# oil in starter



## smk (Apr 19, 2010)

i just bought a used kubota L185DT and i play with it for less than 3 hrs. and it would not start so i pulled the starter to have it tested to find oil in it. what would cause this ?


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Welcome to Tractor Forum smk! Are you sure it is oil in the starter or could it be diesel fuel? The fuel tank is right above the starter. Could have been spilled? Is the bell housing soaked with oil?


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## smk (Apr 19, 2010)

pretty sure it was oil everything was dry around it. the tractor is in the woods at my hunting camp don't even no how i am getting it out of the woods


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

So the inside of the bell housing was dry as well?


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## smk (Apr 19, 2010)

i am very new at this but i just had the guy that has the camp next to me go down to the the tractor and look in where the starter came out of and he said the flywheel had some oil on it but below the flywheel there is oil.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Sounds to me like the rear main bearing seal may be leaking. This would account for the oil on that flywheel. Any oil that ran down into the bell housing likely leaked out of the oil weep/drain hole. If oil is leaking onto the flywheel from the rear main seal, it could very well sling the oil into the starter as you found it.


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## smk (Apr 19, 2010)

just got back from camp. i did get the tractor out of the woods. put the rebuilt starter in tractor started right up. moved the tractor out of the woods then took the starter out and it had more oil in it. then look in the clutch adjustment panal and there is oil there. so this is what i know there oil in bell housing front of the fly wheel and oil on the clutch side. what i dont understand why my fluids are ok oil maybe a little low. i can not find a drain hole for bell housing if there is not a drain hole could this have built up over time?


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Sure sounds to me like a rear main bearing seal leaking. When you say the oil level is OK, it is at the proper mark on the dipstick and not over filled? 

Depending upon where the oil level sits in the oil pan in relation to the rear main bearing seal, the oil could indeed be slowly leaking out and building up over time. 

Sounds like it may be time to replace the rear mail seal.


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## smk (Apr 19, 2010)

rear main seal is that is that a lot of money. how do i get the oil out of bell housing. i can't find a drain


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I suspect the tractor will have to be split and oil pan dropped to replace the rear seal and inspect the clutch area for oil soaking. For the time being you could probably draw the oil out of the clutch housing with a suction tube or similar device. With an oil leak this bad, I doubt oil stop leak would work.


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