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Trying to suck the oil out through the fill hole using an oil syringe with 1/4 if hose. Only been able to get 22oz out seems to be no way to get the hose deeper in the unit.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Nuclear said:

Trying to suck the oil out through the fill hole using an oil syringe with 1/4 if hose. Only been able to get 22oz out seems to be no way to get the hose deeper in the unit.
Any advice would be appreciated.

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I hear that some people remove the trans and flip it upside down. My AT in my Civic requires removal and replacement of 2.3(?) quarts of fluid every so often, so theoretically the fluid is completely changed every three (?) services. My civic has 270k miles with no transmission problems so far.

I’d say find out how much the transmission holds, replace the 22 ounces and go for another season and replace another 22 ounces until you’ve changed it.

VirginiaIron said:

I hear that some people remove the trans and flip it upside down. My AT in my Civic requires removal and replacement of 2.3(?) quarts of fluid every so often, so theoretically the fluid is completely changed every three (?) services. My civic has 270k miles with no transmission problems so far.

I’d say find out how much the transmission holds, replace the 22 ounces and go for another season and replace another 22 ounces until you’ve changed it.

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That's what I was thinking. Thanks

I removed my Hydro gear from my Troy Built RZT50 and turned the drive unit upside down with both the plugs removed on a 5 gallon bucket it was just under 2 QT , my old oil looked like a milk shake. The plug you can see before removing the drive unit is a vent to let pressure in and out as it warms and cools . The fill plug is under the metal unseen until unit is removed , The manual says it is not serviceable but on the next page it tells you how to do it . Made my mower drive like new .

Rocky J said:

I removed my Hydro gear from my Troy Built RZT50 and turned the drive unit upside down with both the plugs removed on a 5 gallon bucket it was just under 2 QT , my old oil looked like a milk shake. The plug you can see before removing the drive unit is a vent to let pressure in and out as it warms and cools . The fill plug is under the metal unseen until unit is removed , The manual says it is not serviceable but on the next page it tells you how to do it . Made my mower drive like new .

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How many hours did you have on the transmissions?

VirginiaIron said:

How many hours did you have on the transmissions?

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This mower has no hour meter so I am guessing 50 to 75 hours . The problem was caused by the 3 of the 5 fan blades broke off on the left hand side and the mower would stop moving on that side after 15 minutes of trimming around trees . So I would guess it would get hot and condensation happened on the inside . If mowing straight it would last a hour or more but a lot of turns would get it hot. All the water in the oil made the oil hard to compress and with enough heat it was impossible , I am sure it was foaming which would be similar to air in your brake lines.

Rocky J said:

This mower has no hour meter so I am guessing 50 to 75 hours . The problem was caused by the 3 of the 5 fan blades broke off on the left hand side and the mower would stop moving on that side after 15 minutes of trimming around trees . So I would guess it would get hot and condensation happened on the inside . If mowing straight it would last a hour or more but a lot of turns would get it hot. All the water in the oil made the oil hard to compress and with enough heat it was impossible , I am sure it was foaming which would be similar to air in your brake lines.

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Do you leave the mower outside and uncovered? Do you wash the hot mower down with a water hose after using it?

I ask this because a hot transmission with minimal moisture contamination SHOULD dissipate that moisture through a properly functioning vent.

Maybe stormwater has entered the transmission.

I presume that hosing down a hot transmission would cause vacuum like action and draw water through the vent or the seals.

What I have found is the input shaft seal is usually bad allowing water in. Also the filter screen does stop up with that water/oil mix. Draining may not completely resolve the problem.

Things like fishing line and fiber from bailing twine can really eat up a seal.

I even had one last year with a pair tightly whiteys wrap around one input shaft. Apparently the panties were toss out with the clippings.

Also, could running the mower in wet boggy areas that splashes water up and under the mower cause water to enter the transmission?

VirginiaIron said:

Also, could running the mower in wet boggy areas that splashes water up and under the mower cause water to enter the transmission?

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Over time, leaving the mower outside and exposed to the elements such as rain, is most likely the main cause of water getting into the transaxle and causing hydro oil to become contaminated. Bad seals, etc. is how water enters.

I would bite the bullet and remove to drain the unit. Run it a bit to WARM the oil, then drain.

Nuclear said:

Trying to suck the oil out through the fill hole using an oil syringe with 1/4 if hose. Only been able to get 22oz out seems to be no way to get the hose deeper in the unit.
Any advice would be appreciated.

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Don't understand why you are doing it like that. On my 2200, with ZT4400 transaxles, simply screwing the filters off will let all the oil drain out.

Rocky J said:

I removed my Hydro gear from my Troy Built RZT50 and turned the drive unit upside down with both the plugs removed on a 5 gallon bucket it was just under 2 QT , my old oil looked like a milk shake. The plug you can see before removing the drive unit is a vent to let pressure in and out as it warms and cools . The fill plug is under the metal unseen until unit is removed , The manual says it is not serviceable but on the next page it tells you how to do it . Made my mower drive like new .

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milky looking oil means it had water in the hydro.

Davenj4f said:

Don't understand why you are doing it like that. On my 2200, with ZT4400 transaxles, simply screwing the filters off will let all the oil drain out.

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ZT2100s and ZT2200s don't have drains or external filters unfortunately. Lucky you with the 4400

Davenj4f said:

Don't understand why you are doing it like that. On my 2200, with ZT4400 transaxles, simply screwing the filters off will let all the oil drain out.

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shurguywutt said:

ZT2100s and ZT2200s don't have drains or external filters unfortunately. Lucky you with the 4400

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You can't just assume things. Its like around here where everyone assumes I have cell phone. Well I don't. It is a waste of money when I no signal here.

Has anyone industry wide attempted or successfully added a drain plug to non serviceable hydrostatic transmissions?

VirginiaIron said:

Has anyone industry wide attempted or successfully added a drain plug to non serviceable hydrostatic transmissions?

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At one time Hydrogear used a 3/4 inch axle which would break and they sent a repair kit with a 1 inch axle, bushing and wheel hub to repair it. I did this repair and had to split the transmission case to do it . There is no reason a person can not tip the mower on its side and drill and tap a hole in the lowest point, there is some larger square blocks on the bottom that I thought would be the best supported as some of it is thin and would not hold . On the MTD branded cub cadet, troy built ect the fill hole is under the stamped out pan frame, the plug I saw out in the open was the vent and probably would fill slow, so maybe drill the hole in the bottom 3/8 inch so it could be refilled from the bottom also, funnel and hose with gravity .

VirginiaIron said:

Has anyone industry wide attempted or successfully added a drain plug to non serviceable hydrostatic transmissions?

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Too risky. Not worth it to me because it only takes me about 30 minutes or so with my oil syringe once the oil is hot. Yeah I can't get a complete drain with this method but if I do it once every season or 2 it is good enough.