Case 580 SE Shuttle - loose & leaking!

[mrmomo]

Hopped out of my Case the other day and left it running, when I went to hop back in I noticed a massive amount of oil on the ground under it (clear oil). I shut it down and slid under, to find everything under there dripping with oil (under the cab area, soaked the parking brake). I poked around where I could, but didn't find any loose lines or loose connections. The fluid that is leaking is completely clean, and appears to be coming out under high pressure, as it has done a great job of cleaning off the underside of the machine. Everything still operates fine. Recently I have been going through a lot of Hy-trans, so I thought that perhaps my consumption problem just got a lot worse. Poking around there today, I found that what I believe to be the shuttle, is loose. When in neutral I can move it a bit by hand. (can't move it by hand when it's in fwd or rev) Now... Why is it loose, and how do I tighten it? (without taking the whole thing apart). I am building a house, and I am way behind schedule, it's getting cold and my workshop isn't built yet... Other than spending $20/day on Hytrans - is there a quick fix for this, until I can get it in the shop (once built!)

Much appreceated!

 

[alrman]

mrmomo,
The shuttle is the transmission that bolts up to the flywheel housing - are you saying the entire transmission is moving by hand?
If this is the case there are 6 x 7/16" bolts (5/8AF spanner size) that hold it in - they may need tightening.

Such a large oil leak could be coming from breather - if this is the problem - it usually means there is an internal problem with excessive leakage at
1)clutch pack
2)seal rings
3)control valve
4)or overfilling with oil

I am assuming it is the power shuttle you are filling each day?

Best if you can confirm the source of your leak, as it could be from another area of the power shuttle. or even the hydraulic system.....

 

[mrmomo]

Thanks alrman -sorry for the confusion. The leak is at the point where the shift linkage connects - there is a cylinder about the size of a small starter motor - and the linkage appears to be sandwiched between it and the housing. When I move the shift linkage to neutral I can wobble this cylinder up and down (like a loose starter motor), but when it's in gear it appears to be tight. I am wondering if I am leaking more oil in neutral but not so much when in fwd or reverse... It just occurred to me that I can lift up a floor plate to get a better look at this, as it's kind of hard from under the machine when you are getting dripped on.... I'll try to get a picture today. Is is possible to simply tighten this cylinder and hopefully stop the leak ?

 

[alrman]

OK then,
That 'cylinder' you speak of is the neutral or trans cut-out solonoid - it screws on to the transmission control valve - it should tighten up with a large pair of mutigrips or a stilson - it will want to move the shift lever to REV as you do this. No need to use excessive force.
I have seen the threads get damaged there if it has been loose for a long time, hopefully yours will be OK.
As regards the leak, the solonoid has no effect on controling oil at all, but there are some seals at the control valve which are a problem. In saying that, I have never seen one leak with the quantaties you are speaking of - so you need to confirm the source of your leak.

 

[mrmomo]

alrman.... you are very wise...

You are correct -it is not the solenoid that is leaking - and it is extremely tight!! I could not budge it. (though surprised to see it rotates with the shift linkage - which I thought odd)

You are also correct that before focusing in on one area, I should confirm that it IS the problem. My leak is from a hydraulic hose - coming from the steering pump. If someone would kindly provide a service with a baseball bat to the head of the previous "mechanic" who worked on this machine I would appreciate it. There was a bootlace - no exaggeration -tied tightly around this line, and one of the steel cross lines (or bars) and the steel eventually won out (duh) and wore through the hose. Once I had the floor plate up it was pretty easy to diagnose. I assume the bootlace was to keep the line from dragging in the drive shaft...

NOW.... My real question becomes, how am I supposed to get the lines off the steering pump, so that I can replace and re-route so this does not happen again? I don't seem to be able to get a wrench in there... am I supposed to take the pump off the steering shaft? Lift that small floor plate up? Any chance you would know the fitting & hose size off hand? (I need a 7/8" wrench, I assume it is some type of JIC fitting, or is it SAE? The line is only about 8-10" long, at which point it is connected to a brand new line that runs up to the front of the machine. I assume that the previous Mechannot could not get the fitting off the pump and so just swaged a new end on the old line... or is this factory?

Much appreciated!!!

 

[willie59]

Are you referring to the steering orbit valve at the bottom of the steering column?





If the fittings use a 7/8" wrench size, they are most likely a #8 JIC fitting to connect the hoses. The threads going into the orbit valve are most likely SAE straight threads sealed with an o-ring. If so, those are series 900 o-rings. Standard o-rings will not work, they have to be 568-900 series o-rings.

 

[alrman]

Lift the floor plate that is between pedals & main floorplate -about 24" x 12" in size. It only has 4 or 6 small bolts & that will get you where you need to go.
Think there is the transmission cut out swith attatched to it.
You will also need to check your hyd oil level - this is done in the 'travel' position - hoe folded up ; stabilizers raised ; & front bucket flat on ground.
Use a 10 grade trans oil or 68 hyd oil for this.

 

[mrmomo]

alrman - thanks for all the help on this! Due to my time constraints, I decided to call around to see if someone could do it for me. I called my local Case dealer, and found out that their main mechanic lives just around the corner from where I am building my new house (yay!), anyway, he was at home for lunch when I called, so they called him at home. He stopped at my house on his way back to work and took the line off, and replaced it on his way home. Total cost, including the line: $62. Can't beat that!!
Re-filled the hydraulics (that takes a little fluid! - wow), put the bucket down and steered lock to lock for a few minutes (wheels off the ground) and everything is much better now!!

Thanks again for your help!