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Massey Ferguson 230, 240, 245, 250 - Eight-speed transmission

MF 230, 235, 240, 245, 250 Tractors Repair Operations

Transmission removal

Massey Ferguson 230, 240, 245, 250 tractors may be equipped with a sliding gear transmission coupled with a dual range planetary reduction gear set providing 8 forward speeds and 2 reverse.

Remove the complete eight-speed transmission unit from MF 230, 240, 245, 250 tractor, first drain transmission and hydraulic system fluid and separate the engine from transmission housing. Remove both step plates, disconnect clutch rod and both brake rods, then unbolt clutch pedal bracket. Disconnect the neutral starting switch and remove battery. Unbolt and remove the battery support and air cleaner. Attach hoist to transmission top cover, then unbolt and lift cover from top of transmission case. Disconnect hydraulic line inside transmission compartment. Attach hoist to transmission and support differential housing, then unbolt transmission from differential housing. Install guide studs and carefully slide transmission forward away from differential housing. Rejoin transmission to differential housing completely before tightening the retaining screws. It may be necessary to reach through opening for the response control cover and turn the pto coupling before transmission will slide up to differential housing. Tighten the screws attaching differential housing to transmission housing to 68-75 Nm (50-55 ft.-lbs.) torque. Be sure hydraulic line in transmission is reconnected. Transmission should be in neutral before installing shift cover. Make sure shift levers engage rails. Tighten screws retaining cover to 47 Nm (35 ft.-lbs.) torque.

Shifter rails and forks

Remove shifter rails and forks, Massey Ferguson 230, 240, 245, 250 transmission must be separated from differential housing and transmission top cover removed. Remove detent springs and plungers from top of transmission case. Remove set screws (except for center rail selector) from shift forks. Remove shift rail interlock mechanism from rear of case. Remove planetary shift fork, rail and selector. Withdraw right-hand and left-hand shift rails from case while removing shift forks and selector. Loosen set screw in center shift selector, then slide rail rearward and remove shift fork and selector. Identify shift rails and forks as they are removed to facilitate reassembly. Reinstall shifter rails and forks, reverse the removal procedure while noting the following special instructions: Safety wire all set screws to prevent loosening. Be sure interlocking pin is installed in rear end of center shift rail. With shift forks in "Neutral", install lock mechanism with steel balls over center rail interlock pin. The widest part of notched stop plate goes over planetary shift rail. Tighten interlock retainer cap screws to 4147 Nm (30-35 ft.-lbs.) torque.

Planetary unit

To remove the rear planetary unit, first detach MF 230, 240, 245, 250 transmission from differential housing. Remove the planetary shift fork and coupling from rear of transmission case. Remove the four retaining screws and withdraw rear cover, rear thrust washer and planet carrier. Work planetary ring gear and dowels from case using screwdrivers. Remove planetary front cover and shim. Planet pinion shafts are a tight press fit in planet carrier. Use a suitable press for removing and installing pinion shafts. Assemble and install unit as follows: Apply a light coat of petroleum jelly to one side of thrust washers, bearing needles and spacer washers. Position one thrust washer on bench with greased side up and locate pinion over the washer. Install one spacer in pinion, followed by one row of needles, a spacer, the second row of needles and the third spacer. Assemble the other two side pinions in the same way. Position the carrier in a press with the hub side down, install the pinion, bearing and thrust washers assembly, then press pinion shaft into carrier until flush. Position front plate on ring gear with oil grooves toward inside. Install shim with slots on shim and front plate aligned and toward top when assembled to rear of case. Tap into position on rear case to be sure dowels are fully into case. Use a light coat of petroleum jelly to hold thrust washer to the front of carrier making sure tangs on washer engage notches of carrier. Insert carrier assembly into ring gear carefully so thrust washer doesn't fall. Make sure carrier is fully into ring gear and over mainshaft. Install the rear thrust washer making sure tangs engage notches of carriers. Install rear cover plate with grooves inward. The notched section of cover should be over the bottom right-hand mounting bolt hole. Install bottom left-hand mounting cap screw without lockwasher. Install three remaining cap screws with lockwashers, then tighten all four cap screws to 47 Nm (35 ft.-lbs.) torque. Complete installation by reversing the removal procedure.

PTO input shaft

Remove pto input shaft and retainer, transmission must first be separated from Massey Ferguson 230, 240, 245, 250 engine. Remove clutch linkage, throwout bearing and brake cross shaft from front of transmission case. Disconnect hydraulic line (if used) from retainer. Remove retainer housing mounting cap screws, then withdraw housing with pto input shaft from transmission case. To disassemble the removed unit, proceed as follows: Unseat and remove snap ring, retaining bearing, then bump shaft and bearing rearward from housing. Bearing can be removed from shaft after removing snap ring pry out oil seals and remove needle bearing if necessary. When reassembling, be sure both oil seals are installed with lips facmg rearward. Lubricate seals and needle bearing before assembling shaft into housing. Use of seal protector sleeves over splined ends of pto input shaft and main input shaft is recommended to avoid damaging oil seals during reassembly. Be sure to renew O-ring. Apply nonhardening sealer to threads of housing mounting cap screws, then tighten to 60 Nm (45 fl.-lbs.) torque.

Transmission input shaft and mainshaft

To remove transmission input shaft, first remove transmission assembly. Remove pto input shaft and retainer housing. Remove cover from front of transmission case, and remove snap ring from front of pto lower shaft. Thread two cap screws into tapped holes in bearing retainer to force retainer and bearing from front of pto lower shaft. Withdraw pto lower shaft rearward to permit pto drive gear to drop to bottom of transmission case. Pull transmission input shaft forward to disengage it from mainshaft, then withdraw input shaft rearward from housing. Reinstall transmission input shaft, reverse the removal procedure. Be sure rear thrust washer is positioned on input shaft with grooved side facing rearward.

Mainshaft and sliding gears - Remove shifter rails and forks, planetary unit and main input shaft. Remove sliding gear from front of mainshaft. Tap mainshaft rearward until front and rear bearings are free from transmission housing. Remove snap ring from groove in front of bearing. Pull mainshaft rearward to remove front bearing from the shaft. Remove rear snap ring from mainshaft, then slide shaft rearward from housing while lifting gears out top opening. Remove bearings from shaft if necessary. Note that rear bearing must be removed and reinstalled over forward end of shaft. To reinstall, reverse the removal procedure. Be sure cluster gear is installed with smaller gear facing forward and gears are positioned with shifter fork grooves facing forward.

PTO lower shaft and countershaft

PTO lower shaft - Remove pto lower shaft and drive gear, MF 230, 240, 245, 250 transmission must first be removed. Remove cover plate, then remove snap ring and washer from front of shaft. Thread two cap screws into tapped holes in bearing retainer to pull retainer and bearing from front of shaft. Remove transmission input shaft, then lift pto gear from housing. When reinstalling, be sure internal snap ring is in place in bore of drive gear and that hub side of gear is towards the front. Insert pto shaft into housing from the rear. The front of pto shaft has a threaded hole that can be used to pull shaft into front bearing. Apply nonhardening sealer to threads of retaining cap screws, then tighten to 60 Nm (45 ft-lbs.) torque.

Countershaft - Remove countershaft and related gears, first remove pto lower shaft and gear and mainshaft and gears. Remove snap rings from front and rear of countershaft. Tap countershaft forward until free of rear bearing, then tap bearing rearward out of housing. Unseat snap ring from groove in shaft and slide it forward onto unsplined section of shaft. Slide shaft rearward and remove two gears from front of shaft, then move shaft forward and remove two gears from rear of shaft. Withdraw countershaft with front bearing from housing. To reinstall, insert countershaft from the front while installing rear gears with hubs. Slide shaft rearward until front gears can be installed making sure hubs. Move snap ring into its groove in shaft. Position rear bearing over shaft with outer snap ring on bearing towards the rear. Block front of countershaft, then drive bearing onto rear of shaft until snap ring can be installed. Install snap ring onto front of shaft. Complete installation by reversing the removal procedure.

Reverse idler assembly - The reverse idler gear and shaft can be removed from transmission housing after removing the mainshaft and gears. The idler shaft is retained in housing by a clip and cap screw at rear face of transmission case. The cluster gear contains two rows of loose needle rollers (each row). Use of a dummy shaft will facilitate removal and installation by preventing needle rollers from falling out of position. Dummy shaft can be made from 25 mm (1 inch) diameter barstock 55 mm (2-3/16 inches) long. Insert dummy shaft into front of gear to displace idler shaft, then lift out gear assembly, spacer and thrust washers. When reassembling, apply ltght coating of petroleum jelly to needle rollers and use dummy shaft to hold components in position in gear cluster. Insert idler shaft through gear to push dummy shafl out of the gear. Secure shaft with locking clip.