350B mud in steering clutches

[hampy123]

Any good ideas for cleaning mud from steering clutches?
Got machine stuck in mud and clutches stopped working while trying to get out. Machine got flooded under water before i could get someone to pull it out. Dropped rear weight today and previous owner had plugs already removed. Ran a wire in one of the drain holes and found it was plugged with mud and a few quarts of water and mud came out. Right now both sides slip and machine doesnt move.

Any suggestions for solvents to put in clutches to clean mud out and aid in drying? Planning on rebuilding one side that was week after winter but hoping to save other side. Should i tie back levers while it dries? Could wet clutches swell enough to act like im riding the clutch?

[jtrichard]

i would take a garden hose and wash out the clutch housings and then see what i could do to get air movement and heat in there and put the plugs back in after you get it working

[Lavoy]

Solvent does not mix with water, so will do no good in any circumstance. You can flush them with water as has been mentioned. The main problem is getting the moisture out after you rinse out the housing. I dropped my 350 in some water unexpectedly a few years ago. I ran it right in the shop, pulled the housing covers, and went to Walmart and bought a cheap blow dryer. Put it down in the opening and ran it on low for many hours in a heated shop.
Lavoy

[hampy123]

Running water through sounds like a good idea to get the majority out.

Would I do any damage running acetone through after the water drains out? Its my understanding acetone does mix with water so my thinking is I would get both a cleaning action and it will help drive out moisture.

[digitup2]

acetone will eat the seals out so watch that .I would use water and a heat gun right after to dry things out .Digitup.

[Lavoy]

Never heard that acetone mixes with water, but could be wrong. Alcohol does, but kind of pricey to dump a bunch of bottles of Isopropyl in there. I would flush with water, and/or a water based degreaser if you feel the need and dry ASAP.
Lavoy

[LeonardL]

Okay I cant stand this any longer... Hot water! And lots of it! Tie your steering handles back in the full released position and flush the housings until you are certain that all the mud and debris is out. If you are careful you can even start the machine, put it in gear so that the clutches are turning while you do this. Then blow them out as best you can with compressed air. Then you can put a heat source of some sort... Heat lamp or space heater or even as Lavoy said buy a couple of cheap blow driers and turn them on and let them run for a while.
You don't want to put any chemical in these housings other than water and maybe a mild soap. Personally...I wouldn't even use the soap as it can become a lubricant under pressure. Namely... between the clutch discs. Mud is mostly water. Use water to get it out.
If you start putting different chemicals in there you run the great risk of ruining seals and other components and then you will get to do more than just remove the mud.