Oil Leak in Rear of A

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1941 Farmall A.
I recently painted the entire bottom, EXCEPT for the small patch on the belly.
You can see where the oil leaks seem to be coming from and where the oil has run down to.
Where is my leak or where are my leaks most likely to be?
What is my fix?
What to take apart and what seals to obtain (Part numbers, if known, please).
I painted most if not all of the drop housing, so you can see where the oil has leaked down to.
Operating time since painting is about 20 hours.
Thanks,
Tom
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Obviously, my message was not posted along with the pictures.
1941 Farmall A.
Recently painted entire undersurface except for the small patch on the "belly."
Operating hours since painting are about 20.
You can see the leak sources, no?
What is my fix?
What seals to obtain, including part numbers, if known.
What procedure for tear down, please.
I have all the manuals for the tractor, parts, operating, service, etc.
Thanks,
Tom

Tom, I had the same leaks until I checked and corrected the fill level. Leaked a little from the axle shafts after some abuse pulling stumps, then stopped. That oil looks old.
Tim

Tom: First thing I'd do is check oil level in transmission. These will leak even with perfect seals if transmission is overfull.

Has your tractor sat out in any rain since you last checked transmission level? These transmissions are not very water proof, and rain can soon make them overfull. The place they leak in, is around the gear shift lever. If my tractors sit out in rain, I always put a bucket over the shift lever. If I don't, even in a 1" rainfall, transmission will be 1/2" over the fill to level plug and oil will be dripping out the hole you show in photo. Check that first, may save you a whole lot of work.

Following up on what the others have said, it's not hard for that transmission to get over full.

If it's condensation or rainwater getting in, try the drain plug first after the tractor's been sitting a while, and see if you get water.

The other thing that wil overfill them is to put the full 5+ quarts of gear oil in when there's sludge taking up space inside. Then you're over full again, and perfectly good seals will leak.

Try draining it down some. Replace the drain plug and refill just to the level where it starts to run out the hole for checking the level, and see if that doesn't stop the leak.

Scotty,
Thanks for the advice.
Tom

Hugh,
No...it has not sat out in any rain.
I keep it garaged all of the time and I have never driven it in rain.
Tom

Tim...
No, the oil cannot be old...no older than from March when I changed it...unless it is some of the old "sludge" oil. One of the other posters made a good point about possible sludge taking up space.
When I changed the oil last March, I filled the case with about a gallon of diesel fuel and ran the tractor up and down the block a couple of times, drained the diesel and then filled with oil. Could still have sludge.
Thanks,
Tom

Tom: Point is, do you know if it is overfull?

Tom, looking at your picture more closely, you're leaking from the front of the tranny (either the gasket over the countershaft or more likely the seal on the input shaft) and from the differential shaft seal on the left side. That one looks problematic because it appears to be dripping from the notch for the brake rod, which sorta suggests that your brake band on that side might be saturated. IIRC, there should be a weep hole at the very bottom where the final drive bolts up to the tranny that should have allowed it to drain from there rather than building up that high. It wouldn't be unusual for that hole to plug up, but try to clear it out. I can't see where the leak on the right is coming from, but it would be worth checking out, too (though it shouldn't involve your brakes).

You have one of two problems, I'd guess. Either that tractor set around a long time and the seals dried out and are all leaking since the tractor was put back into running order. That's a possibility, especially if it still has the old leather seals. If that's the case, then they'll need replacing. It does require a split in front of the transmission, and removing the final drive on the left, and the final and shaft housing on the right. One step at a time, it's not a gargantuan job, actually rewarding in it's own way.

But start with the simple stuff and check out that over-fill possibility first. As black as that oil is for being so new, guaranteed there was some sludge in there. Get yourself on a level spot, but drive the front wheels of the tractor up onto a couple of 2xsomethings. Drain it from the plug on the side of the tranny, at the bottom of the right rear side. If you don't mind buying all new oil, drain it completely, then keep track of how much it takes to refill, which will give you an approximate idea of the volume of any sludge inside (five quarts minus however much you have left). If you're just out to stop the leaks (I wouldn't blame you!) drain just until you are getting oil (no water) and maybe a quart or two more. However much you decide to drain, once your drain plug is back in roll the tractor back of the blocks on the front so that it is level again. Remove the level check plug (left front side of the tranny, sort of tucked in behind the brake rod) and refill just until you start to get oil from that hole, then button her up. Do whatever you can to clean up the oil that is already there (getting that cavity drained between the final and tranny on the left is really important) and start watching. If the leaking slows down and eventually stops, then your seals are working. If not, then you're in for some work, but nothing too ugly.

Let us know what you find and how you make out. Happy motoring!

Scotty...thanks so much for your very detailed response. I appreciate what you and the other posters have done for me and others!
Tom

Hugh...no, I don't know if it is overfull. I will be checking into it! Thanks for pointing out that the sludge can take up anywhere from a little to a lot of room. Something I did NOT think of. Thanks again!
Tom

And you're welcome, sir.

Wishing you well . . .