I just rebuilt one of the steering cylinders on my Case 580SE backhoe. Everything ended up just fine, and in fact was simpler than I expected, except for one thing. It took me almost an hour to get the main rod seal inside the gland. This seal has an O-ring inside of it, and not only was it nearly impossible to physically get the seal into the groove inside the gland, but the O-ring kept trying to pop out from inside the seal. I finally got it in, but just through shear persistence and the utilization of assortment of wooden dowels, dental tools and some spirits to calm the temptation to smash it to pieces. The main problem for me is that the shaft or rod is about 3/4" OD, and so I'm trying to cram this thick stiff 2-part seal into the gland and get it oriented into the groove. I followed the Case instruction exactly, which said to just "put it in there". Surely there is another way, as no sane person would design something this way. Please, someone fill me in on the secret. I swear allegiance to the backhoe club and promise to never divulge it to an outsider or girl. Garret
Read this post, pretty much the same question HeavyEquipmentForums
The most fun I had with one of those was when I spent 30 minutes installing it....backwards. You haven't lived till you've tried to take one out without damaging it.
Case has lots of things that make no sense. Like installing the torque converter to the engine on a 1150E dozer. You have to make dowel pins with a slot in the end and remove them one at a time thru a starter bolt hole. Best I ever did tho was dad and I overhauled TD14 international. The rod journal is so big you have to put piston in from the bottom........No room for ring compressor. Have to use big hose clamp on each ring.
The easiest way and best for the seal if it is the cylinder I think it is is to push the brass bushing out of the gland with an expandable puller and install the seal and push the bushing back in. It takes a lot less time and the seal is 100% safe.
That works when there is a bushing but on the Case skidsteers I have worked on do not have a bushing to remove. As for installing the pistons in an engine where the big end of rod is too big to go down from the top. I've worked on a V12 Cummins like that. They have you install the piston and rod assembly in the cylinder sleeve then install the whole thing in at the same time. There is a special horseshoe shaped tool that you put around the rod to push the cylinder out.
The post I answered was the steering cylinder above mentioned, the operation described was specifically for that design cylinder. I have packed literally hundreds in my 50 year career and know the drill on all Case cylinders. The special tools that fold the Vcup up into a small enough shape to insert it are the secret to the ones you refer to. But, as someone stated, the smaller the rod the worse they are to get in.
Now I know the secrets! I thought about pulling that brass bushing out, but I don't have a puller that would do it, and then I thought I might damage it in the process. Plus, surely they would have said to do that in the manual if that was the proper way, or maybe those Case engineers and technical writers just have a rather warped sense of humor. The kidney tool sounds useful too, but I suspect it would be hard to find and use it on something this small, but I can definitely see using it on something larger. I think on the next one I'll just warm it up as much as I can and try it. I felt like it was sheer luck that I got the first one in, as I tried about 10 times before I finally got it in place. And... as Mitch mentioned, I did just about put it in backwards, but realized it on the 3rd or 4th try, and started paying better attention. Thanks for the help and advice. I promise I won't tell outside the club. Garret
Now that's crazy! There should be laws to prevent engineering like that, with specific and equally ridiculous punishments for the violators.
Being a mechanic I have always said a parts man OR a design engineer should have to work in a shop for at least ten years before they can sell parts or design anything. Things would be much simpler to work on and would be much less stressed ordering parts. :Banghead