My case 580 se 2wD has been sitting for 3 months but this evening I started it and tried to take it for a drive but it seemed very reluctant to move. I put it in 2nd gear and with full throttle it would move but as soon as I backed off the throttle it would quickly stop as if the brakes were on (they weren’t), it stops so quickly that it rocks fore and aft slightly, usually when I ease off the throttle it keeps rolling and I have to press the brakes to make it stop. The E-brake lever and cable is long ago loose and dysfunctional. Could this be that the transmission and hydraulic fluid need to warm up or something else ? Thanks.
There are a couple possibilities. If you have a dry brake version of the 580SE It could there is oil leaking onto the pads from either a side gear seal or from the slave cylinder above the brake housing. This will cause the brakes to drag. It could also be the actual lever at the slave cylinder sticking/seized at the pivot point? That said it can also be the parking brake, even if the cable is disconnected. If the disc is badly worn on the splines and the pads are still in place it can brake the machine abruptly. I suggest removing the disc and pads, or better yet repair the park brake.
A couple things… - the foot brakes are definitely working and releasing, I can tell this by feel not by visual exam of the brakes - to work on the e-brake is it necessary to remove the cab floor ? Can that floor be removed without removing the cab ? I’ve spent some time on my back underneath looking up at the e-brake mechanics and it seemed pretty confusing and probably a lot easier to work on from above. Thanks!
Do you have the service manual ? There are two different e-brake arrangements depending on the machine's serial #.
Serial # is 17025701 , which according to the parts manual means it has the later parking brake linkage system. The service manual doesn’t really go into a lot of details about the parking brake , probably it’s simple and I just need to get under there and see if something is stuck or tight and loosen it or fix it as mentioned.
Really wet brakes designed to be dry will present the same issues. Had this exact issue a few years back. Does the drag occur both forward and back? Does it 'pop' when changing direction, and if so, does the drag change? Does one brake pedal affect the drag differently than the other?
Both foot brake pedals are locked together in unison, hadn’t thought to separate them but I can/will and see. The drag seems less in reverse. when you say ‘pop’ do you mean release? It doesn’t seem to release except after 30 minutes of operation, at least that’s what I noticed in the past. But definitely it’s presenting a significant drag. Im going away for 10 days so can’t do anything on the machine now.
I got back into it and have removed the seat and floor to expose the brakes and the slave cylinders on top of the transaxle. I can see that the slave cylinder & brake lever on one side is moving when I press the brake pedal but the other side appears to be frozen. I assume the slave cylinder is frozen because I can’t detect any motion or flex of the brake lever/arm, so that has to be dismantled and repaired . I’ve been looking thru the Case 580se service manual but can’t be sure if I can get the brake lever and slave cylinder off while the transaxle is in the machine. If I can somehow remove the roll-pin from the brake lever pin then I should be able to get it off but I’m just not sure if there is enough room. Does anyone know if the brakes can be repaired without removing the whole transaxle?
Any part of that braking system can be replaced without dropping the transaxle, without removing the floor plates etc. The last 580 series I took the plates off of was the low , early 580s before the high platform, where the plates were at the same level as the brakes. In 50 + years and doing a lot out on road service I learned how to do things the easy way. that being said, make sure the rocker is not frozen up on its pivot pin opposite end from the cylinder
Thanks Melben! That seat and floor was a pain to remove, I’m just glad to hear that it’s possible to fix the brakes without removing the transaxle. I’ve been coating the pins and fasteners in penetrating oil and figuring the best approach to get the brake mechanism moving again. I figured I’d modify a 7/8” socket that will grab that ratchet nut and back that off and loosen the brakes up and see where the mechanism is bound up, then decide what to do. At this point I’m not sure why there isn’t any movement when I press the brake pedal, it could be the master cylinder for all I know.
CASE 580se Brakes I had to make a socket to fit the ratchet nut on the brake arm but I finally got it off but still no brake arm movement. The link to the actual brakes does seem loose and not frozen stiff, but the brake lever arm and the slave cylinder are definitely not moving when the brake pedal is applied. Can someone tell me if there is enough room on the opposite side to punch out &t hey the roll-pin on the brake lever pivot pin, or do I have to drill it out? I suspect that the brake slave cylinder is frozen so I got to remove the lever and slave cylinder and give it the once over. Thanks.
I got the slave cylinder off, finally. The piston is stuck in the bore and I want to force it out , but how . I thought to re connect it to the line and to heat with a torch it to expand the cylinder while pressing on the brake. I did put it in the vise and compress it a tad and I polished the bore with fine abrasive paper and put penetrating oil in gap between cyl & piston. Probably, I should just get a new aftermarket cylinder and be done with it. Does anyone re polish the bore and replace the O rings and reuse ?
That cylinder looks a bit too pitted to reuse. Turn the cylinder opening down towards the bench & use some compressed air & a rubber tipped nozzle to blow it out. Works most times....