Hello fellow forum members, I have a 953C that I want to change the oil on. The machine has sat for a while and the oil is all milky, indicative of water in the oil/system. Cat wants to charge me $1058 to do the job. I would have had them do it if it was oooh- 2006 or even 2007. We got hit pretty hard in 2008 2009 so I am going to try to save a few bucks. However as the old saying goes penny wise pound foolish.... this I don't want to be. I know a good bit about the machine, I have had a 963 and a 320cl. I did the turbo charger in the 963 and regular oil changes etc. I am out of practice on a lot of the stuff so I am hesitant to do the hydraulic oil. I know the capacity (27.5gal) of hydraulic oil(that is the hard part i think) If anybody has time to reply to my questions that would great! Is it pretty straight forward? Drain oil, remove the three filters on side compartment and one above the fill hole on the tank? Then fill with 27.5 gals of fresh oil? Do I replace the pump drive oil at the same time? Has anyone used 10w30 or 5w30 as a substitute for Cat Hydraulic oil? Cat Hydraulic oils is to darn much! Thanks in advance David
It would help to know if your machine Serial Number prefix is 2ZN or BBX. I'm thinking it may be 2ZN because the BBX machine has 30 gallons in the hydraulic system not 27.5. Maybe answering your last question first. You DO NOT have to use Cat hydraulic oil, it is only one of the options available to you. Any major-brand (Shell, Mobil, Chevron, Conoco, etc, etc.) SAE10W or ISO AW32 hydraulic oil will do fine for you and comply with all Cat's specification requirements. Just don't go buying your oil from Joe Blow's Gas & Groceries, if you do all bets are off. Your milky oil is probably caused by condensation in the tank if the machine has been sitting for a while. Has the machine been started up with the oil in this condition..? If not you might just get away with simply draining the oil from the hydraulic tank and replacing the filters. If you have had the machine running with the oil milky then it will be everywhere in the transmission and hydraulic system (have you raised or tilted the bucket for example?). Every component that has been operated with the contaminated oil will strictly need draining of as much oil as you can get out of it by loosening either drain plugs or hydraulic lines, then you change the filters. Fill up the hydraulic tank with new oil and crank 'er up. The level will go down. Operate the machine and add oil as required to get the correct level in the sight glass. If you are really unlucky and the oil in the tanks turns milky again after a short time of operating you well might be into changing the oil again to get it clean. Note the comment above that the total amount of oil in the hydraulic/transmission system is 27.5 gallons, not the tank. The tank itself will be much less.
Nige, Thanks for your response, unfortunately the machine has been run with the "milky" oil. Its not white milky but its not clear or even a tinted clear.It has to be removed. Its 27.5 gals for sure. I talked to the Cat guy and gave him my serial number and also read my manual attached to the machine to confirm. The AW 32 was more expensive than the 10w30 so in the event I cant flush all the contaminated junk out it is good to know the 10W will work. I will have to find the lowest hydraulic hose and let it drain. If you have any suggestions on which hose that would be i will gladly accept. BTW The quote above is GREAT! I hope I can remember it next time I'm in a heated battle with my ex wife... LOL Thanks again
We always use 10W in hydraulics, a lot of people use AW32. As far as I'm concerned it's a case of "same horse, different jockey". They both perform pretty much the same. If you have to do (or think you might have to do) multiple flushings then I'd suggest to use engine oil. It's also a listed alternative for that system and will probably be the cheapest in the long run if you have to flush more than once. Simply replace the engine oil with 10W after you have drained the tank for the last time.
Use advanced 10 in the Hyd Hystat not 10W30. After oil change work it hard and try to boil out residual condensation. Later Bob
Welcome to the Forums levs81970! Your in good hands here, our best here at HEF have given you advice. Does you Cat dealer carry their own brand of oil? My dealer has two types of oil, the black bucket Cat brand and the yellow bucket dealer "brand". Both are to the same spec, just the dealer brand is sourced locally. I have found I can buy the dealer brand for the same price as in the big box auto parts stores. Something to check out.