LX885 dealer says bad crankshaft?

[briguy98]

Making a long story short. Took skid steer to New Holland dealer for hydraulic leaks. I wanted them to find and repair any leaks. After $1400 of service I got home and was excited to finally use machine without dumping hydro fluid in. To my disappointment I had a puddle on my driveway without me even using yet. I called the dealer and he said it was residual. I was optimistic but very concerned. After 1 hour of operation oil was leaking out from the bottom of rear door. I called them and of course it was a fight. I called the main office and they finally picked it up only to receive a call that they pulled the radiator and belt and observed the crankshaft pulley wobble. I have no loud noise and no loss of power. He said a sales man will call me trade in value because the fix is too costly. I asked for machine back in the same way they received it. Service manager back peddled and sounded surprised. I got the machine back with NO radiator FLUID in it! Can anyone tell me how to check this unit out? Maybe it is just a pulley and seal??? Thanks, Brian

 

[Mike10]

First establish where the oil is coming from. Fill your radiator and check your engine and hyd oil levels. Clean any oil residue away from the front crankshaft pulley and timing gear cover. Leave the engine side sheets off and run the engine and see if oil is leaking from the crankshaft seal. If it is leaking that bad there should be oil all over the front of the engine.

 

[briguy98]

First establish where the oil is coming from. Fill your radiator and check your engine and hyd oil levels. Clean any oil residue away from the front crankshaft pulley and timing gear cover. Leave the engine side sheets off and run the engine and see if oil is leaking from the crankshaft seal. If it is leaking that bad there should be oil all over the front of the engine.

Thanks for your response. I will do what you said. How do I verify crankshaft issue. Will a compression test verify a broken crankshaft?

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Thanks for your response. I will do what you said. How do I verify crankshaft issue. Will a compression test verify a broken crankshaft?

If the crank was broke it would be make alott of terrible sound and would no run long.
Check to see if the pulley is just loose b4 condeming the crank. Usually when a crank fails the motor hammers and knocks so bad the operator can' t help but notice and shuts it down

 

[briguy98]

If the crank was broke it would be make alott of terrible sound and would no run long.
Check to see if the pulley is just loose b4 condeming the crank. Usually when a crank fails the motor hammers and knocks so bad the operator can' t help but notice and shuts it down

I took belt off the crank pulley today and found that I can move the pulley in an out a 1/4th of an inch. It appears that there is a bushing that holds it straight on or near timing chain cover. I cant believe that the crank shaft is broken near the timing chain cover? I know this shaft is very heavy and I would have a hard time moving the entire shaft around. Could I be just needing a new bearing where the shaft comes out of the block? I have video if anyone wants to see what I am seeing. Thanks again, Brian

 

[Mike10]

I took belt off the crank pulley today and found that I can move the pulley in an out a 1/4th of an inch. It appears that there is a bushing that holds it straight on or near timing chain cover. I cant believe that the crank shaft is broken near the timing chain cover? I know this shaft is very heavy and I would have a hard time moving the entire shaft around. Could I be just needing a new bearing where the shaft comes out of the block? I have video if anyone wants to see what I am seeing. Thanks again, Brian

Did the center bolt holding the pulley to the crankshaft also move back and forth. If the crankshaft is broke the engine should be knocking. The only other item that would allow the crankshaft to move back and forth is the main thrust bearing, which is the second main bearing on the crankshaft. The crankshaft bearings are actually liners so they do not hold the crankshaft in position, except for the thrust bearing mentioned before which is a liner with shoulders.

 

[briguy98]

Did the center bolt holding the pulley to the crankshaft also move back and forth. If the crankshaft is broke the engine should be knocking. The only other item that would allow the crankshaft to move back and forth is the main thrust bearing, which is the second main bearing on the crankshaft. The crankshaft bearings are actually liners so they do not hold the crankshaft in position, except for the thrust bearing mentioned before which is a liner with shoulders.

yes the bolt did move with it. I take that as a bad sign?

 

[Mike10]

yes the bolt did move with it. I take that as a bad sign?

It is not a good sign. To determine where the problem lies you can flip the seat up and look at the bell housing. In between the two hyrdo pumps is a plate held with two bolts. Remove the plate and you should be able to see the drive gear attached to the back of the crankshaft. Have some one move the pulley back and forth while you watch the gear on the back of the crankshaft. If the gear moves the shaft probably is not broken but the thrust main bearing is worn. If you drop the large plate under the engine you can remove the oil pan and tell for sure where your problem is.

 

[irwin]

yes the bolt did move with it. I take that as a bad sign?

Wow Brian, sorry to hear about this.. I'm wondering, how many hours on the engine? Have you noticed a loss of engine oil along with the hydraulic fluid loss.
I'm in auto repair. I've seen a couple of broken crankshafts over the last 30 years, usually it's a high mileage machine.. but not always.

 

[briguy98]

Wow Brian, sorry to hear about this.. I'm wondering, how many hours on the engine? Have you noticed a loss of engine oil along with the hydraulic fluid loss.
I'm in auto repair. I've seen a couple of broken crankshafts over the last 30 years, usually it's a high mileage machine.. but not always.

Just to update everyone. I took the crankshaft out on Saturday and found it to be broken in 3 places! Bearing still good. I started a new thread for crankshaft inspection and thank everyone for their replies. I am looking for a good used or remanufactured crankshaft. If any one knows where I can get one, hopefully in PA, it would be very much appreciated. The engine has 2299 hours on it. I never ran it without oil or radiator fluid. Still in disbelief!