284 Front hub leak

Did you be sure to put the seals in the right way?  Both with springs towards the top.  If they are in backwards it will cause them to leak.

Also, was one of the seals thicker then the other?  This should be a simple fix.

On mine the seals had worn a significant groove in the metal. I fixed it with a speedi sleeve.

Also a seal from a different manufacturer might have the sealing lip in a slightly different place which can be used to get away from a groove warn by the old seal.

Yes they are defiantly both suppose to be facing with the spring up.

It has been a couple of years since I did mine and and I don’t specifically remember which way the seals went.

Looking at the parts diagram and thinking about the direction the oil is flowing it would seem to me that you would want the springs down. The spring side is usually considered to be the “inside” of the seal.

The lower seal (thick one) would be doing the work of holding the oil in the axle and the upper seal (thin one) is acting as a dust seal with the added protection of the felt washer.

In my case the felt washer got torn while I was doing a lot of dirt work and the grit got in and destroyed the top seal but that did not cause it to leak until it worked its way down to the bottom seal. by the time it started leaking the damage to the shaft housing (where the lips of the seal ride) had been done. I don’t think this surface has any kind of hardening done to it. I had to special order a speedi sleeve from a bearing house. Expensive but less than a new shaft housing. I also ordered seals from them to have extras on hand and to see if they had the lip in a slightly different location. They did but not far enough different to get far enough from the groove for my liking so I went with the speedi sleeve.

Also don’t forget that the “Gasket” (#7 in the diagram) under the steering arm  is used to set the backlash of the gears inside. So if you replace it, be sure to look closely at the old one to see how many were used originally.

The right side on my tractor is now starting to leak a little. Guess I am going to have to get back into this again.

Here is a picture from my Operation Manual. It definitely shows the lower seal with the spring down and the upper seal with the spring up. Note that they show the same arrangement for the double seal on the hub spindle.

I probably followed this setup when I put it back together, I simply don’t remember.

My previous comment about the backlash was from memory and was in error (CRS strikes again). Actually it is a shim number 2 in this image. Now that the memory is jogged, I remember laughing at the gasket mentioned above as it does not seal anything. At least on my tractor the holes did not go all the way through into the housing, thus no exposure to oil. :unsure:

In any case, if the seals are running in a groove they won’t seal. Aftermarket seals of the same dimensions but of different design (double lip, thicker or thinner, etc.) may be helpful in finding a solution. If there is a groove and it can not be avoided speedi sleeve or new housing are about your only choices. 🙁

I talked to my mechanic he said for your situation try, thick one down, thin one up.
He said he has seen them put in all different ways from the factory.

If you order them from me I will give you free shipping.

I was just thinking why would a front axle have two oil marks? If you can get a flashlight and see in there all that would be required would there to be oil on the axle half way . I believe that you would not want to cover the axle, lets see what other opinions come in. Overfilling may make even good seals leak depending on design.

as I clicked off on that I do not  know if I have ever seen a low oil mark on a axle, but that does not mean that is not exactly what you have. That is one thing about weep holes no confusion in translation.

DavidPrivett wrote:

as I clicked off on that I do not know if I have ever seen a low oil mark on a axle, but that does not mean that is not exactly what you have. That is one thing about weep holes no confusion in translation.

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   I agree. What the heck is that doing there? :wacko:

I think that the Chinese tractors dipsticks are designed to be read with the stick not being screwed in and if it reads on the bottom mark mid axle I would go with that.

I had a leak on the front axle on my 284 shortly after I bought it.  In chasing the cause, I found that the vent plug wasn’t open-wiped the oil off of the little curved pipe, and blew debris out right into my left eye.  seemed to stop leaking after that (2005)  until recently-now I’m sure that the seals are bad.  Might check on the vent.  I can’t see how pressure can build up inside the axle housings, but the vent must be there for a reason.

may be if possible some fuel line attached to the vent tube and carried to a higher placed around the radiator upper tank and some type of valve on the hose like what is used on vechicle differentials  so it can breath. I have had trouble with some type of dirt dobber  plug the vents on mine.