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My mower has external fluid expansion reservoirs. Well once it warms up it raises twice as much as the other one for some reason. Opinions?
hydro gear 3400 uneven fluid level in reservoirs?
- Thread starter The motor guy
- Start date
Do you check the fluid level when cold and on a level surface? There should be lines near the bottom on the expansion tanks that are marked FULL COLD.
The fluid level will rise as it heats up.
The fluid level will rise as it heats up.
Agree with Mparr
My scrawny 2 cents, it matters not that the levels are the same in both tanks but rather there is fluid in both, but not overfilled so it blows out when hot. Mine differ by around 1/4-1/2" but even an inch or more won't matter.
dnewton3
Staff member
It's typical that one motor will run a tad warmer than the other for various reasons, and so the fluids would be slightly different even if they started out exactly equal.
As long as there's a decent volume in each and it's not spilling out, don't worry about it.
As long as there's a decent volume in each and it's not spilling out, don't worry about it.
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One was a tad above the full cold mark, but it would go all the way to the top of the reservoir, while the other was doing about halfway up the reservoir when warmed up. Did that ever since I changed the fluid. They were pretty even before. The funny thing is the pump that has a few missing fan blades is the one that runs cooler than the one with all the blades.
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The other question is what temp is considered cold?
Usually if it has been sitting for a couple hours not being run.
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Yeah I really don't like how the reservoirs expand to the very top of the reservoirs after an hours worth of mowing a 2 acre lot. This is with them starting at the minimum level. I siphoned some out the other day since I wasn't sure if the fluid would bleed out through the cap or not
What mower is this? That seems like a lot of expansion, are there air bubbles in the fluid?
Get a temperature reading on the cases. My 3100's were running around 120F after 20 minutes of light use on a 77 degree day. They were both the same. I suspect this summer they will be quite a lot hotter. I was just running mine because I'm dealing with other issues. Slow speed on one side and bypasses that don't. I have thread on here.
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I was around 180-200 last summer in 100 degree heat after an hour of mowing. Hydro gear said that was fine. I had a bunch of grass build up on the right side that I blew out with compressed air so I'll see what happens today. This is a 52" ferris z2 stand on
Sitting overnight.
Blow your mower off at the end of each day that you mow. Pay particular attention to the engine and hydros. You want those hydro fans clean. Use a leaf blower or compressor air.
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I pulled off the inspection covers on the engine flywheel housing yesterday and not a hint of grass inside. Amazing.
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I mowed for 1 hour 20 minutes straight and they stayed more even. I think the grass build up was the cause, but I do still need to replace that one fan as that one is running a tad hotter hence the higher fluid. I also think I may have had too much in that one. Hard to tell though because the fluid doesn't actually drain down into the hose when you add to the reservoir quickly unless you remove the vent plug or their is a vacuum sucking it back into the pump.
