White grease like substance in rear end.

[Steve D]

I have a 1976 cub cadet 1450 hydrostatic that my father purchased used about 5 years ago, has under 300 hours on it.
The first thing that he wanted to do was change the hydraulic transmission fluid in it and when he was done it started leaking from the gasket between the pump and rear end. I tried to tell him that we was going to have to separate it and he didn't want to do that, so unfortunately it sat there until he passed away.
So, I separated it and the gasket appeared to be hand cut and completely smashed on one side. So since I was doing this I wanted to go ahead and change the fluid again.
When I pulled the back cover off the top and front of the housing has a thick white grease like substance, is this normal and supposed to be there? If so what purpose is it serving?
This is the first time I've had a cub cadet rear end opened and I have never seen anything like this before. Thank you in advance.

[ricky racer]

Steve, welcome aboard!! What you're probably seeing is a combination of water and oil which when mixed together looks just like you described. A good cleaning out and new fluid should do the trick for you.

[Steve D]

I kind of thought the same thing. But I can't figure out how it coated the top cover / inspection plate.
I will clean it out and go from there.
Also, what is your opinion about drilling and tapping for an 1/8" or a 1/4" pipe plug on the underside of the housing for a drain plug?
I know I would have never seen this white substance if I hadn't pulled the cover.
And what about putting a smaller magnet in the bottom to catch any metal shavings?
Thanks

[ricky racer]

That's probably not a bad idea if you can find some place thick enough to get a decent amount of threads in it. Maybe a boss or reinforce area in the case. You could epoxy a magnet to the bottom of the plug. Post some pictures of the process so it's a learning tool for others that may want to copy it in the future.

[BigBill]

I noticed in my 154 the hydraulic oil was creamy colored. Without starting the engine I pulled the plug on the bottom of the tranny and a lot of water came out first then oil came out.
When I was a mechanic I had a car come in with a white creamy color in the motor oil. I talked with the owner who happened to be my brother who added another brand of oil when it was down a quart. This was decades ago in his new road runner. I changed the oil twice to flush it. I guess the two different brands of oil didn’t blend together. I never seen that,

[Jim Becker]

. . . I guess the two different brands of oil didn’t blend together. I never seen that,

It was water.

[Eugene]

With the differential/transmission back cover off, elevate the tractor's front end a bit. Use spray brake cleaner to remove/flush out any debris including any remaining moisture.

[Steve D]

It will not let me add the pictures I took when I added the drain plug to the hydrostatic rear differential. It keeps telling me file size is too large, I tried reducing them but that didn't work either. So I'll try to be as descriptive as I can.
I was wanting to add a magnet in the drain plug but I had to order it and didn't want to wait to get this back in use. I guess I will add it next year when I change the fluid and filter.
What I did was found center of the small lower section on the bottom of the differential case since it is the lowest section internally also.
Drilled 21/32 inch hole and tapped it with a 1/8 inch NPT pipe tap and used a recessed hex key (Allen socket) pipe plug so there wouldn't be anything lower than the case. I cleaned all metal shavings out. I used Loctite 5452 Thread Sealant on the pipe plug. After inserting plug with sealant i went and made my differential cover gasket giving the sealant a little time to cure (about 15 minutes) installed cover and gasket and added the hydraulic transmission fluid.
So, now next year when i replace the fluid and filter i will not have to make a cover gasket. Now I won't pull the cover off until I start seeing substantial metal on the magnet.
This is probably one of the best modifications I have done as far as a time saver.
Hope this helps anyone else who may have been interested in doing this.

[BigBill]

. . . I guess the two different brands of oil didn’t blend together. I never seen that,

It was water.

I’m just saying for future notes about creamy colored oil. Sometimes it could be mixing brands of oil. I never seen that happen before.