I recently purchase a 2005 Caterpillar D5G. The pan under the engine is collecting rain water which ends up just sitting under the engine. I cannot see completely under the engine and have not been able to locate a drain hole. Is there a drain plug or hole in the pan under the engine that is clogged? (PS - coolant levels are good). THANKS!
The belly guard is probably stopped up with mud. Under normal circumstances there are enough holes in the guards for rain water to simply flow straight through them. Now might be a good time to lower all the guards and clean them inside. If the guard under the engine is full up to the bottom of the oil pan it will reduce the cooling system efficiency and worst case scenario could crack the oil pan if you hit the belly guard hard on a stump or something similar. Be careful, the guards will be extremely heavy with all the accumulated dirt sitting on top of them. If you want more information regarding exactly how to lower the guards for cleaning please post a Serial Number.
Thanks for the quick response. Can I use a pressure washer and spray under the engine to unclog the holes?
I wouldn't recommend it. The mud will blow everywhere and Sod's Law dictates that some of it will find it's way into some expensive electrical component or other if you get my drift. Also dropping the belly guards will give you a good chance to inspect the underside of the machine for leaks, damage, and condition of such things as hoses that you can't see from above.
As Nige suggested you need to drop the belly pans and do a proper cleaning. It will surprise you how much stuff can collect in there. I have a '04 D5G XL (bought new) we've dropped the pans on many times over the years. Post a serial # as they can be different.
Be careful with the oil drain plug if it has the lever type quick drain type,
Ok, spoke to a friend that does heavy equipment repair. I explained that I have 6+ inches of compact dirt with water sitting on top of the dirt. He also stated the best way to clean was to drop the belly pan, but with that much dirt and the water, it would be a really bad day for the person under the machine as the belly pan is very heavy (when it is clean) plus the weight of the dirt and water - would be a ton of weight. So I cleaned it the old fashion way - by hand. My finger tips still hurt. I used a small garden trowel and dug a lot out by hand. Two days later - it is spotless. There is a hole on the right side of the belly pan. It was not fun and it was unbelievable how much hard mud was under the engine!!! Thanks for the help!!
Good deal. Did you wash it out with a garden hose? Sometimes we'll open the inspection plates and give them a good wash with just a hose not a pressure washer. It does OK for routine cleaning.
Yes, once I got the majority of the muck out and found the drain hole, I used a garden hose. It really helped in the end.
Here's the R&I procedure just in case you have to get the guards off at some point in time.