7010 Hydraulic Leak Source Found

I posted quite awhile ago about my hydraulic leak that I thought I had on the number 1 remote.  Turns out I was wrong.  It turns out it is the Hydraulic Inlet valve.  I have no idea how a hole developed in this cap (Part#) 70266875 .  Maybe there is something missing.  In order to discover the problem I resorted to cutting a hole in the cab as many suggested.  I concluded there was no other way without lifting the cab from the tractor.   So, I hope Agco has the cap.  I see there are other parts to worry about once I remove that cap.  I was going to replace the O ring while I am fixing the cap.  Has anyone ever fixed this area?  If so, any tricks to the process?  Not a lot of room in there even with a new window.  I also found that the flow control lever was not attached to anything when I went to cut that hole.  Is that something that I need to worry about when I put back together?  Not sure what it attaches to.  Any help is appreciated.  Tractor has become unusable with such a bad leak.

The hole is where the leak is.

Here is parts diagram.  It doesn't show anything but a cap?  Does not show anything sticking out of that cap.  How did it develop that hole, if nothing is supposed to be there?

That would be appreciated.  Does that mean you have the cutout "window" that I have had to make?  I know a few others have mentioned having this "option". 

After studying the situation, I see only three options from what I know now.  That cap is 1.5 inches across.  I can't get a wrench on it without removing some things.  I can't get a socket on it.  I don't think I can even get a crowfoot on it but I don't have a 1.5 inch version.

Option 1: I am starting to believe that the reason the windows is cutout is to get a wrench on the bolt holding the hydraulic stack on to the rearend.  There are 3 bolts holding the stack from what I can see.  Two are accessible from the back.  Now the third one is accessible from the window.  There are 3 metal lines going into the stack that would have to be removed.  The remotes are rubber hoses so easy to take off.  The one thing that I do not know how to do and is not obvious is to take loose the bracket that holds the cables.

Option 2: Tap the hole with threads and screw a plug in?

Option 3: This might be a long shot and hard to do too, but I thought about putting epoxy in the hole, let it dry, then weld a 1 inch diameter flat metal to the end of the cap.  This only makes sense if in fact there isn't something else that goes into that hole.

This is a tough fix for sure.  You have to lay on your belly and you can't get a good view  of the stuff under the cab on your belly.  There is little to no room to do anything with wrenches. 

Someone out there has had to fix this in the past.

I tried to get a mirror back there but I couldn't get a light or the mirror to shine just right to see what I had.  Plus, I didn't really know what I was looking at.  There was a lot of dirt and grime.  I have cleaned it up since I took the picture.  Now it is obvious so the window helped on that count.  I think you would be hard pressed to get a wrench back there on the nut that holds the stack without the window, so I think it was inevitable.  I will make it look as good as I can when I get some sheet metal to replace it.

I can't believe that the hole was somehow made by a break.  It is too perfectly round so there must have been a plug in it and it came out.  However, no parts diagram shows that plug either.  If the hole wasn't there, then something from the inside would have had to poke it out.  I don't see anything capable of doing that either.  The up and down lift hydraulics work fine so there is no issue there.

At this stage, I think I am going to try and plug it.  I actually thought about cutting off the sharp end of a self-tapping screw and putting sealant around it.  It might not be leak proof but would greatly reduce the flow of fluid and buy me some time.  It is literally running out in a pee stream now.  I may be hard pressed to do a tap given the other stuff around it. 

If that isn't possible, then removal of the stack is what will have to happen.  Still don't know about the lever brackets and taking them loose, but will have to figure it out.

What about that flow control lever?  If it doesn't get installed, is that a problem?  I never adjusted it and it was not operational either.

Ron(AB), big thanks for the pics.  Based upon the 8000 series pictures, the flow control spring loaded knob attaches to the "T" adjustment that goes in that hole.  I made mention that mine wasn't connected to anything when I cut the window.  I noticed that the 8000 picture shows the spring loaded knob going in at an angle and my 7010 would be doing the same thing.

The parts book picture I posted above does not show anything from that angle to see the T.  My guess is that the cap must come with those parts in it?  I now don't believe it is a weep hole.  There is a 7045 just down the road from me, so I am going to stop by and see if I can get a picture of what is behind there now that I know what I am looking for.  Might get one of those cheap snake cameras from Harbor Freight to help me continue with this fix.

Regardless, of what I find, I think the cap has to come off.  Looking at the parts diagram above, I believe the O-ring sits on the outside of the threads of the cap just to seal it.  I don't see an internal O-ring from the diagram that could have failed. 

My new guess is that T part provides some kind of seal.  Pressure must have built up and pushed it out.  When I look at the close up of the cap, it looks like the flange area around the hole is actually pushed out.  It is not flush currently.  I suspect that I will need a new cap regardless.  I also wonder if the cap comes with the T pre-installed since it doesn't show those parts above.

So, now the mystery is what caused the flow control parts to fly out of the cap?  If I replace the cap with the T will it happen again?

Bret(OH) brings up a good point on getting cap off.  If I removed the brackets that hold the cables so that I can get a socket on the cap, I could remove it without taking the stack completely out.  I don't yet know how easy that is going to be. 

Since I have to take loose the bracket mount points even if I were to remove the stack, I believe the next step is to figure that out.  If I can do that, I can make one of two choices, remove the cap or proceed with complete stack removal.  If I removed the complete stack though, I could easily replace other O-rings in the valve bodies. 

I need to find out more about the cap and what comes with it.  So going to call Agco and see where that takes me once I see the 7045.  I also don't really understand how that flow control knob works in relation to the valve body parts.  I can see it twists about a half turn, left and right, but not sure how that works internally.

Thanks again for all of the help and ideas.  This seems to be a very rare situation but I will continue to document, in case anyone ever deals with this again.

I think i see where I have gotten off base regarding the T.  Ron(AB) picture of 8000 series shows the flow control knob attached to one of his remotes and not his lift inlet.  He has  3 remotes so I am not looking at his inlet.  I have inlet and 2 remotes.   Thanks for setting me straight on that. 

I am going to call Agco and see if I can get a new cap or a picture of it.  Maybe that will clear it up.  If it is solid and does not have a hole, then I could plug the one I have.

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I got my Agco Cap as you can see below and it doesn't have a hole in it.  Likewise, I measured the thickness of the cap end material and it is about 3/8 inch thick, so there is no way hydraulic issue would blow a hole out of it.  I have no idea why my 7010 has a cap with a hole in it.  Since mine has black paint on the interior of the hole it is clearly a factory hole.  Must have had some kind of plug in it.  Haven't looked down the road at the 7045 yet but I am expecting to see a similar cap to what I have bought.

I am trying to figure out how best to take the lever cage apart to get access to the cap.  I think I can take the rod out from one end and remove lever push parts.  I could get a socket on the cap if the one lever push part was removed.  I have a long 3/4 extension  that would protrude into the cab and should be able to break it loose from there.

I can still try to tap and plug the hole since it isn't supposed to have a hole if the cap installation becomes a problem.  Trying not to de-install the entire stack.  Still wet and raining so no significant loss of work yet but got to get it foxed soon.

You raise the exact point I was considering last night.  I have wondered about the leak based upon others implying that there should be no oil showing up in that area. 

That would mean that other parts are worn and need replaced.  On that upper chamber of the inlet where I have the leak, there aren't a lot of parts.  I see there is a seal kit and an O-Ring on the front of the inlet block.  I am guessing that would be where the leak is.  I am guessing that if I took that cover off, these parts would be removal out of the cover area.  I see the cover has a gasket so there must be oil flowing around that area. 

The back parts from the diagram above where I have oil running out, don't show any O-rings.  Not sure what happens if oil can't escape from that upper chamber.  You would think there would be a good reason for the hole to be made by the factory.

I am new to repairing hydraulics and my main mechanic has torn his shoulder up and can't help me.  As always, thank to forum members for jumping in.  I will keep thinking about this some more.

I have the two big bolts removed on the right rear axle.  I will attempt to find the two bolts that you mention and get them removed.  I didn't see them but I might need to clean more dirt grime off. 

Be really good to not remove that shaft but just shift over the control brackets!

I did look at the possibility of raising the cab to get me some room.  Could you describe what is involved in raising the cab?  I see the two big bolts in the rear and I saw some in the cab floor when I was fixing the shift cables.  What steps are necessary if I end up there?  Sometimes I think the effort to raising the cab might be better than working blind.

Thanks for the hint!  I want to get this over with.

I have had success on fixing this leak!  A big thanks to DrAllis for the hints on taking the hydraulic lever assembly loose.  I did not have to raise the cab after all, but thanks for the hints on that.  After having done this job, I think it is possible to do it without cutting the cab "window" that I cut, but it got done.  I also couldn't visualize the leak until I cut the window.  I think my problem is rare since the cap isn't supposed to have a hole in it.  I think raising the cab 3 inches would be wise if the window isn't cut.

I raised and lowered the lift many times and I see no problems yet.  Will be working the tractor as soon as the weather cooperates so the jury is out until then. 

Just so I can save the next guy the anguish I faced, here is complete breakdown of the steps to fix my problem.  I bought an inspection camera that also helped me after I cut the window.  I should have bought that first and i would have known where the leak was.  Here are the sordid details on loosening the lever assembly.

Steps to take loose the lever assembly under the 7000 series cab.

1. Loosen the two large bolts that attach to the tractor rear end frame using 15/16 socket. These bolts cannot be removed after loosening as they hit the cab frame.

2. Remove the two metal rod linkages going to the traction booster and the lift. There are two cotter pins that can be pried downward to pull out. Area is very tight so use long needle nose pliers.

3. Loosen the top bolt by using a box end wrench on the nut and a 9/16 socket on the right. Once the nut is removed pull the bolt out of the frame. This bolt cannot be removed as it hits the tractor cab.

4. Now that half of the lever assembly is loose, the loose section can be pushed downward and forward to get one of the lower big bolts out. Once the back bolt comes out, the frame can be pushed forward and the front bolt can come out.

5. Part 20 from the lever assembly diagram needs to be removed next. There are two ½ inch bolts holding that flat bracket onto the stack. I had to loosen the small hydraulic line and push down to get my socket on the other side of the bracket. You have to fish the socket wrench under the bracket for the top bolt. You are doing this all by feel as you cannot see what you are doing.

6. The bottom bolt required the use of a swivel socket adapter. I had to go about two clicks at a time until it loosened. Once loosened leave it alone and come back to it after removing the 9/16 bolt at the top of the bracket.

7. 9/16 bolt and nut holds the #20 part to the #21 part in parts diagram. Once this is removed, the whole assembly is free except for the remote brackets. I was looking to shift the lever assembly over about an inch so I was done.

8. If you were going to remove the hydraulic stack to fix something on the back, you would have to remove the top 4 bolts on the remote brackets. This would completely make the lever assembly free of the stack.

9. I never figured out how to remove the rod that holds everything together but I don't think it wold be necessary unless something buggered up the lever assembly intself.

10. If you wanted to remove the stack at this stage, I think you can take loose all of the lines and the 3 bolts that hold the entire stack together and remove as one piece, I think. There is a nut on the back side of the stack that has to be removed. Once the lever assembly has been loosened, you could get a sock with extension on that nut and remove. You will be working blind though doing it.

11. Since I had cut a window hole in my cab, all of this was accessible and easy to see. Without the window, the back side nut is tough to get loose.

12. My goal was to remove the mysterious cap that had a hole in it and was leaking hydraulic oil.  After loosening the lever assembly, I could get a 1 ¼ socket on the cap. I had a 12 inch extension that protruded into the cab and I easily loosened the cap from inside the cab.

13. To do this I really didn't need such a large window. I could have cut a window about 3 inches square towards the left of the left seat bracket towards the top of the sheet metal where it curves downward as you are looking at the seat bracket. I ended up cutting a 10 inch window since I didn't know where the leak was.

14. Removal of the end cap requires you to carefully pull out  cap plus 2 parts, making sure you capture the spring and the metal rod as you pull it out. Spring isn't under pressure but you don't want to drop either of them in that area and have to fish them out.

15. After installing the new end cap (with no hole), I had to do one special step. When re-installing the part #21, you want to screw in the lower nut without part #20 and also tighten the screw that holds Part #21 to the hydro stack. This is done to insure that part #20 will line up once you start putting bolts back in it. Since you are working by feel and blind, this is necessary. Prior to installing, part #20, you will remove the lower bolt. The other bolt will hold the lever assembly into place after you remove the lower bolt.

16. Everything else goes back in reverse order. Make sure that you place the big lower bolts into their position loose before you start to tighten up everything on top..

As always, thanks for the help from everyone who chimed in.  I know I saved some big dollars doing this fix myself, with forum help.