2006 HPX Build/Repair Thread

[Jake B]

I'm sure a lot of you guys feel the same way I do at the end of a project and wished you had taken more pictures to document all the hard work.

So, as God as my witness I'm going to post up all repairs and mods to my 2006 HPX 4x4. I hope this helps somebody in the future as reference.

[Jake B]

SO while I wait for the FSM I ordered, lets get that choke knob fixed.

I checked with Deere and you have to buy the whole choke assembly(AM136094) for $33.92 plus NC tax. Since the cable operates smoothly I began to look for a knob. The thread size is 10-32 on the knob. No such luck at the auto parts store so I went to McMaster-Carr and sure enough they had plenty to choose from.

I ordered part #6044K65. It looks good but I wish it had the choke symbol on it. The price was .$82 and the shipping was $4.83. Maybe if they didn't use that big box it would have been less.

2240

2241

2242

I got it on. I think it looks good for $6.

2247

[Jake B]

Last weekend I took my dog for a ride and she slid all over the bed. So I headed on over to the Tractor Supply to pick up some rubber to make floor mats. They have thicknesses of 1/4" and 3/8" by 4 foot wide rolls. The 1/4' was $5.49 and the 3/8" was $7.29 per Lin. foot. I bought 8' of the 1/4" This stuff is not as smooth as say a tire. It has a porous look to it. For the price it's great. I started with the bed.

2245

2246

I'm going to wait until I have some time to make a good template for the floor mats. The Deere mats are $92.17 plus tax(BM24282). For $48 of rubber I will have enough for the bed and floor mats.

[Jake B]

The tires when I bought the gator were shot. I thought some slime would work but after soaping them down, bubbles were coming from all the cracks. I searched all over for the best price and found these on Amazon with free shipping.

Carlisle AT II 24x9.50-10 $86.95ea

Carlisle AT II 24x10.50-10 $91.89ea

Total $357.68

I ordered them Saturday night and they were at my door Tuesday afternoon. They mounted pretty easy. I bought two tire tools from Harbor Freight for $5 ea. Using a little soapy water as lube really helped. It took me 1.5hrs. start to finish to get them mounted.

2249

That left over piece of rubber was a perfect work surface also.
2250

After
2251

[Jake B]

During my get to know my new Gator weekend I changed the oil, plugs and filters. Instead of buying all the different filters separately, I purchased the Home Maintenance Kit from JD (LG259) for $53.03. It comes with 2 qts. of oil & filter, (NGK)plugs, fuel filter, and air filter. I really prefer Castrol or Valvoline snythetic oils, but since this is an old Gator I didn't see the advantage to running synthetic oil.

2252

I also changed the front and rear transmission oil.

2253

Some capacities:
Engine- 1.37 qt.
Front Diff- 1.4 qt.
Rear Trans- 4.0 qt.

Plug gap- 0.80 mm (0.031 in.)

[Jake B]

Nothing ruins a ride in the woods like a wet butt!

Both seats on the Gator had rips so I started looking for new ones. The ones from Jd cost $186.19ea plus tax(OMG!)

So I headed over to Northern Tool and they were having a $10 off sale on Gator high back aftermarket seats. Their price was $69.99ea plus tax. The vinyl looks thinner and not as smooth as the Jd ones. It will be interesting to see how long they hold up. If they don't last a couple years, then I will spring for the JD ones.

2254

My FSM should be here today so I can get started on the front end troubles :Nnd:.

[jakerator]

Looking good Jake, keep up the great work.
Jake

[Dane]

I've got a set of the Carlisle AT's for my 550 and love them. A smoother ride than the Ancla's that came on the Gator and the rubber compound does not leave tracks when driving on concrete. They aren't the best for sloppy mud but they work great the other 99% of the time.

[Jake B]

The factory service manual showed up in the mail today. I probably paid too much but some of those low cost ($9.95) sites scare me.

Purchased from Schweissguth Bros through eBay $65 plus $8 shipping.

I emailed them my serial # first and got a nice reply.

2256

Right now I'm searching for a rebuild kit for the brake master cylinder. I emailed Wilwood and they shot me down(respectfully). I'm going to take it off and take to a high performance parts house near by. They sell Wilwood and should be of some help.:FX:

[Jake B]

Here is what I have learned about the HPX master cylinder:


This is a proprietary part made ONLY for John Deere
The seals inside are not standard sizes
Only a few rubber compounds will work with brake fluid


I spent too much time trying to find a replacement seal. When I took the MC apart the front seal was cracked, so I looked in Wilwoods tech catalog for a MC that looked close to what I have. This thing is one of a kind. I did end up buying a rebuild kit and use its front seal $21. The new seal is a little too tight on the shaft, but seals. The pedal feels good after I got the air out of the lines. The take away is its not worth the headache, fork over the $230.

The Wilwood rebuild kit with the new seal:
2262

The cracked cup seal:
2263

The new seal on the piston:
2264

[Jake B]

Growing up, my Dad drove a truck without a gas gauge. He kept track of his milage so he knew when to fill up. He also kept a gas can in the back when his math failed him. I remember that can well, and the smile he would give me when we ran out.

I replaced the old gas gauge:

2265

With a new one (AM143171) $31, and the rubber bushing (M149648) $5.20:

2266

Probably didn't need to replace the bushing, but I bought one anyways.

[Jake B]

It's label time!

Before:

2267

2268

After:

2269

The shifter label had a canvas like grain to it. Kind of disappointing.

Part #'s
Shifter M159539 $11.70
Ignition M127610 $5.70

[Jake B]

While replacing the seats I noticed one of the bushings was gone.

2270
VG116685 $3.00

The seat feels a lot more secure and doesn't rattle as much going down the trail.

[Jake B]

Parking brake adjustment was pretty easy.

2271

The pads are well with in tolerance but look pretty worn to me. FSM minimum 1mm (0.040in)

2272

Anyone ever tried any aftermarket pads like on eBay?

[Dane]

I suppose if the parking brake is never engaged while the vehicle is moving they would probably never wear out.

[Jake B]

The parking brake never worked since I got the machine, but I can bet that it was drove with the brake engaged more than a few times. I'm kind of curious how thick the pads are new, because I had to adjust the cable to the very limit.

[Dane]

My XUV 550 has a interlock that prevents you from driving through the parking brake. I suppose it's a good feature but I find it annoying.

[Jake B]

I had an oil leak at the valve covers so I ordered new ones. This is the part they sent according to JD Parts.com.

MIU11646
2280

It was wrong. the part I needed is more like a seal. Luckily they had it in stock so I just had to go back to the dealer.

MIU11358
2281

Replaced both for $7 ea

While I had the covers off I also checked the valves. All were good.

2282

2283

[Jake B]

While I was up at the dealer I spoke with a tech about my Gator's hard shifting. Before I could even finish he said "carburetor". I told him how I thought the primary drive was hanging up and again he said "carburetor". To me the Gator seemed to be at a pretty low idle. He told me in gear after a load when the engine returns to idle you should hear a click, and to adjust the idle down until you hear the click. I must admit I thought he was wrong. I went home and followed the slow idle adjustment in the FSM and click.

2284

2285

Shifts like a dream.

The next time I'm up there I will surely thank them for the help. I was ready to tear that primary apart.

[Jake B]

My XUV 550 has a interlock that prevents you from driving through the parking brake. I suppose it's a good feature but I find it annoying.

I keep leaving the diff locked. Its OK when I'm in the woods, but when I make the turn on to the lawn is when I see my mistake.

[Dane]

Interesting. What is making the "click" sound?

[Jake B]

Interesting. What is making the "click" sound?

Sorry about the delay, I book marked page 2.

The primary drive makes the click. I was up at the dealer picking up a new oil cap (they ordered the worng one) and spoke with the tech again. His tip worked for a while, but the belt began to hang up again. I turned the idle down some more to the point were the engine was about to stall. He told me to rebuild the carb, since its running pretty good I will do that after I work on the front end.

The front drive is not engaging. When I lift the lever up(4x4) I hear clicking and it doesnt engage. I adjusted the linkage to the limit and still no change.

Here is what I see I need to fix up front:

RH CV boot gone
RH CV joint is loose
RH & LH axle u-joints are loose
RH & LH MFWD axle seals are leaking
RH & LH MFWD axle bearings are loose


I read on some other forum that the early HPX had a tendency to break the clip hold the axle in the MFWD. This would cause the diff to just spin and not engage.

[Jake B]

I tore down the front end and identified the problem. Just as I read, the RH half shaft clip slipped out of the diff and chewed up the splines.

2308

Since the seals are leaking I pulled the whole WFWD out to clean it and check things internally. Everything inside looked good. I'm going to replace a few seals and bolt it back up.

2311

2309

2310

Does anyone have access to the JD Solution 80958 or 71175 through deeertac? The tread I read that identified the problem referenced those two solutions. There is a new style axle with 2 CV joints instead of the old one with the u-joint that will fit.

[Dane]

I am impressed with the thorough job you are doing.

[Jake B]

I just got off the phone with the dealer, and the correct DTAC solution # is 71175. It says to replace the clip ring, reinstall and see if that holds the axle in the diff. If not, you can replace the whole axle with an upgraded axle AM137220 (RH) for $517. SOOO, Im going to just rebuild what I have and see how it works. If it pops out again I will replace it.

[Jake B]

While waiting on some parts I decided to paint the shock towers & lower control arms. I went ahead and removed the calipers to clean them up too.

2316

I had never disassembled a strut before, so I bought a tool from Harbor Freight ($14). Later I saw a much better designed tool at Auto-zone for $20. It had built in locking pins, the HF one had these hard to use hooks. Must admit I was pretty nervous compressing first spring.

2317

Using an impact wrench and going slowly worked great.

2318

As a side note I found the bolts(2) that hold the shock to the tower a little loose. I wonder if this is what caused my axle to come out of the diff. If the RH wheel dipped low and the shock pulled out of the tower then would that pull the axle out?

[Jake B]

The other day when I replaced the seal in the master cylinder, I snaped the end off the front left upper(there are two) bleeder.
It broke pretty clean and didnt leak so I thought getting it out would be a snap. I was wrong.

2321

Drilled the hole and then the extractor handle disintegrated into pieces. :Nnd:

2320

Then the extractor broke. :Bnghd:

2319

For the record the handle is a 10+ year old Harbor Freight and the extractor is a Ryobi. Not the best.

After looking at the new one I feel the threads are so deep in there that if i got an extractor to bite it would probably just snap the bleeder in two. Since I still have the lower one I think it will be OK.

[Dane]

Boy you are having a spat of bad luck.

Doing work like you are doing is tough if you are not doing it all the time. You hate to spend the money for high quality, specialized tools because you may never use them again but then the cheap Chinese made stuff breaks.

[Jake B]

Boy you are having a spat of bad luck.

Doing work like you are doing is tough if you are not doing it all the time. You hate to spend the money for high quality, specialized tools because you may never use them again but then the cheap Chinese made stuff breaks.

I agree with you Dane. If I think I'm only going to use the tool a couple of time then Harbor Freight is the way to go. I also think HF has distorted my view of what a tools should cost. My first set of tools was a Craftsman for x-mas when I was 15. I still have it. Here in Charlotte most of the Sears closed and getting a replacement tool became a big problem. I made the switch to Snap-On about 10 years ago and have been very pleased. The only two negatives are the prices and sometimes overzealous salesmen. Snap-On is easily 2-4 times the price of Craftsman. One thing I do like about their pricing system is that you don't have to buy the whole set to get a better price. Set or individually they cost the same.

I'm going to get an new extractor set when I see the truck again.

[Jake B]

I got a little work done on the front end today. I noticed a lot of slop in the RH A-Frame , and when I removed it I found the bolt hole had worn out.

2326

I ground down the area and placed a grade 8 washer behind the hole as a guide, and then filled in the gaps with the MIG welder. A little grinding and filing.

2327

And then painted with a rattle can of JD green I picked up at the dealer.

2328

I got pretty close to the original hole, but the washer behind the weld will keep everything centered.

[Jake B]

I have been going back and forth about even tying to repair the driveshaft yoke. Those splines look pretty daunting and would have to be filed by hand. I first cleaned the old splines up really good to get a clean weld.

2329

I then put a bead on trying to stay close but not touch the original splines.

2330

Then I roughed it out with a Dremmel using a thin metal cutting disc.

2331

Then after 1.5 hours of hand filing and test fitting.

2332

2333

The fit was really tight (better than the other side) and should work. I have to finish cleaning and painting some parts and then put it back together to test it.

[Dane]

WOW! I am amazed that you even attempted that and even more surprised that it came out so well. Are you nearing the end of "things that need to be done" for your Gator?

[Jake B]

WOW! I am amazed that you even attempted that and even more surprised that it came out so well. Are you nearing the end of "things that need to be done" for your Gator?


My list keeps getting longer!!!

Once I get it bolted back together I'm going to start work on some lights. I don't like where Deere put the rear lights on my HPX, so I looking for ideas to build a bumper with lights in it. Probably will be pretty simple design with some standard 2-1/2" clearance lights for tail lights and turn signals.

On my list as well is to find a OPS for my Gator. There is a guy in Wisconsin with one for a pretty good price. I just cant make the whole thing work with the cost of shipping to NC.

[Jake B]

I put the axle shafts back together. The U-Joints were really loose so I replaced those ($37ea). The RH shaft had a busted CV boot so I put a new JD boot($25) on it too. I rented a CV band clamp tool from Auto-zone for $15. I found a pair of long nose pliers worked better. Wire wheeled all the removed parts, primed, and painting everything before reassembly.

2343

2344

2345

[Jake B]

The MFWD diff was fun to put back together as well. Everything in here was in pretty good shap except the engaging block.

2346

2350

The only real struggle was to install the new axle seals. As I pressed them in they coned inward. At $27 each, I was less than happy!

2347

Here are the cir-clip rings to hold the axles in. This is the failed part that caused the axle to slide out and grind the teeth off the yoke causing the 4WD not to work. (The 4FWD diff engages, but all the power in the diff is sent to the free wheel with the damaged yoke)

2348

For reference, this is the manufactures logo on the MFWD case:

2349

www.transaxlemanufacturing.com (http://www.transaxlemanufacturing.com/index.aspx)

Transaxle Manufacturing of America is located close to me in Rock Hill, SC.

[Jake B]

Everything I took off got cleaned up and a fresh coat of paint. I put the bolts in a vibratory tumbler for a few hours to clean them up. Reassembly is a lot easier with clean parts.

2351

2352

2353

The first test drive revealed the RH CV cage is damaged (hear clicking under load). I saw the little chips in the cage when rebuilding and I thought it wouldn't matter. The CV has NEAPCO 12220411 stamped on it. There is a drive shaft company in Fresno that I have used before that can source NEAPCO parts. The other observation was that the 4WD is useless. crossing a slightly muddy 12" wide 6" deep trench the front wheels just spin. I had to lock up the rear end and get myself out.

The locking rear diff is the best part of the Gator. I wonder if there is a way to lock the front like a ARB locking diff.

[Jake B]

The primary drive on the HPX would not disengage again so I lowered the idle some more. So low that the warning lights flashed and the hour meter shut off. Since the HPX doesn't have a tachometer I ordered a Tiny Tach form Amazon ($47).

2354

I have one of these on my JD 400 and like it and the ease of installation. Since the warning decal on the dash was pretty ratty I choose that location. Removing the decal was pretty tough. After struggling with a razor blade I used a heat gun on low and it came right off. I ran the cable to the engine under the cup holder.

Ground to the parking brake bolt.

2355

4 wraps around the plug wire and good electrical tape.

2356

You can face mount or flush mount the Tiny Tach. I choose to cut the dash for a clean look. After a little time with a file and Multi-master I got it in.

2357

I'm not really happy with the SS #10 screws. I will try to find something else.

[Dane]

I know what you mean about axle seals. I replaced one on my father's Artic Cat. It was a real bugger to get in as it was a much tighter fit than I anticipated. It just doesn't seem right to go for a bigger hammer to install a seal but it worked.

[Jake B]

His car went beep beep beep.

I bought this horn switch on Amazon($10):

GOLF CART HORN BUTTON (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008Y8JQWS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

2358

Used a 7/8" hole saw for the hole.

2359

And beep beep!

2360

I first bought a Ogah horn from HF. When I got it home it sounded really bad, so traded it in for a conventional horn ($10).

Works well, and I was happy to have the wiring digram to hook it up.

[Jake B]

After my MFWD rebuild I took my daughter out for a first ride to check thins out. On our way home we went up a slightly steep hill and the HPX started to chug like it was down a cylinder. It had done this before but straightened out when we leveled out. I suspected that I had some trash in the bowl and it had been sucked up into the jet for the rear cylinder.

One of the dirtiest carbs I've seen:

2361

IMPORTANT TIP: Document the location of the limiter caps on top before you remove them. The caps DO NOT have an indexing tab, so it is important to know where they were on the shaft. They are difficult to remove. Mark the brass shafts under them so you get a good count when you screw them in to seat. You do this so when you reassemble this number will get you close to the original settings. Mine were 3.6 and 3.2 turns to seat. This carb is pretty sensitive, and just a little turn will cause trouble or smooth it out.

I tore it completely apart, sprayed carb cleaner through all the passages, and then soaked it over night in some carb cleaner.

2362

The Chemtool gallon can with the strainer is a great for a repair like this. It cleaned the body up really well. I did buy a set of tube brushes that helped clean the inside too. Though I didn't see much of any trash in the bowl, this cleaning solved my problem.

2363 2364 2365

[Dane]

Heck, the way you are going through it I'm waiting to see pictures of the crank & cam.

[Jake B]

Heck, the way you are going through it I'm waiting to see pictures of the crank & cam.

Dear God I hope not........:FX:

I think the primary clutch will be next. Now that I have a tachometer, I can see my idle speed is way low. It is between 800-725 rpms, the service manual calls for 1125 rpms +/- 75 rpm. The lower the idle speed tip I got from the JD tech worked for a while, but I think things in the clutch must be still hanging up. I'm going to remove, inspect, and try to clean it. If I don't see any obvious worn parts, I won't remove the spider.

[Jake B]

Finished up the floor mats.

2382

2383

2384

2385

Turned out nice. I ended up using tin snips to cut them.

[nakdboardr]

Very Nice work on the floor mats :Thmup:

[gimmo]

Nothing ruins a ride in the woods like a wet butt!

Both seats on the Gator had rips so I started looking for new ones. The ones from Jd cost $186.19ea plus tax(OMG!)

So I headed over to Northern Tool and they were having a $10 off sale on Gator high back aftermarket seats. Their price was $69.99ea plus tax. The vinyl looks thinner and not as smooth as the Jd ones. It will be interesting to see how long they hold up. If they don't last a couple years, then I will spring for the JD ones.

2254

My FSM should be here today so I can get started on the front end troubles :Nnd:.

my dealer sells aftermarket gator seats for $100.

[Jake B]

Ouch, $100. :Nnd:

There is a cover for $43 from John Deere. Part # TY24832. Looks like a good option for heavy wear.

You can find it at the bottom of this page.

Gator High Back Seat Cover (https://jdparts.deere.com/partsmkt/document/english/pmac/6083_fb_SeatsCushionsCovers_CCE.htm)