IH544 Leaking Oil From Top Of Steering Column

Will I be able to ignore this until spring? Tearing it down at 0F doesn't appeal, nor does feeding hay every day with the 560 while I fix it.

I think I can see from the drawings what is wrong, but will it just keep oozing, or will it go real bad real fast?

There's is a small inexpensive seal kit available at the C-IH dealer. Not too hard to install. Did it once on my 656. I had to remove the steering wheel.

I have the same problem on my Farmall 756. How do I take off the steering wheel - I have no manual - I tried once but could not figure it out - any special tools needed?

If it isn't gushing out, you should be able to ignore it till you get tired of replacing fluid. Seems like mine would gush out sometimes and sometimes not, depending upon how I was holding my tongue.

I pulled out the hand pump on mine to fix (had to remove the dash, etc) and figured it out that it was unnecessary. Used air pressure to blow out the seal.

I'm not sure how the cap comes off the steering wheel since mine didn't have one but remove the nut holding the steering wheel. It is on a tapered shaft. It has holes for a screw in type puller or I used a 3 prong puller since someone broke off bolts in the steering wheel bolt holes. Then a little heat from a propane torch and it popped right off.

Remove the cap and felt top washer, which I put back in as a dirt cap since the new kit didn't have one. Use snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring holding the seal in. Momemtarily fire up the tractor to use hydraulic pressure to blow the seal out (hold a rag over it) or remove a line and blow air into it. Tape over the threads and replace the seal and snap ring and the cap and felt if they are in any condition to do so.

Probably doable in an hour or so if you have the tools and parts ready. Course everything always takes me twice as long.

Mine is a 2606 but I believe your 544 uses a similar hydraulic hand pump but I could be wrong.

Let us know how it all works out, etc.

Thanks. Good to know I don't have to remove the dashboard: that's a pain on the 544. I'll put the project off until the weather warms up, though: it's -12F right now.

Well I looked. The 544 and the 756 has the same type hand pump for the steering wheel as mine the 656 and all similar tractors. They have a hydraulic line coming in from the flow divide and one going out.

Seems like I used mine for a while with a rag wrapped around it. If there is room to get the dust cap off,(mine was already tore up), you could get some string type faucet packing and wrap around and stuff it in there. Don't know if that would do it or not. Might cost as much as the seal and I forget how much it was.