[bdaigle]

Well I want to say this is my first post on any tractor forum. I bought my tractor with 600 hours from a coworker. The only thing wrong with it was the paint was starting to chip since it was left outside in the cold Maine winters. I have done a dramatic restoration, paint job,degreased frame, new tires, controls, etc.

Right now I'm having a hard time trying to diagnose what the problem is now. This winter I was very low on hydro fluid, I read somewhere that I could add trans fluid dexron 3 to he hydro fluid. I added it and it seemed to be fine and then I noticed the reverse speed was slower. Not sure if this was related to he difference in fluid.

Second issue is that when I move the throttle forward or reverse there is a jerking motion that is quite severe. I checked the linkage and I didn't seem to notice anything out of the norm. But I'm not quite sure what to look at.

Third issue is that when the tractor is off I can just roll it around. Is this a normal thing. for some reason I thought it should not move at all. What could cause this to happen.

Thank you for all the help. I'm trying to keep this tractor in tip top shape

 

[KB]

Ben, welcome to wfm. This is a great site to get the most information about your 318. You should probably start by changing your hydro fluid and filter. The manual lists JD all weather hydro fluid, or ATF type F. I use and many members recommend lo-vis JD Hydrostatic fluid. I would not recommend mixing them. You can get a manual cheap on ebay, it's a good idea. This may help the jerkyness.

The tractor should not roll when you shut it off, and you should avoid rolling it even if it does, because pump damage can occur.

to another mainer.

 

[jdalchemist]

Ben,
Welcome to the group. Hopefully there is nothing seriously wrong with your "baby". In this regard, a first simple thing to check is the position of the hydro release lever under the right side of the fender pan. I would be curious to know where you read about mixing dexron 3 and JD low viscosity fluid. Most folks regard mixing of different fluid or oil types as undesirable or risky. Even though no damage may have been done, it would be wise to do a filter and fluid change to low viscosity Hygard. Do you have a serious fluid leak, or was the low level due to adding an implement with an empty hydraulic cylinder(s)?
Harold

 

[bob421]

Ben,

If you were to use an automotive transmission fluid in the hydro it would be Type F.

As far as the jerking and being able to roll the tractor easily please check to make sure the Free Wheeling Lever under the fender pan (accessible from right side of tractor) is not in the Free Wheeling position. If the lever is not engaged then take the fender pan off and check the valves on the top of the hydro that the Free Wheeling Lever operate to make sure the pins are not stuck in the down position.

Bob P

 

[bdaigle]

I believe I saw it on some post on a different website. Won't name

 

[bdaigle]

I do have a slight leak in the power steering cylinder

 

[hitefox1]

Ben D.
Welcome to the Best JD forum.
As far as your second issue, you may need to replace your shock absorber for the hydro. It is located under your battery tray. Easy fix and makes a big difference giving you a smooth operation as like new.
As far as your steering cylinder leak, they are repairable, rebuild able. I believe there is a member on this forum that will do that rebuild. I do not remember the name of the member. You could do a search on this forum.
FYI
I do have a spare power steering cylinder that is used. It came with a purchase of a JD 318 that was bought and later sold. As far as the condition of this cylinder, I can not say. Look good on the outside. Has tight pivot points with zerk fitting. I will offer it to you for free if you will pay for the shipping. If interested, I can send a pic.
Regards,
Bob C.

 

[bdaigle]

Hi bob, send some photos, if definitely take a look

 

[bdaigle]

Any other ideas what could be the issue

 

[bdaigle]

Shouldn't the tires on the tractor not move when tractor is off. I'm able to push it around a little. I don't want to do this much incase it's bad for the hydro unit. If the pins are up on the relief valve then how is it able to move.

 

[332bill]

Ben, I would do as others have suggested and change the hydro fluid. As for the jerky hydro movement, deere used 4 different versions of hydro linkage over the 318 production run. The 3rd version had the unfortunate side-effect of very jerky hydro action when moving the lever between forward and reverse. Deere came out with a repair kit (PN AM116222)that would convert the 3rd version to the 4th and be much smoother. Unfortunately, the kit is no longer available, though parts of it can be bought separately. The 318 serial numbers that the kit covers are 485762-790000 and 10001-104040. If your 318 falls in this range, there is nothing wrong with the hydro, it's just a bad linkage design. My 332 can also be pushed around within a few minutes of shut-down without engaging the release lever. It's done this from when I bought it with less than 400 hours. I have put over 1000 hours on it since then, with many plow days included and never had a trans issue. I don't think this is an issue to be concerned with. Just don't park it on a hill without setting the brake.

Bill

 

[bdaigle]

yes i do have version 3 of the linkage..
my tractor serial is 487290. im gonna go through all the linkage all the way back to the swashplate arm and check for loose bolts, etc. this does make me a little more at ease. there are a grea group of guys here with great help..any more people that can chime in on this would be great

 

[332bill]

Ben, search the forum for "jerky hydro" and I think you'll find others that were in your boat. Since the entire kit is no longer available, I believe some have purchased just the damper and the brackets to relocate it to the rear and have had good results. My 332 had the jerky hydro, but I was able to get the entire kit a number of years ago. I do have a PDF of the instructions I can send you.

Bill

 

[bdaigle]

yea can you email me!

 

[captaindan]

Bill, I would really like to have a copy of that PDF also if you don't mind. I have a couple of 332's that I'd like to convert and was thinking of reverse engineering the one on our 318.
[email protected]

Thanks, Dan

 

[chuckv]

Ben,

Welcome to the WFM forums and to owning a classic Deere tractor.

Even if you don't or can't upgrade to the REV4 linkage, doing the maintenance to ensure all the wear is removed from your linkage and renewing even the stock dampener will vastly improve your jerkiness issues, as RLC mentions above.

Because wear in the hydro linkages can also cause variation in ground speed with grade (slowing going uphill...etc.) you should ensure all wear is addressed with new or repaired parts. There are many good threads in the archives on addressing linkage wear and replacing the dampener to address this jerky behavior. Here are a few examples -- some have links to other threads in them:
http://www.wfmachines.com/discus/messages/335/211932.html
http://www.wfmachines.com/discus/messages/335/242240.html
http://www.wfmachines.com/discus/messages/335/105515.html
http://www.wfmachines.com/discus/messages/335/250766.html

...that last one has some good photos of typical linkage wear points.

I will email you some other info as well...

Chuck

 

[bdaigle]

Chuck, and everyone else posting information. Can't thank you enough. I will inspect the tractor very thoroughly to see what I can come up with

 

[captaindan]

Chuck, Thanks so much for collecting these links and sending me the eMail. My son-in law and I are tinkering on a few of these models with the rev-3 and I think it would be good to put together a set of drawings to fabricate the NLA parts. Then we would have it in the archive here on WFM. I have access to a 318 with the kit installed but I hate to take it apart. Any chance anyone else has some parts?
A & F are available but B, C, D & G would be great to get dimensions documented.

 

[Hammerdown-7]

Hello Ben
The Hydro lever assemblies in these Tractor's can be down right Frustrating. To me, they are Over Engineered and as they progressed with them up to the Generation Four system there are far Too many part's involved that can wear out or get out of adjustment. I had some issues with my son in law's new to him John Deere 316 that we built from the ground up recently but once someone told me the correct adjusting process and I went through it,finding some of the Linkage out of adjustment The Tractor work's as it should now with No creep issues. My first year 1983 John Deere 318 as the first generation Hydro linkage in it and it is far more simple to adjust or figure out why it is not working correctly that my son in laws 1991 John Deere 316. Regards, Kurt

 

[900thun]

I have a 322 that had the gas spring in the dash tower. It was the only thing I didn't like about this tractor. I replaced the gas spring and still wasn't happy. Then I decided to convert it to the latest gen 4 hydro version. Over time I bought one ebay part and made others. I didn't do an exact Gen 4 conversion.
After the conversion it became very acceptable in operation. I would do it again in my case.

So here are my comments for the items in the picture listed above.

A: This can be found periodically on ebay. It could easily be made if you have a welder.
B: Sheet metal to enclose the rear area of the frame. This has a slot that allows item A to slide through. Mine had this, but I had to modify the slot.
C: I think the is the other sheet metal that encloses the rear area. Mine already had this.
D: Never found this on ebay and didn't make it. This is where I deviated from the Gen 4 design. Instead I used a small (low strength) spring to raise the old gas spring assembly. I also tossed the gas spring. Without the spring to raise this assembly, I experienced a brake locking problem.
F: This is expensive, but this item is key and either needs to be new or in extremely good shape. I tried buying one on ebay and it was junk.
G: This is used to attach the rear of the damper to the right side frame. I didn't use this. I drilled a hole in the right side frame and used a bolt similar to something I found on a forum site. I see this is currently for sale on ebay for $35.