Hi, all! Thanks for having me in the forum. I am interested in purchasing a 1986 Cat 416 2 x 4 extend-a-hoe with 2000 hours and new rear tires. Guy says everything works great EXCEPT,... the brakes quick working,... He said he drove to up the street to do a job for a friend, and when he went to bring machine home the next day, the brake had stopped working. Seems unusual for me, that they wouldn't get worn little by little, but just cease functioning completely all at once. I called around and found that the complete set of discs, gaskets, and o-rings alone are anywhere from $1000 to $1500 just for the parts. And am I correct that they are internal so I have to pull the axles to change parts? Anyone hear of an issue like this? Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem might be? Would they stop working completely all at once if they were worn, or could it be some other issue or broken part, or linkage or something? Also, any advice for testing, troubleshooting, and repairs would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
If I remember right, the brakes are operated by 2 master cylinders housed in the steering compartment area (left side I believe when sitting in the seat.) The most common problem I have seen is the brake fluid reservoir is empty and air gets pulled into the master cylinders. Check the master cylinders and brake lines for leaks. I cant imagine the brake discs being worn that bad at 2000 hours.........and YES, they are inside the rear axle housing. The brake fluid reservoir is usually on the upper back firewall right under the engine hood. Check this stuff FIRST before you go removing that axle.
Thank you so much! I kinda felt the same way,... with only 2000 hours on it,... And I learned a LONG time ago,... ALWAYS check the EASY stuff, first!!! Thanks, again!
I rebuilt a 420D axle last summer that the brakes were worn out after only 2100 hours. Apparently the discs Cat used at the time for the 416/420Ds were prone to short life and have been upgraded to a new set of discs that take TDTO 30. I know you don't have a D model, but they can wear out in that many hours.
Thanks for the info,... I understand the 420/416s are very similar,... any pointers or tips for pulling and rebuilding? I don't know the actual cause of the brake failure yet,... so I want to be prepared for all contingencies,... Thanks!
Shop press was very handy. Parts were about $3800 because the brake housings and pistons were jacked up from all the grinding metal since the customer let it go too long. All the bearings were shot. I had to use a special measuring jig/tool to determine what size shim is needed behind the carrier bearing race for differential preload. It cost $1000 and I was going to bring the axle to them to take the measurement for me but since I buy a lot of parts they loaned it to me instead. This required tool may not be the case for your older machine. My first time on that axle, and I think total removal, rebuild, and install took about 35-40 hours. But I'm pretty meticulous, which slows me down a little bit.
WOW! Thanks for that info,...
IIRC, my 416 machines from 1988 had no master cylinder. They had rods and belcranks to the rear axle.
My C, D, and E backhoes have master cylinders.