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The only thing I have to go on is the pictures in the parts book as I have never had any issues and never had mine apart.
Some questions:
What make model and year of tractor are we talking about?
You asked what is the root cause of the failure but what is failing?
Are your circlips breaking or slipping out of place?
Other than replacing the balls with slugs (I think this is a really bad idea), what other parts have you replaced?
Did you use OEM parts, after market or something else?
Is it always the same joint that gives you problems? Which one?
Based on the drawings in the parts book for my 2006 Jinma 284 here are the possibilities that I see.
Using the wrong clip would cause it to either break or not stay in place. These things are metric, and off the shelf imperial won’t fit properly.
Groove that the clip seats into is worn or damaged. In that case even the proper new clip won’t help. The shaft has to be repaired or replaced.
The splines that the balls engage against are worn. Using slugs (cylinders) instead of balls will cause damage to the splines as they don’t allow the full range of motion intended.
The same thing applies to the splines inside the coupler, they could be worn too. It might be that the wear is evenly on the shaft and the coupler, but when added together the wear exceeds the service specs.
This is a constant velocity joint, what type of lube are you using in it?
When it is assembled there should be very little to no rotational free play (backlash) in the joint. If there is too much play, it is worn and can not be expected to perform properly.
The spring may not be exerting enough force on the joints to keep them pushed together during use. Or too much force could cause the circlips to fail or slip out of the grooves.
The fine tooth splines on the transfer case end of the shaft must slide freely in the coupler or it could cause binding that would put undue stresses on the shaft and joints.
Without seeing the problem we can only guess at the cause. Please post some pictures, maybe we can figure it out.
Oils and other fluids can be a big rabbit hole to fall into. Fluid chemistry has evolved a long way since the technology level of our Chinese tractors was drawn on a drafting board!
You have SAE and ISO specifications
You have manufacturer specifications
You have to choose from name brand lubes which are always drastically overpriced and the specs can be hard to find.
You have cheap retail store lubes that say they meet or exceed XYZ specs but don’t really give you any information. OR they might say “compatible with…. I find this especially frustrating when you are trying to find the proper fluid.
Then you have to wade through old wives tales and urban legends.
John Deere want to sell you their fluid. CAT wants to sell you THEIR fluid, etc.
They go to great lengths to “educate” their dealerships as to why they need to sell only the approved stuff from them. (I retired from the parts counter and have heard it all)
Somewhere in the past an additive was found to be harmful to brass and bronze components. It was taken out and the SAE specs were updated. I don’t think it is much to worry about these days.
If I were running a new high tech piece of equipment that cost more than my house, I would definitely stick with OEM products, especially through the warranty period. For older tech stuff like our tractors, I don’t hesitate to use lower priced fluids because they far exceed the requirements of the machine.
In your case, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the JD Hy-Trans in your 254. It is more than likely more expensive than the retail versions of 80W-90 and hydraulic, but you don’t have to stock three different items to service your tractors. Makes life easy.
And yes, 140 is way heavier than 80W-90. These days it is common to see 75W-90 and 140W called out for automotive differentials and transfer cases. They are usually synthetic or synthetic blends.
Back in the 1980’s Chrysler ran Dextron II ATF in some of their lighter weight manual transmissions and 4 wheel drive transfer cases. This made shifting easier cold weather and worked quite well. Although at the time it was more expensive than plain old 80W-90.
I have a 2006 Jinma 284.
If your manual calls for the Hy-Trans then by all means use it.
80W-90 will not work in hydraulics, it is gear oil.
I often move snow well below zero and have problems with even ISO 22 fluid being too thick.
At -20 with a strong wind the surface area of the cylinders act like big cooling fins and I sometimes have to get out of the wind to let it warm up enough to operate for a little while.
Is your manual from the manufacturer or from the importer? Jinma made a lot of tractors for a lot of different “Brands”. However, some of those other brands also bought tractors from other manufacturers so it is a little hard to tell who actually made them.
What make, model and year is yours? I might have a way to look it up.
Mine came to me in the factory crates. As I assembled it I drained, flushed and replaced all the factory fluids, including the sludge they call fuel. The front axle was the worst, it had chunks in it that looked like jelly. I flushed that with paint thinner before re-filling. 80W-90 in front axle, trans/diff. ISO 68 in hydraulics, later changed to lighter weights. Clean dyed diesel in the tank and flushed through all the system. New Napa filters on the fuel and engine. Rotella T-4 in the crankcase and governor. Never had a speck of trouble. 950 hours later it still has the original NAPA fuel filter. Oil changed after 10 hours. Other fluids after 50.
Oil changes now every 100 ish hours and other fluids at 500. Coming up on the big job probably next summer, depending on how rough the winter is.
The hydraulics uses plain hydraulic fluid, not Trans-Hydraulic
The transmission and rear differential use 80W-90 gear oil, not Trans-Hydraulic
Trans-Hydraulic is for use in drive systems that share fluid with the hydraulic system. These transmissions are usually hydrostatic in nature (no clutch or manual shifting). While Trans-Hydraulic might work it is not the best choice and it cost more than necessary for your tractor. I would not use it unless your tractor manual specifically calls for it. Don’t go by the hype on the label of the bucket in the store.
When you fill the transmission it will get to a point where the oil will flow into the rear diff before the entire system gets “full”. The reason there is a separate drain plug for the rear diff is that it holds fluid that is lower than the flow through point and you can’t get it all out by just draining the transmission.
The hydraulic tank only holds a couple of gallons after the cylinders and hoses are filled. The trans and diff hold a little more than 5 gallons….I think. I don’t remember for sure and I run mine a little “over full” according to the dipstick. This raises the level so that that upper shafts get more oil and it quiets the gears considerably.
This is based on some advice I got when the tractor was new and in 17 years I have never had an issue with it. I do periodically drain a little fluid from the bottom of each sump and the front axles just to make sure any water gets removed. Then top off if needed.
I don’t believe you can go by wire color. Jinma used little plastic number tags to identify wires.
Also, they used a couple of different voltage regulators over the years. Some had screw terminals and some had spade terminals that just push into the connector next to the fuse block. Of these there were at least two designs, one had a small LED light on it. I don’t know for sure but is sticks in my mind that these were not interchangeable.
For the style with the spade terminals the weakest part of the it was the block and the OEM wire terminals are of very poor quality. No clamping ability and they come loose a lot. You can bend them tighter once or twice, then they break. That mounting location is also a really poor spot because is shakes wildly.
I added an upper brace to the fuse block mount but that did not entirely solve the problem. When the second regulator died after only a few hour of use I looked for alternatives. At that time regulators were $25 and shipping half that. I haven’t priced them lately.
I wound up replacing the alternator with a re-man Delco for about the price of two regulators. The Delco has an internal regulator. All I had to do is flip one of the mounting brackets end for end.
There are some down sides to this approach but over all I am very happy with it.
Pros:
Much higher output alternator
Availability of both reman units and parts. There are millions of them out there…
Lower price
Cons:
The one I used is an open fan design which means I have to be sure and keep the dust blown out of it. Not a big deal for me but it is in some applications. In that case you need to upgrade to a totally enclosed design which will cost more.
I had to do some re-wiring of the tractor. The amp meter still functions properly but the “idot light” on the dash does not. It is on all the time. I could probably fix that with some diodes but I have just learned to ignore it. You can never trust a light anyway.
Here is a schematic that I found. It shows the wire numbers but does not show where they connect to the regulator. Hopefully this will help. It is labled 2005 and matched my tractor that was made in late 2006. As far as I know there were no records kept as to when design changes were implemented.
In order to pin point a leak you have to first get the area clean and dry. A pressure washer is good for this but if you don’t have one some spray foam engine cleaner and a garden hose will work. For smaller areas some mineral spirits on a rag will work too. Brake cleaner will work but it expensive and will take off the paint.
Once clean and dry you can operate the tractor and check the area every few minutes to see if you can find the leak. As a last resort you can get a fluorescent additive for the hydraulic fluid and then use a black light (UV) to see the trace.
You are probably correct about it leaking at the 3 point rocker shafts. There are seals in there but they are not very tight. The rocker shaft goes through the upper portion of the hydraulic tank and if you overfill the tank it will leak out at the rocker shaft.
Even a tank with the fluid at the proper level can flood that shaft if you are working with the front of the tractor higher than the back. I have this issue every winter when I am pushing snow piles up high.
The other thing that can cause the tank to “overfill” is if you have air getting into the hydraulic fluid. It will foam up and push out of the vent tube. To check this run your tractor for a while and then pull the fill plug and look inside with a flashlight.
These tractors are dead simple in design and easy to work on if you have a good parts diagram to follow. Some of the factory diagrams take some close study to understand how everything fits together.
There are several documents you can download on my website under the Jinma link on the home page. http://www.harnerfarm.net
Pictures are always helpful even for your own records for future use.
I had a huge leak show up in the middle of moving snow last winter. After 14 years a bolt on the 3 point control valve decided to come loose and it blew the gasket out. I would suggest taking some wrenches and make sure all the bolts in the area are good and snug. It is always a good idea to go over these tractors every now and again and check all the bolts that you can get to with a wrench. The Chinese lock washers are not the best and they do work loose. Wheels especially but loader frames are a close second.
Take a look at the files on my web page here:
http://www.harnerfarm.net/Jinma/Jinma284.html
The wiring for you dozer should be similar to the 284 tractor wiring. Also the file for the Ford switch shows the pin out of the switches.
Feel free to download and print out the files. I didn’t make them but posted for anyone who needs them.
If you have a schematic and either a multi-meter or a battery and a test light it should be easy enough to test the switch either in the machine or on the bench.
It is also possible without a schematic but is a little more work.
Without knowing your electrical skill level it is hard to know how basic of a description you need.
First advice is to take a picture of the wires before you disconnect them. IF that is not possible, be sure and label them well so you can get them back where they belong.
A lot of people have upgraded to a Ford key switch which has better contacts and can take the load of the glow plugs better than the factory switch.
All of the wiring on these machines is barely adequate to function properly when new. As they age most of the spade connectors corrode and become loose. Both the crimp on the wire and the crimp that holds the female end onto the spade. This causes intermittent connectivity that manifests itself as all kinds of different issues.
If you follow the power from the battery to the switch it probably goes from the battery to a terminal on the starter, then to the amp meter then to the switch. Then the switch contacts will in turn energize the run, start and glow plug circuits. Fortunately these are done only one at a time so checking for continuity is straight forward.
You probably have a switch with the following positions from left to right.
Start – Off – Run – Start – Heat (glow plugs)
The start and heat positions are spring loaded and will not stay in those positions unless you hold it.
The run sends power out to the fuse box to power all the other accessories.
Either start will send power to the starter solenoid, probably through the same wire spliced together close to the switch.
Heat will go to the glow plug bus bar through the fuse in the fuse box.
What symptom(s) are you having that cause you to suspect the key switch is the issue?
Hope this helps and ask any questions you still have. Post pictures if you can.
I used the same thing on my tractor. Worked pretty good. Way better then buying a whole new lens assembly, even if they were available….
Also found out that you can use a number 880 Basic fog light bulb instead of the goofy right angle bulbs that come in the tractor. Available at any auto parts store and way cheaper too.
I found some LED replacements but waiting for the current ones to burn out (shouldn’t be long) before replacing them.
