Gear Oil for Snowblower Drive Transmission

[SamSpade66]

Hello, I have a craftsman snowblower with a faulty drive system which I've acquired from my brother. After tearing it apart I've found that it has a sealed (ie non serviceable) transmission (Murray P/N 1733972YP) for the drive system. The entire transmission is made of plastic. I could purchase a replacement here https://www.partstree.com/parts/murray-1733972yp/ for $535.99 USD plus another $50 USD to ship to Canada! Not likely! I figured since it's not working and I'm not paying half the original price of the machine for a replacement part, I might as well tear it apart and check it out. The two halves of the case are sealed together with some kind of silicone gasket material so it was a pain to split apart. When it finally came apart a quantity of oil poured out. I drained the rest and separated the to halves. Also found this video which helped . This guy had bad bearing in his and replaced them fixing his problem. Mine however had worn clutch cones, I was able to shim the cones and get it working again. However unlike the guy in the video I did not save the fluid to reuse. So the question is what kind of fluid do I use in a transmission with a plastic case and plastic gears. The fluid that came out of it was not very thick, as you can see at about the 2:20 mark in the above linked video. I'm worried a regular gear oil will be too thick in -30°C conditions also the additives will probable kill the plastic gears. I've found this online: "Lubricants based on silicone, perfluorinated PFAE, mineral oils, and synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), typically work well with plastics. Esters and polyglycols are generally not compatible with plastic, although there are exceptions based on the type of plastic material." Can anyone suggest a fluid that will work for this application?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[kschachn]

@MolaKule may have some ideas.

 

[Rand]

I would think motor oil would be fine. Gear oil wont help with plastic gears.

 

[97prizm]

Would atf be too reactive with plastic gears?

 

[97prizm]

Hello, I have a craftsman snowblower with a faulty drive system which I've acquired from my brother. After tearing it apart I've found that it has a sealed (ie non serviceable) transmission (Murray P/N 1733972YP) for the drive system. The entire transmission is made of plastic. I could purchase a replacement here https://www.partstree.com/parts/murray-1733972yp/ for $535.99 USD plus another $50 USD to ship to Canada! Not likely! I figured since it's not working and I'm not paying half the original price of the machine for a replacement part, I might as well tear it apart and check it out. The two halves of the case are sealed together with some kind of silicone gasket material so it was a pain to split apart. When it finally came apart a quantity of oil poured out. I drained the rest and separated the to halves. Also found this video which helped . This guy had bad bearing in his and replaced them fixing his problem. Mine however had worn clutch cones, I was able to shim the cones and get it working again. However unlike the guy in the video I did not save the fluid to reuse. So the question is what kind of fluid do I use in a transmission with a plastic case and plastic gears. The fluid that came out of it was not very thick, as you can see at about the 2:20 mark in the above linked video. I'm worried a regular gear oil will be too thick in -30°C conditions also the additives will probable kill the plastic gears. I've found this online: "Lubricants based on silicone, perfluorinated PFAE, mineral oils, and synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), typically work well with plastics. Esters and polyglycols are generally not compatible with plastic, although there are exceptions based on the type of plastic material." Can anyone suggest a fluid that will work for this application?

Thanks,
Sam

I can't believe that the transmission cost as .uch as a new snow blower.

 

[samven]

I would imagine that a CVT fluid would be thinner and not damage plastics or rubber.

 

[dvblanch]

AutoZone shows a STP brand Nondetergent 30 wt that would probably work fine.Not a real lot of stress or heat on a snowblower transmission.

 

[#18FAN]

AutoZone shows a STP brand Nondetergent 30 wt that would probably work fine.Not a real lot of stress or heat on a snowblower transmission.

But the fluid would be brick solid at 0F

 

[ripcord]

ISO 22 hydraulic oil is in the same range as 5 weight motor oil so would be good in the cold weather and is mineral oil based.

 

[GSCJR]

I would use some ATF or engine oil. Hopefully @MolaKule can shed some light on whether or not this is good advice. Good luck!

 

[MolaKule]

ISO 22 hydraulic oil is in the same range as 5 weight motor oil so would be good in the cold weather and is mineral oil based.

Or an ISO 32. ATF's are in an equivalent range around a 5W20.

@SamSpade66 This is a shot in the dark because we don't know the exact material makeup of the transmission, but the Supertech Dex/Merc ATF should work in winter temps.

 

[Mcbeem5]

On EBAY

Briggs & Stratton snowblower transmission 1733972YP Snapper/Simplicity/Craftsman​

a-cut-above -SELLER $349

• (7580)
• 99.9% positive
• a-cut-above
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  • 99.9% positive
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US $349.99 https://www.ebay.com/itm/1563804442...MIwN2f_9yGigMVQmlHAR1IkRqEEAQYASABEgIi-PD_BwE
AY --

 

[Fordiesel69]

5w-20 synthetic will be fine. Honda, kohler, brigges, chonda all use plastic camshafts, oil slingers, and governor gear. Some fail, some dont and quite frankly its usually not the oil that caused them to fail. When that transmission fails again, pull the engine off and recycle the snowblower.

Restoring well made outdoor power equipment is an exellent hobby and very rewarding. Restoring garbage units like this is just a waste of time in my opinion.