1981 C70 Kodiak Cat 3208 Questions

[leadfarmer]

I bought a bigger dump truck to move dirt around my farm (offroad use only). Now my 1 ton K30 can breath a sigh of relief that the 955L won't be overloading it any more!

1981 Chevy C70 Kodiak
Caterpillar 210HP 3208 32Y83297 9N6721
Eaton Fuller 5 speed
2 speed rear axle
35k GVW
$1500 (plus $600 to have a wrecker tow it home about a 20-25 minute drive)

It's been sitting for a few years. Starts really nice. Clutch is stuck to flywheel. I test drove it a little it by starting it in gear. Once I do a few things I'm going to drive it around my farm in the hope the clutch will break free. If not I guess I will be pulling it apart.

Previously had a plow and salt spreader, has a lot of extra hydro lines I can remove. I don't think I will need them.

First is filters and fluids.

I tried to get to the air cleaner and the housing won't budge. It's either rusted together or am I missing some secret to getting this housing apart? (Picture below)

The water separator, the clear box on the passenger side of the motor, I found the WIX PN 33369 for this, but is it something I can just clean or are these a normal replacement item? I can see it has some water in it.

Red or green antifreeze? The million dollar question. All my other Cat's are running red at this point.

Does the air compressor have an air filter? Is that the little round thing on the driver side of it?

Suggestions on hydraulic fluid to use?

So, how does one approach the manuals for these? I'm familiar with the Cat manuals for the 3208, I know how the operator, parts, and maintenance manuals work for anything Cat, but for the rest of the truck, what's a good manual? Should I grab a 1981 or 1982 MOTOR truck repair manual? Something that will help me with the brakes, hubs, steering, etc.

I need to find a fuel cap for the passenger side tank. Looks to be made of brass and proudly marked made in Chicago but it is missing parts.

Almost forgot, the front left tire needs a new tube in it. Thoughts? I have changed tires on a 2 piece split rim 20" wheel (military stuff) but I think these might be the sketchy 3 piece. I hate to replace the front tires and wheels just for offroad use.

Thanks, I'm sure more questions will come as I get into this.

 

[MG84]

You can usually find factory GM service manuals for the truck itself on Ebay. Fuel cap should be standard and easy to find, they used the same one on many different makes/models throughout the years. Those are split ring wheels and are nothing to be feared, as long as you clean everything good and properly reassemble them. There are a couple special tools that make removing the ring easier, but you can get by with some pry bars and large screwdrivers if you must. Just try not to bend the lock ring or outer wheel. Pay attention to the location of where the splits are lined up on the ring and outer wheel. Also, just to be safe, either chain the rim, set a loader bucket on top of it, or a long extended inflator with clip on chuck (to get around the side of the truck, away from the tire) when reinflating it. Lastly, there is a procedure to mount those Dayton style wheels and get them tight and to run true. If you get a shop manual for the truck it should tell in detail about all of that. Can’t help with the motor, never had one that was Cat powered.

 

[cfherrman]

I'd flush the coolant and put red in, idk what it's supposed to have

I don't see a line to supply the compressor with air so maybe it has a filter on it.

Fuel water separator?

I think I saw a video where a guy put a air hammer on the clutch to get it un seized.

 

[Truck Shop]

Compressor filter is in the round cover.

 

[Willie B]

My Chevy Top Kick 1990 is powered with a 3208 rated 250 HP. They were available in many versions. Naturally aspirated I think were 210 HP, turbo aspirated up to 400 HP. They are a parent bore engine, (no sleeves) & many informed people feel not worth the cost of rebuild. Crankshaft bearings are not as big as other diesels. I'd guess packing 8 connecting rods on a short crank, they have to be narrow. Mine is quite the sports car empty, adequately powered loaded to GVW, trailer & backhoe behind it is sluggish on hills.

 

[56wrench]

That air cleaner outer housing is probably stuck/rusted at the parting surface where those clips are. You can drain the water out of the square glass fuel separator by loosening the lower plug on the side but i would just replace it. The non-replaceable dessicant bag inside is probably old enough to be not working

 

[leadfarmer]

Thanks for the info everyone.

For the 2 speed rear end, is that something that can shift while moving or do you have to be stopped? Does it have to be rolling? I've never owned or operated anything with a two speed rear end, so any tips on how to properly use it are appreciated. Being a farm truck, I don't think I'm going to be changing speeds a lot.

I found the window kit to repair the damaged Stemco front hub cap. Yay, something cheap.

I broke down the front left wheel and tire. The lock ring and mating surfaces are badly rusted. I think I'm going to replace both front wheels with some 22.5" wheels for dayton spoke hubs and some used tubeless tires.

It looks like the drive side fuel tank and passenger side fuel tank are connected with a crossover pipe down low. The passenger side tank looks to be the one that sends fuel to the motor. I only see one wire going to the tank, so I'm guessing there is no lift pump in the tank. I added fuel to the driver side tank before looking underneath and seeing the passenger tank is the main one. The fuel level is lower in the passenger side tank after nearly filling the driver tank, so I guess I need to pull the crossover line and check it for gunk that is blocking fuel flow. Both tanks have small top hat vents on them (new).

 

[cfherrman]

Check the visor for instructions, but yes you shift as you go, it will have a shift pattern on it. You will see the tach or speedo jump when it grabs it. You should probably use it unless you go like 35 max. Most of them I've seen are geared to use it the whole way. Irc the last two gears are kinda a stretch to grab with using it.

Often the balance line is slow, but might be worth checking.

As mentioned it's not that great of a engine but they do work just fine. The biggest problem I have is they are low displacement so engine braking is not really there if your used to a 14l or something.

 

[BC Placer gold]

Our 2 speed unit was electric shift and the screw mechanism was completely seized/rusted on purchase. Found one in excellent shape at a wrecking yard.

May be a good idea to pull unit (really easy) and lubricate with 10w oil as they are often neglected: ours had no evidence of oil in housing! Obviously neglected for a long time.

 

[MG84]

And to clarify on the 2spd rear, the 10w oil goes in the shifter motor mechanism, rear end itself probably takes 80w-90 or 85w-140.

For starters see if it will shift properly between high and low with the truck stopped and in neutral. If it is only going to be used on the farm, and not see the road put it in low and leave it there. On the road it will depend on how heavy you are loaded as to how you will use it. For running around empty or lightly loaded just leave it in high. If you have a load on but its not too heavy you can start in low axle, shift up through the main trans to 5th gear, then shift to high axle. If you are loaded really heavy and/or steep hills are involved then you need to learn how to split shift. It’s not hard once you know how, but does take a little practice and coordination to do it smoothly and without tearing something up. You’ll probably also want to learn how to shift the axle up/down within a gear if you’ll be using it on the road. The 2spd is not synchronized and you can tear it up if you don’t shift it properly when moving. I can go into more detail if needed...

 

[Willie B]

My 1976 I used to own is a mile away. On the visor was a 1 paragraph instruction. I have the manual, I'll find it.
What I learned is split shift to accelerate with a heavy load. Do not split shift to slow for an intersection. Working up a hill, rehearse planned split shifts. If not in a hurry, don't split shift.
Split shifting in a stressful situation is a recipe for missing a gear, don't ever miss a gear.
A lifelong expert split shifts whenever a half gear is advantageous. If you aren't a lifelong expert, don't try when suddenly coming to a very steep hill, use only the transmission instead. Split shifts might leave you out of gear. Avoid being out of gear!!!

 

[MG84]

My 1976 I used to own is a mile away. On the visor was a 1 paragraph instruction. I have the manual, I'll find it.
What I learned is split shift to accelerate with a heavy load. Do not split shift to slow for an intersection. Working up a hill, rehearse planned split shifts. If not in a hurry, don't split shift.
Split shifting in a stressful situation is a recipe for missing a gear, don't ever miss a gear.
A lifelong expert split shifts whenever a half gear is advantageous. If you aren't a lifelong expert, don't try when suddenly coming to a very steep hill, use only the transmission instead. Split shifts might leave you out of gear. Avoid being out of gear!!!

Especially true before going down big a hill, leave the 2spd alone! There is a situation as willie pointed out where you can get it hung between gears and then you are free wheeling, and it takes the right sequence of gear, clutch, and throttle to get it back in gear.

 

[Willie B]

My 1976 I used to own is a mile away. On the visor was a 1 paragraph instruction. I have the manual, I'll find it.
What I learned is split shift to accelerate with a heavy load. Do not split shift to slow for an intersection. Working up a hill, rehearse planned split shifts. If not in a hurry, don't split shift.
Split shifting in a stressful situation is a recipe for missing a gear, don't ever miss a gear.
A lifelong expert split shifts whenever a half gear is advantageous. If you aren't a lifelong expert, don't try when suddenly coming to a very steep hill, use only the transmission instead. Split shifts might leave you out of gear. Avoid being out of gear!!!

 

[Willie B]

UP-SHIFTING AXLE
Move range selector to high range, then release accelerator. Disengage clutch- pause-engage clutch, Then press accelerator.

DOWN-SHIFTING AXLE
Move range selector to LOW range, release accelerator, then quickly press down.

If you are still with me there is a bunch more to learn.

 

[terex herder]

The two speed is basically a spring loaded float shift. When split shifting (2 speed and transmission), always shift the 2 speed in the higher gear. Don't try to granny shift it. Tach it out before upshifting, makes it easy to catch the next gear.

Check your shift pattern, that is probably a working 5 speed. 4 lo, 5 lo, 4 hi, 5 hi.

 

[MG84]

 

[MG84]