John Deere X300 transmission PROBLEM | How I saved $1,000 by fixing my transmission myself
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- The John Deere X300 Mower was having transmission problems. I could load it up and take to the Deere dealer for repair, but I have heard that a new transmission is at least $1,000.00. Did a little research on line and found that i could possibly fix the problem myself. Dropped the tranny out and changed the oil. Whammo! Good as new! The thing pops wheelies again!
Here are the articles that helped me: www.houzz.com/...
www.tractorbyn...
The axle seal has failed likely because the idiots at deere didn't assemble it correctly. There are 2 washers supposed to cover and protect that axle seal from the spacer, if those washers aren't in proper position, the spacer will literally chew up the seal.
Thank you for the update.
Thanks for this video. My neighbor just bought a used jd x300. 4 years old for $400 because the last owner was told the transmission was blown. We did exactly, as you said. It runs perfectly now .
Right on! it can be done!
the k46 tough torque transmission works good as long as you're mowing flat ground,if you're mowing a lot of hills,get a tractor with a better transmission and the k46 lasts longer if you can change the fluid
The x300 has been good. We have moderate hillside, not bad. It has done well for us, but when the fluid got low I knew I had to do something. Changing the oil did the job. I also have a 25 HP tractor with a Bush Hog mower for the tougher jobs! Thanks for watching!
Same transaxle that's in my Cub Cadet XT1. I changed the oil in it last year, 114 hours on it so far without any trouble. Mostly flat, just have a small hill out in the front yard. The K46 is the weak link of most entry level hydrostatic lawn tractors...if you don't change the fluid, and let it get low on fluid from seal leaks it'll definitely be a very short lived transaxle for sure. I wish I would have waited and went to a dealer and got the XT3 shaft drive garden tractor instead.
Yes when I started to feel the sluggishness I knew something was wrong. Changing the oil was a chore but It really made a difference. I know that i have a small leak on one of the seals, so I will have to really pay attention to the oil level. But very had to check without pulling it all apart.
what i do on my 300 to top off the fluid is i take the clip off and remove the pulley and fan and i can get a flexible funnel in there fairly easy without having to remove the transmission
I am going to try that. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the info. I had a similar experience. I have a D160 with 170hrs. It struggles to get up hills, especially when hot. It's been getting worse over several years. My back yard has a steep hill. After finding out how common this is and the cause, I removed the K46 and took the cover off. Everything looked ok - no big damage, probably just small wear. The magnets (four in mine) had a good amount of fine shavings. I cleaned everything up and resealed the case. The old oil looked very bad - thin and grey. I put fresh 5W40 synthetic in it, and it climbs hills so much better now. Hopefully I caught it before too much damage was done. I don't do any snow blowing/pushing or tow much of anything, just a lawn aerator once a year. It seems like the oil it ships with isn't very good.
Darrell, thanks for your comment. I am glad that you are able to keep your mower going. Mine did not have any metal shavings. However I think that the leaky seal on the right is leaking oil so I have to either take it apart and replace the seal or figure out how to top off the oil without removing the whole transmission. Guess I will address that next spring!
Seems like an easy enough project. I'm considering buying a used john deere x350 with a 48" deck. It's a dealer special that has 296 hours on it. It runs and looks great. I know those Kawasaki engines are great for the long haul. The x300s seem like well built mowers with the k46 being kind of the weak link. Even though it's a little more work it's good to see you can refresh it with clean fluids
It really wasn't a hard job. I wish that the tranny was strong though. I guess I could buy a more expensive tractor. Will try to get along with this one for now. Thanks for watching.
On my X300 about every 20 to 30 hours I remove that black vent cap from the top left of the unit and siphon off about a quart (plus) of transmission fluid, then replace it with new synthetic. I figure this way I’m at least getting a partial renewal of the fluid in order to maintain performance without having to remove the whole transaxle for service. About 250 hours so far and still running strong.
Okay that is great David! Thanks for commenting. So when you take the cap off of the vent, how do you get the actually vent out. I want to try and use that to check the level and top off the fluid, but how to get the vent out? Does this make sense? I was about ready to take the whole thing apart again. I cannot imagine whey they put the regular fill hole in a spot that was inaccessible.
@@a_farm_west_of_boring It’s just a rubber plug with a vent hole in it. The soft rubber cap you see is just a flexible secondary cap to keep debris out of the solid vent cap. Just gently pry them up with a screwdriver. Also, I discovered that if you reassemble the two caps before pushing them back into place it works much better. Reinstalling the soft cover cap alone is aggravating but if you snap them back together first they go right back into place very easily. I have purchased a couple of extra caps just in case something breaks but haven’t had to replace the original as of yet. DQ.
That is great info. I took the outer cap off and could not (or didn't want to) get the inner plug out. I was afraid I'd break something. Then putting the outer cap back on was a chore. I will try it the way you are mentioning.
Thanks for the reply. I am probably going to have to replace the axle seals as I am losing fluid out of the right axle. But that is a job for winter months. In the mean time I am using the Bush Hog on my Kubota to trim the weeds, but it is August and grass is not growing very fast now.
What trick are you using to get the oil out?
There wasn't much oil left. I just tipped it upside down.
How did you siphon out the transmission oil? Do you think just siphoning out and replacing would work for a similar problem?
I turned the tran ny upside down. There wasn't much left in there. You could try siphoning in place, but almost impossible to get to the fill hole.
Just watched your video. there is no drain plug? you have to drain it from the top is that what i'm understanding?
As far as I know. They didn't make it easy.
We jump it it starts but key no spark bought a new ign switch
Thanks for your comment
What would it be the first direction I should look into where my x300 was riding just like normal and right at the very end of my mow it just stopped moving forward or back? It kind of makes a metallic scrape sound if I gas or reverse. Do you think it’s the fluid? Just weird to go from 100% normal to no power.
Thanks for commenting. Sounds to me to be a fluid issue. Your level may be just at the point where it is barely running the pump, and when you stop it gets too low. Really the only way to know is to remove the tranny and check the level through the fill port. Seems like a big job, but really is not. Just follow the steps and you'll have it out in less than an hour. Its the only way. I think it was stupid of deere to make the fill port port unaccessible .
@@a_farm_west_of_boring thanks for the quick reply. I may have to do that. Do you think it’s possible without taking it all off if I just took the black grate off the back and took the fan off and filled it up using a tube and funnel?
And maybe even without taking the fan off? If I could slide right under there and pop off the cap and slide a tube in and fill it up that would be awesome. I could always service it properly later.
@@hairybelly9910 left me know how that works. Would be a great option if you can do it!
@@a_farm_west_of_boring I was able to pop off the cap and fill it up with a tube and funnel but it didnt work still :( probably something broke on the inside or something fell off. I literally finished the last strip of grass on my property when it happened lol. 610 hours on it and a lack of maintenance so it’s probably catching up with me
Have you checked your deck pulleys? Your lawnmower should not be chewing up belts so rapidly.
Stevan, thanks for the comment. I will be doing maintenance on the JD before spring so I will definitely check our the pulleys and replace if needed!
@@a_farm_west_of_boring Use Kevlar belts
RedBone, Thanks for the tip. Thanks for watching.
@RedBone53 unfortunately that's just a marketing ploy. I can cut a so called Kevlar belt just as easily as an OEM belt. Absolutely no diffrence except for the white coating that wears off after 4 or 5 months.
It's just a marketing scam
Lots of scams these days
Pretty much everything is owned by mtd. Joh deer is one of the last hold outs.
Thanks for watching
Next time I need to stare at the rear panel of the mower,
I'll just walk outside and stare at mine.
Sorry, dude, use less waste of time.
Thank you for commenting! I appreciate all perspectives.
I did the same thing on my X300 as preventative maintenance a couple years ago. 2012 model with over 500 hrs. So far so good
Talking is not showing. Total waste of time and video. 🙄
Thanks for your comment.
After removing the old fluid How much oil did it take to fill the transmission to the correct level?
I can't remember. Seems it was a little over a quart.
I looked around. i think it is about 2.4 quarts