Metallic gear oil? Silver paste with metal chunks in t-case!

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spdwaver

spdwaver

Formerly Kalifornistanian
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:crybaby: :crybaby: Unbelievable! I decided to check the oil level in the case, and on the end of the plug itself were bug chunks of metal, lying in a silver paste. I know this is not good. This is a brand-new Orion!! What in the world could cause this? I have read through similar situations here, but a brand-new case?

It is runnig really smooth, no apparent problems while driving it.

Guess it is time to inspect...

I will keep y'all posted.:eek:
 
I took a peek through the side inspection plate, and the gears look fine. No rough spots...could be the output splines or a bearing???
 
:rolleyes:
 
72cruiser said:
check out treerootCO's orion write-up... i'm pretty sure he ran into the same thing about a year ago.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=25753&highlight=treeroot+orion
Click to expand...
Yeah...looked it over for a bit...Thanks. To add dimension to the level of "chunks" I mentioned at first, the larger ones are up to .125" in irregular shapes.

Regarding treeroots pictures, that is mine. Now, throw in a few pieces from a drill bit that exploded.
 
Pulling the drain plug now.....
 
Pulled the drainplug...

Oil seems only lightly metallic in mixture, only scattered pieces in bottom of container. Was relatively clean and normal-looking other than the metallic dust on the bottom.

After going through TreerootCO's ordeal, I think I'll try what many do: I will refill, drive it a while, and drain again to see what comes of it.
 
I had the same thing. Not any larger chunks tho. The .125 seems big.
When inspecting thru side cover ( I DID SAME THING ) did you look to see if input gear was walking forward enough to rub case ? IIRC I used a small mirror to look in and see if the shift collar and dogteeth looked o.k.. If it is runnin then it should be fine. If a bearing or gear spit those size pieces youd think there would be some other issues/ signs.
 
Who built and installed the Orion?

How long has it been in the truck/how many miles are on it?


Is this the first time you have changed the oil since it was installed?



Many folks have commented on the need for a complete cleaning of the case prior to doing any installation work, since there is machining debris left over in the cases that are sent out in the kits. It is entirely possible that these little pieces of junk that you have found on the magnet are exactly that and nothing to sound alarms or panic about.


If this is the first time that you have dropped the oil since it was installed I would not worry too much about it. Install new 80W90 gear oil and run it.



:beer:
 
If the chunks are from something recognizable, like a bearing cage, bearing roller or a shim, then I would worry about it. Make sure that there isn't a loose bolt banging around in there. If not, run it.
 
Thanks Poser and Pin_Head:

My pops bought the Orion from Man-A-Fre about 6 months ago. The unit was purchased as a whole, with the gears.

Yes, this is the first time the fluid has been changed, and it has about 900 miles total on it. The fluid was clean, and only a little debris in the mixture came out. I say "mixture" because when I looked through the clear plastic container it had a metallic sheen to it.

As far as it being anything else, as you suggested Pin_Head, I used a flashlight and looked through the inspection plate on the side; it did not have the appearance of wear at all. Even the bearing that I could actually see did not appear to be other than new.

Soooo, I drained the old fluid and put the new in. I will run it for about a month then drain it again, to see if it was only leftovers from the factory.

Thanks again
 
peesalot said:
I had the same thing. Not any larger chunks tho. The .125 seems big.
When inspecting thru side cover ( I DID SAME THING ) did you look to see if input gear was walking forward enough to rub case ? IIRC I used a small mirror to look in and see if the shift collar and dogteeth looked o.k.. If it is runnin then it should be fine. If a bearing or gear spit those size pieces youd think there would be some other issues/ signs.
Click to expand...
Yes, I did get a good look in it, and it looked clean. No, I did not look to see if it was rubbing (shoulda held off on filling it:rolleyes:

Oddly enough though, the larger pieces were only on the fill plug, and only a fine metallic paste on the drain plug. I guess I'll chalk it up to factory left-overs until I drain it a month from now.
 
It may take two or three changes to get most of the pieces of junk out of the case and have the oil appear clear...
 
Poser said:
It may take two or three changes to get most of the pieces of junk out of the case and have the oil appear clear...
Click to expand...
In that case, I think I'll change it in about 2 weeks.
 
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