Hello out there I'm helping a friend with his 1964 Cat 944A Traxcavator Wheeled Loader. It is raining hydraulic fluid from the 30 or so bolts holding the bottom plate of the reservoir on...I presume this plate is the access 'port' for the reservoir. Since I only see dirt soak above all round, I'm certain it's the gasket. I can't find a replacement gasket. Do I just buy a sheet of gasket material large enough to make a new gasket? Specific material to consider? Can I just use a liquid gasket instead? Does it see a lot of pressure? Any help at all
It is a reservoir so there is no pressure on it just the weight of the fluid. I would use a gasket material. You should be able to find a sheet of rubber type gasket material. Any decent auto parts store will have gasket material in sheets. I personally despise the cork stuff. If you do use be careful not to overtighten it. Then after it takes a set you need to retorque the bolts. Might have to do this a couple times. I prefer the stuff the is more rubber like.
Perfect. Thanks awfully! What thickness would you suggest? My understanding is keep it thin. 1mm? 4-6mm? I can get premium nitrile rubber gasket material in these thicknesses.
I would say 1mm is more than fine.
Thanks again
You want to post a photo of what's leaking.? Many Cat implement system hydraulic tanks are sealed using no more than liquid gasket material. This may well be one of them. Also a machine Serial Number would be a big help, even if only to identify the correct Parts Manual for it which by the sounds of it your buddy does not have.
The machine is down the road a ways so can only get photos and a serial tomorrow. It's 1964 traxcavator wheeled loader. Between the 2 right side wheels, under the body work, when you look up from below there are 20-30 bolts holding a flat plate to the hydraulic tank. All the bolts have oil drops accumulated on them and there is a slow stream coming from one specific 2inch area of one side.There is nothing but steel wall above where the stream is coming from so it must be the gasket at the plate. Because I'm not removing the tank, I think a gasket would be better...I imagine it will be very hard to stop oil leaking onto the mating surface making it impossible to liquid gasket. Buddy knows how to drive it and that is it. I'm fairly new to hydraulics, currently restoring a Case 310 hoe/loader I recently aquired, but this Cat is much bigger.
Don't assume that there should be a gasket on there is all I'm saying.
I agree. I'm just looking to fix the leak...it doesn't seem to bother him, but he drives this machine around grazing lands. Can you see any potential problems in using a 1mm Nitrile gasket?
Only that when you tighten the bolts the gasket will probably extrude out of the gap in between the bolts. Nitrile material is too slippery IMHO, I'd use 1mm gasket paper if I was doing it, but only if I could satisfy myself that liquid gasket wouldn't do the job. https://www.stationaryengineparts.com/Flexoid-Paper-Gasket-Sheet-0.5mm.html
Not sure if it would work on this tank but back in 2005 we had a side cover for a hydraulic tank leaking on a then new 988H and I was surprised that the "gasket" was a "Teflon Rope" that as I recall had an adhesive strip down one side to hold it in place while installing the cover. Having said that most of the loader and haul truck tanks I worked on had the paper gasket, about the 1mm thick Nige says. They were the black gasket material Cat uses for many applications. I also agree any rubber like material would squeeze out, especially if even one drop of oil get on it!
Yeh I've been picturing the extrusion problem all day. I'm switching to paper 1mm. Gasket sealer at all or just the paper?
In the good old days it would be "Cat Green" adhesive on one side (so the gasket doesn't move) and "Cat Red" sealer on the other side so that it doesn't leak. Both products sadly no longer available. TBH I'd forget about the gasket, just lash gasket sealer on the joint and have done with it.
"Cat Green" great stuff if you did not have to get the gasket off years later! You better have a nice sharp gasket scraper or a chemical dunk tank!. I remember watching them assemble final drives on a tractor at the factory years ago. They had this neat squirt gun to apply that Cat Red. About five seconds to cover the joint of a D8!