Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

It seems for the past 2 summers I've had some seepage from the shaft seal in the Aluminum XS auger gearcase. The level remains at the fill hole though so its very little. I've seen a post by Snowmann saying to lower the level by raising thewheels and letting some out. Has anyone done this and had any issues? I figured it would eventually stop when the level get low enough. Seems like pressure during the warm weather is the cause. Thanks GP

I believe that when filling the gear case,  when the fluid meets the bottom of the filler hole, it's full.  Just pull the plug and allow it to drain until it stops then put the plug back in.  See what that does.

It's full to the bottom of the filler hole now but the input shaft seal is below that. There was a recommendation to lower the fill level a while back.

 i have the same problem with seals leaking in my 1986 ariens 924 and i started using 00 gear grease in it instead of fluid.it is the grease they use in the front sprocket on chain saw bars and i also found a bentonite (clay base) grease for combine heads at john deere that works also.it is similar to chassis grease but stickier.been using it for three years now and has worked fine. so far has not run out during summer storage either.i figured any lube at all was better than running it almost dry. 

The current spec factory-fill for that gear case is 5 fluid ounces. The filler screw level is 8 fluid ounces. 8 will work fine, but predisposes the rear input shaft seal to a higher risk for seeps. The oil level should be kept below the rear oil seal if possible. If you slip a 2x4 under your wheels only (long side on the ground) and drain the case to filler screw level it will put you at 5 ounces. Note this is for the split style aluminum large Ariens XS gear case only. Be sure to clean the threads and re-seal the filler screw upon reinstallation.

Also, 00 liquid grease or Bentonite grease will fail your gearcase almost immediately. Steel gears require better EP protection than brass (which is why Honda and Toro also use various EP gear oils instead of grease). Ariens L3 gear oil is much better than virtually anything else you can buy for this application. I would not recomend using anything else, especially any of the greases or oils used in other gearcases.

I have the exact same issue on my ST926LE (926001) with an aluminum XS gearbox. There is a leak at the rear shaft seal after each use.

Anyone knows why the two lower side seals are reliable while many people have a leak issue with the higher rear seal?

I needed to add 2 ounces of L2 to bring the level back to the fill plug. Should I replace the rear seal?

Is L3 grease thicker?, would it help to replace the original L2 by L3?