John Deere 85G – 500 Hour Service Interval Tasks Part 1

In this post, you’ll learn to replace the Hydraulic Filters on a John Deere 85G Excavator.

It’ll be the first in a series of posts showing the tasks associated with the 500-hour service interval.

Do you prefer to see a video tutorial instead?

Need to save time? The following table shows every filter you need for the complete 500-hour service interval:

The hydraulic oil tank breather has a button to relieve the pressure build-up inside the system. Push it until you no longer hear the hissing sound.

By ignoring this step, there’s a risk of oil spills and potential injuries due to pressurized oil spraying out.

Remove the seven screws holding the oil tank cover using an impact wrench. Two screws are on the sidewall (refer to the John Deere 85G operator manual to know what socket size to use).

Loosen the screws of the hydraulic oil canister top — the one with the letter “H” stamped on it — but don’t remove them yet cause there’s a spring attached to the cover.

Hold down the top with one hand and with the other finish to remove the screws. Make sure the spring doesn’t fall off.

Pull the filter halfway and let the oil drip for a few seconds before taking it out completely. Put the worn filter inside a bucket or pan to avoid oil spills on the floor.

Before installing the new filter, clean the sealing surface with a cloth.

The return filter canister has another seal at the bottom of it. When putting in the new filter, you must push it down until it locks into the bottom seal.

Put the cap seal and the spring back into the canister’s cap. Put oil on the seal to hold it when you flip the cap over.

The cap has a standoff piece you need to line up with a hole on the top handle of the return filter.

Using the impact driver, put back the screws evenly. To do so, follow a criss-cross pattern as seen in the following picture:

We also recommend changing the tank breather filter when changing the hydraulic oil return filter.

Remove the rubber cover on the cap breather using a pick or another pointy tool.

Use a wrench to remove the jam nut, unthread the breather cap, and replace the breather filter.

Put back the cap, the lock nut, and the rubber cover.

After changing the hydraulic filter, we recommend checking the oil level.

Inside the hydraulic hoses compartment, you’ll find a sticker showing the recommended machine position for an accurate oil level reading.

No reference sticker? No worries. Park the machine on a level surface with the arm cylinder fully retracted and the bucket cylinder fully extended. Lower the bucket and blade (if equipped) to the ground and stop the engine.

There’s also a sight glass for the oil tank level at the back of the compartment—the level should be between the top and bottom marks.

If you need to top off the oil level, we recommend Tekamo AW 46 premium hydraulic fluid.

Use a number 5 Allen key to remove four socket screws to pop off the cap and fill the oil tank as needed.

Next up, we’ll change the engine oil and the filter on this John Deere 85G excavator.