don’t look out of place. Do you think it could be a clutch adjustment?

Just praying to not have to split the tractor again

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You never did answer my question, did you not do any work to the transmission, just a split for engine work?

It's not the clutch, that tractor doesn't even need the clutch for any of it's movement operations.
The main shifter has nothing to do with the forward and reverse unless it were stuck in neutral!

Did you reinstall both of the roll pins in the shuttle linkage?

The only other possibility is if the shuttle linkage inside the bellhousing got knocked out of the slot, and I really don't think that's possible.
If the roll pins are in it, and it won't shift out of reverse you will need to pull the roll pins (#170, #190 in pic above) and pull off the linkage (#160 in pic above) and see if the shifter shaft (#80 in pic below) in the bellhousing is flopping around without being in it's slot in (#40 in pic below), if it is then yep your in for a split to fix it.

 

[Nicksacco]

@jlongjohn must've figured it out eh? Long time ago.

@Billssa It's kind of easy to get the L35 shift linkage jammed up when reassembling the console, steering wheel and other things. Don't know what you disassembled when splitting.
My assumption is your tractor being "stuck in reverse" is right after assembly of the tractor and not after running it.

Have you looked at what @North Idaho Wolfman showed regarding the roll pins?
Have you looked to see if the shifter rod is engaged in the splines properly below the universal joint when moving the shifter - and that the upper F-N-R positioning is engaging properly?

 

[Billssa]

You never did answer my question, did you not do any work to the transmission, just a split for engine work?

It's not the clutch, that tractor doesn't even need the clutch for any of it's movement operations.
The main shifter has nothing to do with the forward and reverse unless it were stuck in neutral!

Did you reinstall both of the roll pins in the shuttle linkage?
View attachment 95916

The only other possibility is if the shuttle linkage inside the bellhousing got knocked out of the slot, and I really don't think that's possible.
If the roll pins are in it, and it won't shift out of reverse you will need to pull the roll pins (#170, #190 in pic above) and pull off the linkage (#160 in pic above) and see if the shifter shaft (#80 in pic below) in the bellhousing is flopping around without being in it's slot in (#40 in pic below), if it is then yep your in for a split to fix it.
View attachment 95917

Update, the pin is in the shaft holding it together, never worked on the transmission, the shaft going down into the housing of the transmission is moving. When I move the shift lever upwards it don’t change gears and when I pull down on the lever get a grinding sound like the gears aren’t lined up when running. I am going to pull the the steering column off again to ensure nothing is out of sort.

 

[Nicksacco]

Cool-
Hopefully you will find the issue quickly.
Make sure that the splined shaft in the trans housing is in neutral, then ensure that the upper shifter is in the neutral position. Also it's easy to pull up on the shift shaft and mess that up while installing it.

You may have done this already - but it's a bit of a pain to remove all the pedals from the main pedal shaft (you'll need to knock out the roll pin on the left brake pedal) - but check and grease the needle bearings while you're in there.

SHIFTER

 

[Billssa]

Thanks for help, how do I know if the splined shaft is in neutral?

 

[Nicksacco]

Take a peek again at Wolf's drawing above.
Note that the tang of part 80 goes into a slot in part 70.
The chances of the tang not being where it's supposed to be are low but again, note what Wolf says:

Part 70 moves in and out of the GST's valve body to direct oil to move clutches and stuff. If Part 80 and/or part 70 can't move, then you're "stuck"

You should be able to turn part 80 back and forth easily and feel part 70 moving in and out.
Part 80 does not rotate 360 degrees.
If it's stuck and not moveable - ouch - splitting may be required to fit parts 80 and 70 correctly.

If part 80 turns and you don't think you can find the middle (neutral) then turn it clockwise (which would be Forward) - Right? Then reattach the shifter shaft noting that it should be in the forward position.
You move the shuttle forward to go Forward which turns part 80 clockwise and pulls part 70 forward.

To test -
Just get the shifter assembled in place and try it - if the tractor moves forward when shifted forward and backward when shifted in reverse (you only need to move a few inches) then all good.

 

[Billssa]

You never did answer my question, did you not do any work to the transmission, just a split for engine work?

It's not the clutch, that tractor doesn't even need the clutch for any of it's movement operations.
The main shifter has nothing to do with the forward and reverse unless it were stuck in neutral!

Did you reinstall both of the roll pins in the shuttle linkage?
View attachment 95916

The only other possibility is if the shuttle linkage inside the bellhousing got knocked out of the slot, and I really don't think that's possible.
If the roll pins are in it, and it won't shift out of reverse you will need to pull the roll pins (#170, #190 in pic above) and pull off the linkage (#160 in pic above) and see if the shifter shaft (#80 in pic below) in the bellhousing is flopping around without being in it's slot in (#40 in pic below), if it is then yep your in for a split to fix it.
View attachment 95917

Hey folks back for knowledge. I got my l35 split again and am lost what it am looking for. Once again I have not done any transmission work and it work before disassembly the 1st time . Splitting the engine I can’t see much except for the fork and release bearing? The fork was not lined up right. Would this make the tractor not shift? With it being stuck in reverse before is there a way to get it neutral or is that important before I start the install again.

 

[Billssa]

Hey folks back for knowledge. I got my l35 split again and am lost what it am looking for. Once again I have not done any transmission work and it work before disassembly the 1st time . Splitting the engine I can’t see much except for the fork and release bearing? The fork was not lined up right. Would this make the tractor not shift? With it being stuck in reverse before is there a way to get it neutral or is that important before I start the install again.

My manual don’t say trouble shooting steps for being stuck in reverse