955 k piston replacement

[davegi]

I'm having to replace a piston due to a valve that decided to give up.After dropping the oil pan i see that it has a windage tray that runs back toward the belly pan for the trans axle. My question is does the rear pan have to be removed in order to take the windage tray out?I just gave it a glance before i ran out of time so any help would give me a leg up when i get back to it this weekend . Thanks.

 

[kshansen]

Okay hate to sound dumb but is this a Cat Track loader or some other machine that uses the 955K designation. If it is a Cat how about a S/N to make getting correct information easier?

 

[davegi]

My bad, i know better than to not supply that! The serial is 85j1618 and yes it is a track loader. Thanks

 

[Cmark]

It looks like yours goes the full length of the block, but saying that, on Cat engines with some kind of plate above the sump I've yet to see one that doesn't. If you come across a situation where you have to decide whether to remove part of the sump or all of it, I find it's always best to take the whole lot out. If you try to cut corners, you'll probably end up with oil leaks.

Incidentally, my understanding is that the plate is to add rigidity to the block rather than as a windage tray in the traditional sense.

 

[kshansen]

Looking in SIS the oil pan for that S/N appears to cover about 2/3 of the bottom of the block and then the flat plate covers the back section of the block. Actually it would be more correct to say the flat plate covers the whole bottom of the block with an area cut out for the oil pump and suction pipe. As Cmark says not removing the complete pan and plate is asking for a leak. 8 or 10 extra 3/8ths bolts is not that big a deal at this point!

 

[davegi]

Well, i finally got time to remove the oil pan and go after the oil pan plate. Thats when i hit the wall.The last few bolts of said pan areaover top of a main cross member between the two track rails with just enough room to back out the bolts with an open end wrench but absolutely zero chance of reinstalling them due to clearance issues.(about 3/8 inch).I'm guessing that in order to due this the motor must be broken loose from the frame and blocked up on the mounts. Any other suggestions? Appreciate the help.

 

[kshansen]

Not having seen a 955K in person I would not be sure how to proceed but if it is possible to undo the rear mounts and lift the engine about an inch to get clearance that would be my thoughts. One note there is, I understand, an alignment procedure for the coupling on the back of the engine that needs to be done to prevent damage to the flexible parts of the coupling. So that would be needed to be done after the change out of the piston/cylinder kits.

Might be worth your time to send a Private Message.Start a Conversation to "Nitelite" on this forum I believe he has a similar machine and might be able to better answer your questions.

 

[d9gdon]

It's best if you could put a 6x6 under the rear of the tracks and then remove the bolts holding the front crossmember. Then you can lift the front end of the machine up above the tracks and place a very heavy piece of channel iron or something similar across the top of them to block the front end up. This will give you enough room to remove the oil pan and remove the rod/piston assemblies.

 

[kshansen]

It's best if you could put a 6x6 under the rear of the tracks and then remove the bolts holding the front crossmember. Then you can lift the front end of the machine up above the tracks and place a very heavy piece of channel iron or something similar across the top of them to block the front end up. This will give you enough room to remove the oil pan and remove the rod/piston assemblies.

Sounds like someone who has been there before! I was hoping for this type of information, I feel bad not being of any help due to my lack of first hand knowledge of how the engine is mounted in the machine. I have worked on a few 3306 engines in 966 loaders, basically just a couple more cylinders than this one, less the balance shafts, and those were pretty easy for access after any belly pans were off. Even better were the ones with the stamped steel pans, hold it up with one hand while starting the bolts with the other!

 

[spitzair]

If it's anything like the 977H then do as d9gdon says, undo the cross member and jack up the front of the tractor. I got to do the same job on one of my 977Hs and lifting the front of the tractor 2 inches gave me plenty of room to do all the work.

 

[davegi]

I'm not sure that is an option for me.I don't have enough large tooling(impact) to take off this crossmember. I have however broken loose the bolts mounting the motor to the frame and was planning on lifting the motor and putting 4 inch blocks in between the motor and the mounts which should, i hope, give me enough room to do the work. I am concerned about how much fluid i may lose when i unbolt the lines from the hydraulic pump.Does this line of action sound feasible. Thanks for the info i've already recieved.

 

[spitzair]

On my 977H the bolts were so seized up and the ends of the threads so trashed up that I just torched them off and replaced them with new ones. The crossmember itself doesn't need to come off, just the 8 bolts where it mounts to the tractor frame, you can leave it attached to the track frames.