I have a 2001 Komatsu d39p-1. It pushes good but after an hour or so the transmission temp seems to rise. As the temp rises the powershift handle is really hard to twist and change gears. The transmission was rebuilt before I purchased it in 2012. Any help or advice would be awesome. I haveknow washed radiator and checkedI fluid level. I am new to the dozer world and I know some of you guys have alot more knowledge. Thanks. Justin
Sorry for typos. Sometimes my phone adds words where they don't belong.
One of the issues I've dealt with is mud and dirt packed in the belly of the machine. The transmission lines will run trough the dirt and heat up after the engine warms up. Also the cable casing is probably getting hot where its laying on the transmission and seizing up the cable.
I will definetly check and see if there is alot of mud in the belly pan. Thanks for your reply.
The transmission lines seem to be up and out of any mud or dirt. I have found in other forums that apparently the guy I bought it from had the same problem. Oh well. He did give me papers that showed all oil analysis and everything was in normal levels. How could I tell if the torque converter was going bad? Could that cause overheating? Also any screens or filters inline that I should check? I assumed that all transmission lines and filters were checked during rebuild. But you know what assuming does.
After reading some other forums, I do think that it very likely is the converter. Does anyone have experience with where I could purchase parts or a rebuilt converter? I am capable of following the shop manual and doing the work myself, I just do not know where I can find parts. I live in NC.
With the steering handle getting hard to turn after it gets warm would tend me to think its the hydraulic control handle bypassing internally. What type fluid is in it. It has to have the to-4 package . How hot is it where you live?
About 85 degrees last week. The fluid is what was put in at a komatsu dealership in knoxville, nc when the tranny was rebuilt. I have noticed it seems to lose some power as the transmission gets hotter. When fluid is cool the dozer will spin the tracks pushing against a stump, but as the temp goes up it will only set there and whine. It shifts great to start with too but as temp rises it gets more difficult to nearly impossibe to twist the handle and shift.
When its 90* my 39 will run 2/3 up in the green. If you idle it for 15 minutes it cools to half or less. I'm not sure but I think the steering control picks up off the trans pressure lines. Sounds like when something heats you are getting bypassing fluid. I have shop manuel on disc , I'll look through trouble shooting.
When it is 95+ in south Louisiana my 39 convertor might get up to the same temp as coolant with somewhat hard pushing(a little above half, they use the same sender so temp is close to the same, the convertor gage green bar goes a little higher so somewhat higher on convertor might be acceptable) but I have only a few hundred hours on convertor rebuild. Compare temp with alternate gage. As for the hard shift would take some studying.
Here's my initial recommendations based on owners/ operator manual. Clean the neutral valve inlet strainer. Remove seat , seat plate hose from pressure regulator to neutral valve inlet strainer. Remove strainer body from connector . If the strainer is deteriated in any way discard it. Clean stainer in solvent replace orings , do not use old ones. Re install if any leaks no matter how minor repair. Reinstall seat plate and seat. Also lubricate cam plate , remove steering lever and boot . Clean cam surface well and apply MPG , remove dust from control boot area inspect boot for tears and re install. I would also remove the trans suction stainer under the floor pan right side of machine , clean it check for debris , especially since it has fresh built trans. And finally change trans pressure filter by battery. All of this won't take too long , like I said its a start and probably needs to be done anyway. My CD won't fire up to give more more info at this time. I'll check it later.
I will try and do what you have recommended tomorrow. I appreciate you guys giving me your opinion. Hopefully this can be fixed without rebuilding the torque converter.
Sorry, forgot the neutral valve strainer, thanks DJ for reminding me. That's what happens when you get to be *+^&! years old. Checked mine 2 years ago and found shredded wheat, doa, also nla. Some IH combines had the same filter. A farmer, friend gave me one almost the same, rethreaded one end and back in business. Did you find oil seepage around bell housing, signs of housing full of oil?
It is pretty wet on the belly pan underneath the bell housing.
The operators manual says transmission can overheat because of the torque converter bypass valve sticking. The only problem is I can't find that valve. Anyone have any advice? This is my last hope before pulling the converter.
You can look up parts at komatsupartsbook.com
Thanks thats good to know. I should have been more specific, I can't find the bypass valve on the machine. Also I think the belly pan is wet with a motor oil leak and not oil from the converter. So I am hoping that the converter is not the prob but rather a valve. IRON@DIRT when your transmission was getting warm because of the converter, did your shifter handle get hard to twist?
No, shifter was always ok since I bought it.
I have checked/changed everything except converter. I have ran an hour or so in 2nd gear on steep land trying to heat the transmission but it never got higher than 1/3 of the way up on the gauge. I guess I need to put it on its next job before I will know. But I did notice another problem. The engine oil pressure gauge was running maxed out. Anyone experienced too much engine oil pressure on a d39p. I hope it's either the gauge or pressure relief valve and not something more major. Any suggestions?
Its always best to first check oil pressure with a mechanical gage. Next a pegged gage would probably mean the oil gage wire is grounded somewhere or a bad sendor or gage. Disconnect the wire to the sendor first and check the gage, most likely. A broken wire would show no or low pressure. Those types of gages normally show slightly lower pressure than with a mechanical gage.
Seems the problem may be remedied ? Checking the oil pressure manually is not a major deal. Get a cheap add on gauge at a parts store and I think there is a port or plug already there. I may be selling my 39E=1 as I may have bought a new one with cab. Its one of those bitter sweet things , I know my machine ,its solid , I just hope I don't get someone elses headache. Was there much in the form of trash in any of the filters?
Crazy thing is the suction strainer is GONE. Someone has taken it off for whatever reason but I will be putting it back on. So the only filter is the canister filter in the side door. I cut it apart and it had a dark grey color and felt like it had silt all thru it. I really believe that will help. I also got the left brake pedal working now. Someone had connected the hoses backwards. My final problem to fix is the cam cover gasket leak. I put a new gasket and it is still leaking. I think that maybe the cover is bent. Just a pain to take off.