Hey guys. I am doing a full clean out and fluid change on the differential and finals and have found a decent amount of glitter in both. No large pieces or large shavings,Just fine glitter. How much is normal wear or should I be looking for a bigger problem? I've owed machine for 2 yrs and everything seems good and tight and previous owner said fluids were changed as specified........ Allegedly..: The diff housing has about a half inch depression in housing under the drain plug so all glitter has settled in the bottom and it doesn't come out by just draining fluids. Could it possibly be accumulation from draining oil only and not cleaning out? I have pumped diesel though diff and shop vac'd it all out until I could see no more. I think I'm gonna run it for 10 hrs and then recheck magnetic plugs and see if it tells a story.I know that light glitter in any high stress gear train is normal but a how much is too muchAnybody have any opinions on this.:beatsme
How did the plug look when you turned it out? Was it so big it looked like it couldn't possibly hold any more? If so, did it also have any bigger chunks or just flakes? No big chunks, I'd be thinking about it, but probably just fill it up and see what happens. If it had any iron that could be viewed as a piece of something, it'd be time to pull it and see what's up.
I checked all drain pans and nothing was bigger than really fine suger. The plug was full and couldn't hold it all. It had accumulated in the bottom below drain plug. That's why I really washed it out for a fresh start. I'm thinking a 10 hr test run will tell me something if I have a lot more flakes in that time.
Was the material like a shiny paste..? Can you post a photo...?
Yes its was a fine shiny paste... thats a good way of putting it. There were no chunks or even shavings. I will try to take and post some pics later today. Thanks for the help guys
And when was the last time the oil had been changed?
It hasn't been changed by me until now. Has been checked a few times in the 2 yrs I've owned it and oil looked and felt ok but always had some glitter on check plug. Now that i've drained it i have found the accumulation in bottom of diff.
Photos would be good. Somewhere I have a document showing mag plug inspection photos and the varying levels of seriousness that each indicates, although TBH a lot depends on when the plug was last inspected, with diff plugs the answer is usually "infrequently" simply because of the hassle involved in getting the plug out to inspect without losing a shed-load of oil or scalding your hand. It was the diff drain plug that you found the material on I take it..? Taking the conversation along a slightly different tack, what oil is in it..? The reason I ask is that if the oil is getting sufficiently "thin" at normal operating temperature then any particles ought to stay suspended in the oil and gravitate to the magnetic plug rather than settle in the diff housing next to it like yours did.
This is what I got out. About the consistency of anti seize. Yes nige it is the drain plug , sorry no pics of it before cleaning It's been rinsed clean as possible of it and refilled. I think I'm gonna run 10 or 15 hrs and recheck. Or should I be going in for surgery at this point already? What other pics would help your opinion?
nothing any larger than this. Oil should be 85/140.
IMHO that's just the normal paste that accumulates in from normal use. Nothing to be worried about if it was mine. Your oil should be an SAE50 that meets TO-4 specification. The EP additives in 85W/140 will attack the silicone Toric Rings in the Duo-Cone seals and you could end up with oil leaks from the wheels that will be very costly to fix. If you look it up you'll find that despite the apparent difference in viscosity a 50wt engine classification oil is just about the same viscosity as an 85W/140 EP oil.
I kinda thought the same but cleaned it really well just to be sure. Now as far as the oil my book and cat tech support both state 85/140 in differentials,finals, and elevator reducer gearbox, and TO-4 50w in trans because of our heat here in Texas. Why a 50w in diff and finals? Has something changed, or just a better option now? im just asking to learn if there is something new i dont know. Any advise is much appreciated.
Before I start going off on the wrong tack what's the Serial Number prefix of your machine..? I've honestly never heard of Cat recommending an EP oil for finals with Duo-cones in them. I'll look up the latest specs for it.
I have found that in a ( flush and fill ) your first plug cleanup will be quite full, because of all the crevices that got disturbed, should settle down after a few days checking and cleaning.
You're book is right Cat has used gear oil in scraper diffs forever. Bob
Prefix 46Z, I have checked with cat tech support on all fluid types and specs for all my cat machines. I only use one brand in all machines and try to keep a decent log book. Let me know if you find something different Nige. Thanks everyone for your input.