# Ford 2910 PTO seal replacement.... easier than I thought!



## TraderMark (Nov 15, 2011)

The 2910 I bought a few weeks ago had a leak at the PTO shaft. Naturally I assumed it was the seal but when I looked really closely, there was a new seal in place. I cleaned the area well with brake cleaner and with a good flashlight I determined the oil was coming out from between the outer seal wall and the seal/bearing carrier housing.
On the 2910 you can't just pull the seal/bearing carrier off the shaft and leave the shaft in place, there's a snap ring in the carrier housing that prevents this. So I dreaded having to pull the shaft and the old "dropped washer" problem. But I drained the oil, pulled the shaft hoping to get lucky but, no dice!! Looked up in the hole and sure enough the dreaded washer was halfway down, preventing me from just pushing the shaft back in.

I'd heard about the "grease on a broom handle" trick for getting the washer back in place long enough to get the shaft back in but I was a mechanic on farm and logging equipment for 30 years so I know that grease doesn't stick very well to an oily surface so I sprayed the washer good with brake cleaner when I left the shop last Saturday and let it dry until the parts arrived today.

Went down to the shop with the new parts just knowing I was going to have to spend hours trying to get that washer to stay put, but lo and behold, I used an old rake handle that had a tapered end, slapped a fat wad of sticky red grease on the taper and shoved it in. A few wiggles of the rake handle and a slow pull out and SURPRISE ... the washer was back in place and actually stayed put for me to get the shaft back in.

Entire installation of the new seal and housing took just under 30 minutes. :headclap:

The old seal/bearing carrier looks like someone either tried to drill through the edge of the seal or cut the carrier housing with a gouging chisel while trying to get the old seal out. 

Here are a couple of pics of the damaged housing.

Mark


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

Congratulations TraderMark,

Many guys struggle with that washer, but they all succeed as far as I know. You used a rake handle instead of a broom handle.....maybe that's the secret to your success?

What did you do to that damaged seal area. Sealant??


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## TraderMark (Nov 15, 2011)

I debated all of about 20 minutes on what kind of sealer or filler to use in that gouge, but when I found a brand new housing for $39 including shipping, the debate ended. I put in a new housing and now have peace of mind of not worrying whether the "patch" would hold.


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