# Leaking auger gear case advice needed (Ariens 524)



## SnowMan55 (Sep 11, 2019)

Hi - I've recently discovered a small drip from the auger gear case. I am looking for some practical advice how to deal with this. I'm debating if actually fixing it is worth it, or if I should just live with having to occasionally add oil. This is a used Ariens 524, about 15 years old, in pretty good shape, but I'm assuming the oil has never been changed. There is still some oil left in the gear case, but not enough (per manual it should be up to the level of screw used to check the oil level). Ariens manual specifies to only use "Ariens special gear lubricant L-2 (Part Number 00008000)," which I understand is no longer available and they only offer an expensive L-3 version of this, which I believe is fully synthetic.

I have a couple of questions. One is: if I were to just live with the leak and keep adding oil as needed, can I simply add the new oil to the gear case, mixing it with the old oil already there (and likely of a different type, most likely not synthetic), or would I need to drain the old oil before adding new?

Second question: if I do need to drain the old oil, I don't really see any way to do that other than by removing and disassembling the gear case. Am I missing something? If anyone can share any tips or links to other info on this, that'd be greatly appreciated.
If I go with trying to fix the leak, it looks like the two halves of the auger gear case have a silicone sealant between them. Ariens manual specifically says to use Loctite 518 gasket maker / replacement, which is again expensive and I've found some mixed reviews of. Can I use instead a much cheaper & locally available Permatex® Ultra Black RTV Silicone Gasket Maker?

Finally, I've already done some investigation on if I really need to use the expensive (and not available locally) Ariens L-3 gear oil. What I've found is that most people opt for alternatives, both cheaper and available locally. Some mentions of specific oils I've found are in this post: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=513177. I've also found locally Valvoline™ SynPower™ Full Synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil (VV975) (https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...ic-gear-oil-1-quart/vv975/p-1557210865285.htm) that seems like should work. Any advice or comments?

I'm new to this, so would really appreciate any advice on any of the above.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Following

Where is it leaking? from gasket or one of the seals on sides? 
I don't see why you can't just add oil. I use 80-90W gear oil in my Honda gearboxes so can't help with advice there. of course the manufacturer will recommend their brand gear oil.

Yes, you could tip the machine up on bucket ( gas out of tank ) on a platform and brace to drain oil. Otherwise you would have to remove auger assembly


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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

If it were me. I'd pull the gearbox and replace the seals. But, if you're open to taking an easy way out, the "seems" to work. (Can't vouch, thought it was interesting).
https://youtu.be/3jjfFM9JuSk


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I use 00 grease, not quite grease, but heavier then gear oil......works great on older stuff.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

enigma-2 said:


> If it were me. I'd pull the gearbox and replace the seals. But, if you're open to taking an easy way out, the "seems" to work. (Can't vouch, thought it was interesting).
> https://youtu.be/3jjfFM9JuSk


I used this one time on leaking tranny axle seals on a HS622 and it worked. Ran the blower for 2 different times for about 20 minutes and it never leaked again.

used it on a leaky auger gearbox on a HS55 and it did not work since the seal was too bad. split the gearbox and put in new seal and now it does not leak. took several hours because to remove auger assmbly on a 55 you have to remove bucket. what a pain for a simple repair. that's why I tried the stop leak first.

so I am 1 and 1 with this stuff .......depends on seal /gasket condition.


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## SnowMan55 (Sep 11, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> Following
> 
> Where is it leaking? from gasket or one of the seals on sides?
> I don't see why you can't just add oil. I use 80-90W gear oil in my Honda gearboxes so can't help with advice there. of course the manufacturer will recommend their brand gear oil.
> ...


I actually assumed it was leaking from the gasket between the gear case halves, but upon closer inspection, it actually appears to be leaking from one of the side seals. I have now fully cleaned it and will confirm that that is the leak source, but if it is, I guess I will have to replace it. Once I disassemble it, can I reuse the other seal, or do they have to be automatically replaced?

Can anyone comment if I'm stuck buying the seals directly from Ariens, or are there 3rd party alternatives (same question would be about shear bolts, actually)?


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## SnowMan55 (Sep 11, 2019)

enigma-2 said:


> If it were me. I'd pull the gearbox and replace the seals. But, if you're open to taking an easy way out, the "seems" to work. (Can't vouch, thought it was interesting).
> https://youtu.be/3jjfFM9JuSk


Thanks for the tip. Looks interesting. I wonder if this would work for leaking side seals as well.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

SnowMan55 said:


> I actually assumed it was leaking from the gasket between the gear case halves, but upon closer inspection, it actually appears to be leaking from one of the side seals. I have now fully cleaned it and will confirm that that is the leak source, but if it is, I guess I will have to replace it. Once I disassemble it, can I reuse the other seal, or do they have to be automatically replaced?
> 
> Can anyone comment if I'm stuck buying the seals directly from Ariens, or are there 3rd party alternatives (same question would be about shear bolts, actually)?


i bet it wouldn't hurt too much to try that sealer. depends on condition of seal. if you do have to disassmble to replace seal , replace both. with one going bad the other is probably not too far behind.

can't answer your ariens parts questions but lot of others here can.

stay tuned


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I am not familiar with the 524 gearbox but typically the auger shaft oil seals are the last item in the gearbox where auger shaft enters the gearbox. So you may not need to take the gearbox apart, just pry the old seals out. I replaced my impeller shaft seal this way so it should work on your gearbox auger seals too.

You would be best to change the seals. You remove the augers to access the auger shaft. Clean the two sides of the shaft and ensure there are no burrs that could damage the new seals. Then you will need a screwdriver or similar to puncture the seal and pry it out (and oil will come out of the gearbox) and slide the old seal off the shaft. Do the same to the other side. Drain the gearbox as much as possible since fresh oil is better. lubricate the auger shafts and slide the new seals into place in the gearbox even all around. You need a large washer (or seal installer) with a hole to fit over the auger shaft, use a tube or similar from a seal installer kit and lightly tap the seal into place with the tube. It should stop when seal bottoms so don't hit it hard.

L3 is compatible with L2 lubricant so fill the gearbox to the proper level with L3.

Good luck.


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## Landngroove (Oct 12, 2015)

I second on 00 grease. I use it in my 3, Ariens 10,000 series, which used to leak. Tractor Supply should have it.


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## SnowMan55 (Sep 11, 2019)

Town said:


> I am not familiar with the 524 gearbox but typically the auger shaft oil seals are the last item in the gearbox where auger shaft enters the gearbox. So you may not need to take the gearbox apart, just pry the old seals out. I replaced my impeller shaft seal this way so it should work on your gearbox auger seals too.
> 
> You would be best to change the seals. You remove the augers to access the auger shaft. Clean the two sides of the shaft and ensure there are no burrs that could damage the new seals. Then you will need a screwdriver or similar to puncture the seal and pry it out (and oil will come out of the gearbox) and slide the old seal off the shaft. Do the same to the other side. Drain the gearbox as much as possible since fresh oil is better. lubricate the auger shafts and slide the new seals into place in the gearbox even all around. You need a large washer (or seal installer) with a hole to fit over the auger shaft, use a tube or similar from a seal installer kit and lightly tap the seal into place with the tube. It should stop when seal bottoms so don't hit it hard.
> 
> ...


Thanks a lot for the info. I hope I can find some videos on this. 

I'm also not 100% clear on how to actually pull the main shaft with the worm gear on it away from the impeller. It doesn't seem like I need to remove the impeller. The Ariens manual I have is very vague and brief on this topic. Does anyone know? There is a pin in the impeller shaft just before the impeller. Does the impeller shaft just slide out and away from the impeller after removing the pin?


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Probably rust welded on, ... just so your prepared.


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## dman2 (Sep 22, 2019)

SnowMan55 said:


> Thanks a lot for the info. I hope I can find some videos on this.
> 
> I'm also not 100% clear on how to actually pull the main shaft with the worm gear on it away from the impeller. It doesn't seem like I need to remove the impeller. The Ariens manual I have is very vague and brief on this topic. Does anyone know? There is a pin in the impeller shaft just before the impeller. Does the impeller shaft just slide out and away from the impeller after removing the pin?


You don't need to remove the impeller from the shaft, unless you are planning to replace the shaft. It is very hard to remove them, because they are rusted. You will either damage something, or hurt yourself. Trust me, it is not worth it. If they are used, you can only restore them to like 80%. Clean, paint and lubricate will prolong their lifespan.

It is normal for a drop of oil to leak out from the sides of the gear case, where the shafts come out. That would help lubricate the auger shafts as well. Just refill, or tip it up a little. Sometime it is better to ignore the problem. I would only open the gear case to replace the worm gear. New seals only keep it dry for a few years.

I just changed the oil in my gear case last night. It is a 10 years old snowblower. The oil leaked out of it looked milky (contaminated with water from the outside), but the oil inside of it was different color and still usable. It didn't leaked out much either. Just a few drops here and there.

I use Walmart Super Tech 75W90 synthetic. Mine has steel alloy worm gears, so I do not worry bout GL5 eating brass gears. I'm not going to spend $15 on Ariens L3.

Once thing I noticed is that the auger tubing is rusting. It held the poly bushing so tight, that I almost give up on pulling it out. Imagine if that was a metal bushing. They weren't joking when they told us to lubricate the auger yearly. I'm doing a lot of maintenance on my snowblower.


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## dman2 (Sep 22, 2019)

I guarantee you that the pin won't come out. Even if you was able to knock it out, the impeller won't come out because of rust. Your back and legs will pay.


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