HD11 wet clutch leak

My HD11 has a bit of a leak on the clutch.. near as I can tell. The fluid is coming out of the opening for the crankcase oil plug.. I can't see in the parts manual anything that would be leaking that far forward.

I know this is not much to go on, but anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

The pan looks ok. At the bottom of the filler tube, there is so much gunk that I can't make out much.. Its a tough place to access too..

I see in the parts diagram that there is a hose from the reservoir to the pump. I'll see if that is leaking at the reservoir end..

My clutch leak issue continues. It's about the last item that causes me worry, with the rest of the 11 working pretty well. So far, the leak has dropped the fluid off the dipstick, about 2.5 gallons, in about 3 weeks.
I can still not find the leak.

I thought it was the return hose. That's about a 3" diameter by 5" long hose that sits just over the reservoir.. That appears to be an easy replace, except that it's in a tough spot. I tightened down the clamps and I don't see how it could leak as much as this is leaking.

I traced the hydraulic line  from the clutch to the heat exchanger. No leaks.

Lazyts noted that it could be wear through in the reservoir itself. I also checked the parts manual and it shows a hydraulic line between the pump and  the reservoir. Maybe it's that..

Is the fluid just for cooling? Does it supply pressure for the clutch? If I am out in the woods and something lets go and drains the tank, will the clutch slip? Or will it not be obvious that there is no clutch fluid. That's my worry. I don't mind having to fill this frequently, I just don't want to damage anything.

Thanks

Thanks Mactractor. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge!

This would be a much easier fix, if I didn't have to drop the belly pan to find the leak...

Care to share the tried-and-true-secrets of dropping the pan? Is this a one-man job? 

I guess I should practice what I preach- I had a fire in the pan of our 11 the other day, probably would have toasted the thing if a coolant hose hadn't ruptured and sprayed it down!

Lazyts wrote: I find my help scatters when I mention "belly pan" or "master pin", not to mention "stand on your head in there and fix that leak"

 LOL.. I've had to resort to cash and post-work servings of red beer to get the helpers to show up.. Even then they aren't too enthusiastic.

no expert,but I did the floor jack on plywood alone. Just held the pan tight with jack and pulled all bolts off, then get out the way and drop jack. Going back on maybe more of challenge.

DiyDave, that sounds like a good idea.

I'm headed to Harbor Freight to get a jack, as I only have bottle jacks now. The lift plate on the floor jacks is pretty small and that pan is pretty big.. I'm considering buying a transmission jack as it has a larger plate to balance the pan on..

We'll see what they look like when I get there.

I fabbed up a larger plate for my floor jack that I just swap out for the small cup on the floor jack when I have something bulky to lower or lift. Not quite as versatile as a transmission jack but it works and is a lot less expensive.

If you have a good welding shop in your area where you know the team have experience with repairing `aged` aluminium, would be the best shot if you cant get a good non damaged used pan from a parted out tractor

I pulled the reservoir today. It was covered in gunk.. somebody had sealed the oil pan to the reservoir with red glue..I have no idea why. It has a crack, about 1.5 inches in length. It's headed to the welding shop tomorrow.

This is what I scraped off. They completely filled in the gap between the oil pan and the reservoir with red and black sealant. I can see no leak that it was sealing.. I'm guessing they did it to keep the debris out from the gap..

I saw a guy one time trying to super glue the pads on the master clutch .a lot of people with heave equipment trying to make a living and they don't have money to fix thing right try do come up with some cheap fix just to get buy to get paid . I have done it myself but as soon as I was paid I always tried to fix it right and sometimes the cheap fix cost more in the end.

leaving the line from the pump to the clutch housing loose on start up for a couple of seconds will give you a rough idea of sufficient flow. I have added a gauge tee junctioned into the line for continuous display of pressure. Anywhere from about 8 pound to 15 pound was good from memory. Think I found a Murphygauge product with the right range (0-20 pound). I`ve also considered using the fuel pressure gauge for the purpose.