Hi, I am back with a couple more questions, but firstly thanks to the members who gave their time and knowledge to my previous query's. My next couple of query's are I noticed today prior to starting my Cat 966B loader that there wasn't any transmission oil showing on the dipstick ,this is after the loader was sitting for a week. I hadn't started it when I checked the tranny so it was cold. So is it normal on the B model to show no oil when cold.. 2nd query is I am thinking of changing the transmission oil , so is it just a matter of dropping the oil and putting 8 gallons back in. Or according to BP here inAustralia it will take 35 litres ( won't change the filter as it was done just before I bought the loader).......
Have not touched a 966B in a few decades, but, no oil on dipstick before starting does not sound normal for any transmission! First thing I would do is look for a puddle of oil under machine. If you did start it was there oil on it then? Another thing I'd be looking at is any breather on the transmission or converter housing. I have seen machines very slow to drain oil when a breather is plugged which could be somehow not letting the oil to drain back into trans case. Is this the first time this has happened? Any other oil levels higher than normal? Before changing the oil you need to figure out the problem with nothing on dipstick so you will know when it is properly filled. The two different amounts are not that far off so I would start with the 8 gallons and have extra gallon or so around if needed. As for filter I would strongly suggest changing it, for the price of the filter it's just not worth it to use old filter with new oil. I'd also cut old filter apart and see what if anything is in it. Like I said been a while since I touched a 966B but would assume Cat used a magnetic strainer on them so I would be taking that out and cleaning it also. Unfortunately SIS does not show information on the 966B so I can not confirm the magnetic filter is used.
Do you have an Operation & Maintenance Manual for it..? The O&M will give you lots of useful information such as for example how to check the transmission oil level and under what conditions. It will also give you procedures for chenging fluids and the specifications for the fluids to go into the various compartments. Question: does the dipstick go into the planetary transmission case itself or into the transfer case (drop box)..? try this - O&M for 966 S/N 75A1-Up. All of US$46 ($61 Australian) for an downloadable Adobe pdf file. (I didn't look any firther for Parts Books or a Service Manual. They are probably there as well. https://catpublications.com/
Th .Thanks for that, no oil under the loader, it has a slight leaking seal on the left side of the tranny ,there is a round black rubber seal where the high low ratio piston goes in. I call it a piston but that wouldn't be its correct name.. It is situated below where the tranny filler tube is attached to the tranny oil tank. And the transmission filter top leaks a slight bit. No majors leaks at all. I havnt noticed the dipstick without oil showing before.
Hi i am not sure where the tranny dipstick goes into now you mention it. I know its under a metal flap on the floor near the filler cap. Would there be a difference with the dipstick entry point with either of the two places you mention.. I must buy that book you put in your message.
At those prices and the fact it can be downloaded so you can have it NOW. That sounds like the way to go!
The transfer case/drop box is the gear case where the drive shafts come out from to the front and rear axles. It is usual for loader transmissions to use the bottom of the transfer case as the sump for the oil. A lot of loaders have a sight glass on the side of the drop box to remove the need for a dipstick. In the illustration below the drop box is on the LH side, the planetary transmission on the RH side. The transmission oil sump is the bottom of the case with the gears in it. The reason I was asking is that if the dipstick goes into the drop box then the possibility exists that if oil isn't falling on to the floor then maybe it is staying inside the planetary transmission assembly (where the clutches reside) and isn't properly draining back to where it should live when the engine is stopped.
That is why I mentioned checking and cleaning any breathers on transmission or converter housing. Never saw one that gave false "low oil" indication on dip-stick but have seen where you go to drain oil and it barely drizzles out the drain plug. Worst were the 980G loaders we had. The breathers were located up under the cab and with very little clearance under the breather so dust would pile up there and plug them easy. They were also a pain to remove so I relocated them up out in the open using some hose. Kept them clean and very easy to service.
Found the Parts Manuals in the same place. Depends on the machine S/N which is the correct one. No Service Manuals though.
Thanks for that, mine is a 966B 75A serial number 1243
Also where do I find the contact regarding those manuals
Maybe it got a bit lost in one of my posts above - https://catpublications.com/ When you get into the main page (use the Guest function) simply put the document reference (e.g. F035088) in the Search Box. The system will find it.
Not related to your problem nevilly, but my son recently had a job carting gravel for a customer who was using his own JD loader to load up. One morning he turned up, all flustered and agitated, saying the loader has no trans.oil and he would have to make a 200 km round trip to town to fetch some more. My son had plenty of other work to do, so didn’t look at the machine. The owner turned up several hours later, red faced, it seems the transmission was full after all, the oil was so clear he couldn’t see it through the sight glass.
The A and B model machines were checked with the engine running and the oil warm. We always checked them at the end of the day. The dipstick that is below the flap in the cab goes down into the drop box. We used to always run 30 wt. engine oil in them. It expands a lot between when cold to when it is warm. Later on the dipstick came with markings on both sides. One side was engine off oil cold, the other engine running oil warm.
John C, Very good point on the hot v cold oil level had the same problem with the 966C and 988(A) loaders. Every so often a guy would check oil cold or refill after draining and run it right up to the full mark with cold oil. More than once had someone then check oil hot and think it was way low as they could not see that the actual level was maybe a foot above the full mark. I would then hook a hose to the plug hole on top of the trans filter and start engine and keep checking the level till it dropped to the full mark.
Thanks for your posts. I checked the transmission oil again and it was just on the dipstick (cold) so I warmed the loader up and the oil level was up a bit, I reckon I only put in no more than a cup (250 mils) and that bit brought it up to the right level or just over. Wouldnt of thought such a small amount of oil would of made much difference. so after tightening the oil and tranny filters, they leak no more..the only leak it has now is a small seal on the left ( sitting in the seat) but front of the tranny where the high low ( I call it a piston) goes in. Just under the oil filler tube that goes into the transmission.. Heard that seal is hard to replace.