We have a old D6 on loan to push some trees with. She`s a bit tired, but seemingly in good nick. Some klutz over heated it, I beleive the combustion chambers were replaced, but it appears to have a bad head gasket or cracked head. Be okay for me till it`s fixed, I just nurse it along and watch the guage. But, where is the dip stick for the trans? It just does`nt seem to go through light timber ( in sand too, I might add ) very well. I reckon I`d need two tries to knock a 55 gallon drum of water over. It doesn`t seem to be spinning the tracks, it just sits there, so I`m up for checking the trans level. Any special proceedure? Engine running when checking level?? Really though, I think she`s just too tired, bit like me really..
hey what model 6 is it? and yeah it does sound very tired
If it's a pre-com head it's probably a D6C or maybe an early D at best. If that's the case, the trans dipstick should be under the seat from memory. When you say it won't spin the tracks, I'm guessing you have it in 1st gear?....cos it sure won't spin them in 2nd. How hot is the converter running? (assuming the converter temp guage is working), because if the trannie is running hot that's going to bring your engine temp up too.
If its a D6R check to the left of the oil dipstick. If it is running sluggish you may want to check the fuel filter, it may be full of water. I ran an older D6R and we had constant problems with water getting in the fuel truck. Good luck with it!
Older 6 should be under the seat cushion, just lift it out of the way. The tranny filler cap is there too. It's possible that yours may be just to the right of the seat frame, Cat does some things different on overseas machines. High-sprocket units will have the tranny dipstick just ahead of the left fender/firewall by the engine oil dipstick. It should be clamped to the tranny oil filler pipe. Be careful the old girl doesn't swallow some coolant into the crankcase. The older Cats don't tolerate much of that very well. Good Luck!
What does it take? What do you put in there? Trans fluid, torque oil.. Any clues?
In your case this time of year, SAE 30 TDTO (transmission drive train oil). If you run in very cold weather you can use SAE 10 TDTO. If you operate consistently in weather above 90-100 degrees F., you can go with SAE 40 TDTO. You can also use 15W40 EO (engine oil). But I've found that straight weight oils specially formulated for drivetrain use are generally better for the tractor. They do make you pack some more oil around however, as the drivetrain oils are not suited for engine use. An old Maintenance Manager once told me that TDTO oils are nothing but 1950's engine oils. He said they did not have the additive packages that are now standard with modern engines and oils. I know of some outfits that run SAE 30 in everything on a tractor year round, but that is probably not the best way to go about protecting some expensive components you know. If you go to the Caterpillar website, you can find -- with some searching -- a complete list of Caterpillar recommended fluids and lubricants by type and viscosity for varied usage and temperatures. Good Luck!
D6R never had precup chambers in the head.
What is the serial no. That will help a lot in what machine it is, what could be wrong with it and were things are.
Dipstick was under the seat, it was right on the full mark when cold. The mechanics who work on it say its the head, that`s why its sluggish and gets hot, I get about an hour out of it and then its just touching the red and I park it. What I`m doing is, doing as much as I can with the excavator knocking over trees and the then just sweeping up with the stick rake.