What’s blue and leaks from a RTV-X?

[Iron mike]

Having recently had my HST replaced by the local dealer I have noticed a leak coming from the rear part of the RTV. The unit us a 2014 X1129D. The fluid is dripping of the rear skid plate. is clear with a blue/green tint to it, thicker and tackier than hydraulic fluid. I’ve put in just under 5 hours since the new HST was installed.

I have washed the sides of the engine and transmission/HST down with degreaser and rinsed and dried it off, warmed up the unit driven it a bit and watched for leaks, I can’t see any thing and wiping a dry cloth around all surfaces of the motor/trans/HST comes back with a dry clean cloth. I come back the next day and there are a few drops on the ground under the rear skid.

the unit is now on jack stands with all tires off and the skid plates removed, I have found two coolant leaks, there was a bead of coolant on the underside of the engine oil filter and beads of coolant on the hose going to the bottom left of the inner radiator. But coolant is bright green and watery not tacky and blue/green, and the coolant leaks are up front and in the middle of the machine not the rear.

I want to return it to the dealer and tell them to fix it but I know all they will say it has nothing to do with their previous repairs and hand me another over inflated bill.

 

[bczoom]

If I recall correctly, there's a few tranny fluid products that are blue in color.
Hyd oil itself from some manufacturers.
Hyd oil stop leak
Hyd oil dye

My guess is one or more of those products were used in the HST while they were checking/testing it. (When done, they should have replaced that with Kubota fluid).
My second guess since you said it's thicker and tackier than hyd fluid, it may have been a stop leak product as these types of products are normally thicker.
My third guess related to the green tint is that the original product that was blue has met with the Kubota fluid which is yellow. Blue+yellow=green.

 

[bordercollie]

This isn't the same but my sister took her car to be serviced at the Honda dealership and it came home with an oil leak. The new oil was hard to see.. She took it back . They put it up on the rack , took a light and showed her that nothing was there. She brought it back home and there it leaked again. I used cardboard under it until the next oil change at a different high reputable place. They confirmed the oil leak was small but was because the dealership didn't use a washer on the plug. No leaks since.

 

[geohorn]

I took my friends’ truck into the local shop for him at his direction... to the shop he always used for his oil changes. (I was a visitor to his ranch and needed to run into town and borrowed his truck...he asked me to let them change the oil as it was ”time”.)

I sat in the truck while they did it.... and saw beneath the opened hood they were pouring some kind of snake-oil in with the new oil. The work was paid for on his “account”.... $54 for an oil change on a F-150. When I returned to his ranch about 30 miles away I mentioned to him the snake-oil and asked what-brand he ordinarily used... and he was surprised to know they put anything in his truck besides motor-oil.
He called them and they informed him their “full service” oil change (which they’d done on all 5 of his ranch vehicles for many years) had ALWAYS Included their favorite brand of snake oil. He instructed them to never do that again and his oil changes were only $39 afterwards. Pretty pricey snake oil.

It goes to show what can happen when you let others make decisions for you out of convenience.

For those who don’t want to do it.... WalMart has a “Pit Crew” level of oil-change which is $20 that consists of plain drain-and-fill w/filter using standard multi-weight Quaker-State motor oil and a Fram filter which meets mfr’r warranty. That’s what I do for all my cars because that’s what I do at home and don’t have to haul-off the used oil back to them. Just FYI. Hope it helps.

 

[Iron mike]

Ok, so a nice not freezing spring day here, +10 so a few hours under the Kubota before my wife got me cleaning the yard. This is what I found.

There is a hydro leak at the very rear of the HST (first picture) dealer is getting a bitchy phone call in the morning.

There is a coolant lea, just not sure where, coolant sitting on the lip of the motor oil pan. (Second picture)

There is a coolant and hydro leak up front, the two hoses coming from the steering colour are covered in hydro and coolant, I think the hoses rubbed against the rad hose which doesn’t show a leak but is rubbed thin where the two hydro hoses and the cloth guard rubbed against it, I removed the cloth guard. (third picture)

I also have a drop of coolant on the underside of the engine oil filter Could be related to the first leak? (Fourth pictrue)

I love and hate this machine, I love it when it drive it, but hate it the next morning when it messes up its stable. Lol!

 

[Ohio_Pawpaw_Grower]

If I was located near you, I'd pour you a couple of fingers of Jack and tell you this too shall pass. It sounds like this may be dealer induced and I would be surprised if they didn't make it right. I am anxious to hear how the dealer call goes. Out.

 

[Iron mike]

Well I have 4 leaks, dealer will only consider looking at the HST leak, I'm on my own for the others.

leak 1, coolant leak around the water pump area, I will know more once I get my scope around it on the weekend, fingers crossed its a loose hose, could be coolant coming from the weeping hole (if the pump has one). If its a loose clamp I will be relieved, its its the water pump gasket or weeping hole, looks like its time for a new water pump, if I'm taking it off to change a gasket I'm replacing the pump at the same time.

Leak 2, hydro leak on the steering lines, again will know more once I can get a scope up in there, fingers crossed its a loose fitting. not to thrilled about having to take the dash out to get to them to change them.

Leak 3, coolant leak on the lower rad hose, the hose is worn thin where the steering hydro hose (which also leak) rubbed against it, but did not leak under pressure but the motor wasn't that warm., will run the motor a little hotter and see if it weeps on the weekend. if it weeps them change out that hose f it does not, keep looking, that coolant has to come from somewhere.

Leak 4, HST leak, dealer wont pay for me to get the unit to him, its a hour drive and I don't have a trailer so a day off and renting a trailer or pay for a tow? either way I'm out $400, no guarantee the dealer will fix it under warranty if they decide it wasn't caused by their HST install, ill get my scope under it on the weekend to see if I can pin point the exact area of the leak, to me it looks like the the fluid it dripping of the red circled area in the picture below, so its coming from somewhere above, 99% sure its a HST leak. I'm not touching this till the other leaks are fixed, that way if it goes back the the dealer they cant try to shift blame.

 

[Iron mike]

If I was located near you, I'd pour you a couple of fingers of Jack and tell you this too shall pass. It sounds like this may be dealer induced and I would be surprised if they didn't make it right. I am anxious to hear how the dealer call goes. Out.

If i were closer I would take you up on that. Cheers! ?

 

[aurthuritis]

early x1100c were known for coolant leaks. turned out to be bad hoses from mfg. your transmission oil may have dye in it for leak detection so try a black light and see if it glows. could be they used some other than Kubota fluid??? the leak could be coming from an oring on the pipe just above???

 

[Iron mike]

Ok! An update.

Found four leaks.

First one the coolant hose above the engine oil filter was weeping coolant thru the fibre reinforcing between the layers of rubber. Never seen a hose leak like this before, doubled up on the hose clamp and tightened all other clamps. If it continues then I will replace the hose.

Second one was a single drop of coolant coming from a bolt on the water pump. I tightened it up, it was loose 1/8 turn, but will probably have to remove it and seal the threads, this will involve removing or moving the rad in front of the motor as I don’t have hobbit hands.

Third leak, the hydro return line (non pressure) to the steering column, can’t get to the hose clamp to tighten it, i think this will involve removing the dash unless someone has a different approach.

Fourth leak under the HST, still can’t figure out where it’s coming from, I have tightened all hoses and clamps and will come back to this fresh tomorrow.

I ran the unit up to temp after tightening everything I could reach and could not see any leaks except for the steering column, but I will come back tomorrow and see what seeped out over night, I’m hoping I got two out of four today.


while it was up on stands I did a speed test and hit 50 kph so if anything will leak it should be overnight.

 

[aurthuritis]

yup! the hoses leak between the ply on the early RTV. my 2014 x1100C did the same thing and there were many complaints back then from others with same condition. solution is new hoses or a bottle of that cheap stop leak that turns to rubber when the leak is exposed. i used the stop leak and haven't had an issue since. it is getting along in years now and i need to replace all of the hoses.

 

[Iron mike]

yup! the hoses leak between the ply on the early RTV. my 2014 x1100C did the same thing and there were many complaints back then from others with same condition. solution is new hoses or a bottle of that cheap stop leak that turns to rubber when the leak is exposed. i used the stop leak and haven't had an issue since. it is getting along in years now and i need to replace all of the hoses.

Do you mind me asking which brand of stop leak did you use?

 

[aurthuritis]

bars leak i think i split the bottle between to both radiators. if i remember right the bottle had some little pellets in the bottom so i emptied it into two containers and made sure to get about half of the pellets into each container. not sure if it really matters to put in both radiators.

 

[Iron mike]

3 of 4 leaks seam to be fixed, I was able to tighten the return hose on the steering by partly dismantling the dash, it did cost me a 8mm wrench which slipped and feel into the frame rail and I could not retriver it. And the two coolant leaks did not return today after tightening up yesterday, now if only I could figure out the HST leak.

 

[aurthuritis]

could there be an oring on that pipe in your pic? could it be nicked on assembly????

 

[bordercollie]

I wonder if sealant was or wasn't used when that was put back on as well?? ( looking at the picture)

 

[Iron mike]

Ever have one of those weekends were to take three steps forward and two back? I fixed three leaks then two more pop up, fix those two and one more pops up. All coolant leaks all in the same area.

I had a single drop of coolant on the floor this morning traced it to the small diameter upper rad hose and the larger diameter rad hose both on top of the water pump. The larger hose was easily fixed, I tightened the hose clamp and added a second for insurance as it’s a PITA to get to. The smaller hose was a utter PITA, it did not have a hose clamp that can be tightened up but a smaller fuel hose style clamp that slips on with pliers, well after squeezing my non-Hobbit sized hands in there I was able to pull the original clamp off with finger pressure and slipped a standard hose clamp which I can tighten on. both those leaks appear to be fixed, then pops up another.

Where the oil filter attaches to the engine there are two small pipes and hoses that come out of the oil filter adapter, I originally assumed they were oil lines, both hoses have the fuel hose style clamps, looking at them I now realize they are coolant lines and they connect to the main coolant hoses going to the water pump at a metal tee just below the alternator, now this new coolant leak appears to come from the oil filter adapter as there are coolant drops on the bottom side of it. The leak looks like it comes from the oil filter adapter to block gasket. Anyone seen this type of leak before?

as for the HST leak, I had only a minor leak overnight a few drops, the oil is coming off the steel hose at the far rear right of the HST, although this is also the lowest point on the HST body so the leak could be washing down and dripping off the low point.

Oddly it doesn’t appear to leak under pressure while running but after wards after the unit has cooled down, is there a purge or pressure release valve that would cause a leak if the system was over filled or over pressurized?

both the coolant leak and the HST leak are minor and if I did not keep my equipment in ultra clean conditions they would probably not be noticed but I am a little bit of a clean freak. If the RTV was kept outside I doubt the leaks would ever be spotted as the loss of a single drop of coolant and a few drops of HST fluid would not even register on the coolant overflow tank and hydraulic dip stick.

To top of the day which was nice and sunny I was going to go for a bike ride, take the BSA and Honda for a spin, so I warmed up the Honda went in the house to get my jacket, helmet and gear and came out to find it snowing, well maybe next weekend I will go for a ride, until then I have to go talk to a man about a case of beer.

 

[aurthuritis]

the coolant leak sounds like it is coming from the hst oil cooler. the hst oil leak could be a suction line that might be introducing air to your hst and will cavitate your pump maybe. and only leaks when turned off and has a slight case pressure on it. like i said before i think there could be an oring on that steel line behind that flange???

 

[Iron mike]

The HST tube with the suspected leak is the HST suction tube, parts drawings show two o-rings. I am putting off changing these for two reasons. First I want to make sure the leak isn’t coming from elsewhere, and second with this being the lowest point in the hydraulic system if I pull that hose will I drain all my hydraulic fluid?

As for the coolant leak I think it’s the cooler behind the oil filter, parts drawings show is a one piece deal I doubt it’s the o-ring between the cooler and block as that wouldn’t be there to stop coolant but engine oil. A new cooler is $800.

im confused with the purpose of the radiator in front of the engine, does it have coolant running thru it or hydraulic oil, as it’s labeled hydraulic oil cooler and parts diagrams show it’s plumed into the hydro tank. totally confused atm!

 

[aurthuritis]

the radiator in front of the engine under the seat is a transmission oil cooler. the one on the filter also helps warm the oil but is an oil cooler also,i agree that the oring behind that oil cooler wouldn't leak coolant but it should be a sealed unit and unless a hose is leaking or the thing is cracked or something it should not leak coolant. if it leaks to the oil side that could be a catastrophy