1995 Caterpillar 312 Serial Number Help?

Isaiah Roberts · Dec 21, 2019

I'm purchasing a 1995 cat 312 excavator, Japanese grey market machine according to ironrecord.com. Serial # is 7DK05146. Anywhere I try to find a shop/service/parts manual they say they can't provide one because the serial numbers don't match. Is there any type of cross reference from Japanese market machine to US market machine?? Any help would be awesome.

Tyler d4c · Dec 22, 2019

I have a 312b prefix 9hr witch is a grey market but it's the same or close enough to a 9gr machine the repair manual and parts book have yet to fail me it's just a matter of finding what yours is close enough too. There's no cross reference at this time that I know of.

Nige · Dec 22, 2019

Like Tyler says, this is one of the weird cases where nothing appears in the cross-reference to non-Japanese market machines. There was a similar case a few days ago regarding a 312 S/N 7DK00936.

Generally it appears that the crossover from the 7DK machine goes to the 6GK prefix. The problem is that there is a Serial Number break at 6GK00392, and the $64k question is whether the closest equivalent to 7DK05146 is a 6GK machine above or below 392.

I found something where the same change happened at machines 7DK04602 and 6GK1079, so it appears as though parts & service information for a 312 of Serial Number 6GK00393-Up will be the most appropriate for 7DK05146. Hope that helps.

John C. · Dec 22, 2019

All the operational parts will be the same between the two serial number prefixes. The big differences are in the sheet metal. You will have no luck finding a cab shell for a gray market machine in the States.

Isaiah Roberts · Dec 28, 2019

Thanks for the info and help. I've emailed 2 CAT dealerships and no response yet as to whether they can provide a Japanese parts manual for that serial number. I'm just trying to get as much info as possible before I buy a $500 shop/service/parts manual offline. I need to order the bottom front glass for it, you think i'll be out of luck or should it be the same as a regular 312? I also need a foot control thumb pedal since I'm running aux hydraulics to the stick and am having a hard time finding one on the web. Any ideas?

Nige · Dec 28, 2019

John C may be able to answer that, but based on his comment that the cabs are different between the Japanese-built machines and others there is likely a good chance that the glass might be different also.
A suggestion - if the bottom glass is flat why not speak to a local windshield company in your area.? There ought to be someone local to you who supplies and fixes flat laminated glass that could make one.

On the controls for the thumb, because the grey and home market machines are the same mechanically anything that would work on a 6GK machine would also work on yours IMHO.

Cmark · Dec 28, 2019

Have a look around the cab to see if it has a part number stamped anywhere. Also look for part numbers on any components. Most Cat parts carry their numbers. Look for components that may be unique to your cab, for example window/door latches, plastic panels, floor mat etc.

If you can get some numbers we may be able to work backwards to find out which cab you have.

John C. · Dec 28, 2019

Most people around here purchase some Lexan and have it cut to fit the kick window. You can drill it to take the locks. Most excavators I look at are missing the kick window anyway. Check the cab over for any dents and dings. Does the front window go up and down easily. It doesn't take much out of square and no windows will fit. Find a US machine somewhere close to you and look it over real hard. Get out the tape and get some measurements. If it looks close then get the serial number and use that for ordering parts.

Good Luck!

Isaiah Roberts · Jan 1, 2020

Thanks for all the info. I've got a piece of lexan at my shop that I'm going to try and cut out to replace the bottom glass. See how it goes. If it doesn't fit then i'll go to another option. There's a guy in town that has a same 315, same year range so I can get some measurements from his to see how close they are. I don't have the machine in my possession yet, I close on it in two weeks, so i'll get to looking it all over much better once I get it to my shop.

On a different note, I finally heard back from one of the parts guys at the closest CAT dealer to me. He was much more helpful than the previous one I talked to there that told me he couldn't do anything for a grey market machine. This guy was willing to help and I have a Japanese parts manual shipping to my house from CAT within the week. $109 for the parts manual. He said they can print any manual you need. If anyone does need pages for a 312 grey market on the parts side, let me know and I can send pictures or scans once I get the manual.

As for the thumb valve foot pedal, CAT quoted it at $430. Pricey.

Nige · Jan 1, 2020

I'd be interested to know what Cat Publication Number the dealer is supplying. The issue of Serial Number cross-reference for the 312 has come up on various occasions before, so it would be nice to know what Cat says is the answer. Also when you get the book please scan and upload an image of the front cover. That will show the Serial Number applicability.

Did they give a Part Number for the thumb valve foot pedal.?
That ought to help you search for either new "will fit" parts of the same number, or used parts in somewhere like Machinery Trader.
For a machine of that vintage try Offroad Equipment for parts - www.offroadeq.com

Isaiah Roberts · Jan 1, 2020

Nige, he didn't provide me with any parts numbers for the manual or the foot valve yet. They were going to send me an invoice in the mail. Once I get the invoice and the manual, I'll post a few pictures or scan them in. I'm going to wait and look in the manual for the foot pedal P/N to see if I can find it cheaper online. We'll see.

Isaiah Roberts · Jan 11, 2020

One more question for you guys while I'm waiting for my parts manual to come in. This valve selector block in the picture is at the base of the boom right by the swing motor. In the operators manual that comes with the machine, it has no mention of this particular block with regards to the different hydraulic arrangements they cover. I haven't had a chance to mess with it yet but can someone give me an idea what it's for and the different settings?

Nige · Jan 12, 2020

Based on the diameter of the hoses connected to it - pattern changer for the implement controls..?

Isaiah Roberts · Jan 12, 2020

That's what I was thinking, I haven't had a chance to chase all the hoses and see where they lead yet. I was hoping someone else with a grey market 312 could chime in if they have the same valve and have figured it out. I'm really hoping once the parts manual shows up it can answer my questions.....time will tell.

Cmark · Jan 12, 2020

Once again, look for random part numbers. I doesn't matter what. Something as trivial as a tag on a hose can lead in the right direction.

John C. · Jan 12, 2020

It isn't likely that you will find it in a Cat parts book. For some reason, stuff coming from overseas had those added. It didn't matter what brand of machine either. That one like two functions. It was common on some machines for awhile to have four control patterns available. All were added after the machine was new from the factory.

Isaiah Roberts · Jan 18, 2020

My parts book finally arrived. The valve in question is some sort of control valve. I guess I’ll find out by playing with it. Picture of the manual front cover as well.

Nige · Jan 18, 2020

Thanks for posting that.
Hmmm, XJBP7177-02. That's right in the middle of the Parts Manual Publication Number range for other early 300-series machines so it makes sense. The Parts Manual for the 307 is XJBP7178, 311 is XJBP7176.
And it apparently covers all 312 machines of prefix 7DK1-Up by the looks of it so that answers another question.
Believe it or not that Publication Number doesn't exist anywhere in the online Parts & Service Infomation system - it does however exist on the Cat Publications web site.
I hope you didn't get rooted too badly on price by the dealer. It's shown as $89 for a pdf download or a CD, $104 for a paper book.

Isaiah Roberts · Jan 18, 2020

I paid $110 for the hard copy. Not to bad. I’d like to have an American version 312 manual now to compare and see just how similar they are. I’ll get one when I buy the full service book set. I don’t see why cat wouldn’t have a translated version, in this age of technology it should be pretty Damn easy.

Nige · Jan 19, 2020

Isaiah Roberts said:
I paid $110 for the hard copy. Not to bad.

The $104 I mentioned would attract S&H costs on top of the price, so not too bad at all.

Look at it this way........
1. This model of 312 was designed for the ISJ (inside Japan) market ONLY. It was never marketed for sale outside Japan.
2. All the machines (such as yours) that ended up outside Japan did so via unofficial channels. Neither Cat nor their dealers were involved with the import/export process.
3. There were only a few thousand built. If 10% of those ended up outside Japan that's a few hundred. They may not all have ended up in English-speaking markets, so what other languages would manuals need to be translated into..?
4. The last one was built about 25 years ago.

Considering the above I can see why service documentation has never been updated.

1995 Caterpillar 312 Serial Number Help?

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