259d travel motor overheated?

[673moto]

I was wondering if anyone had some insight as to why only 1 travel motor on my 259d (ftl08367) is getting too hot?
I haven’t used a temp gun on it or observed any performance issues but when I washed after using the other day it was steaming.
Hydraulic temps staying under 160* according to dash reading.
I changed the oil in both motors yesterday and the oil on one side smelled really burnt, like so bad my garage still smells today (no metal or debris inside) while the other side the oil was fine.

Also... the burnt side has a newer motor (less than 200hrs).

Note:
When shifting into 2speed the machine will lag some and steer a bit towards the side with the older original motor (assuming that one is on the way out?)

Any ideas?

 

[James Sorochan]

I think I would check to confirm with temp gun first. Why did you have to change out the motor? Is the newer motor brand new or used? Does it steer straight on low speed?

 

[KSSS]

The hydraulic oil may not get warm but the oil in the final maybe much warmer. My finals frequently steam in the right conditions. Now that your oil is fresh, I would run the machine hard for half a day and hit both finals with a temp gun. That should give you an idea. Maybe the oil in the final wasn't the right weight? Hard to explain why it would burn with no contamination in the oil, unless it was the wrong viscosity.

 

[673moto]

I think I would check to confirm with temp gun first. Why did you have to change out the motor? Is the newer motor brand new or used? Does it steer straight on low speed?

Replaced motor as it was malfunctioning... I can’t recall the details.
New motor was a unit from Texas final drive.
Steers straight in low and high speed... just a hesitation to the side of the older motor when switching to 2speed.

 

[673moto]

The hydraulic oil may not get warm but the oil in the final maybe much warmer. My finals frequently steam in the right conditions. Now that your oil is fresh, I would run the machine hard for half a day and hit both finals with a temp gun. That should give you an idea. Maybe the oil in the final wasn't the right weight? Hard to explain why it would burn with no contamination in the oil, unless it was the wrong viscosity.

I believe I used 80w-90

 

[Acoals]

Replaced motor as it was malfunctioning... I can’t recall the details.
New motor was a unit from Texas final drive.
Steers straight in low and high speed... just a hesitation to the side of the older motor when switching to 2speed.

There are springs for the two speed swashplate which get weak, Cat also updated the design. The new side probably has the updated springs, which may be causing the hesitation during the two speed switch. See this thread concerning my machine:

Cat 289D 2nd gear(high) tracking issue

Hi guys, I have a 289D, serial 0289DVTAW01488. The symptoms I have are when the hydraulics are hot, it really doesn't show up in the winter or for the first half hour of operation. When traveling in low speed, and shifting into high, the machine will slew hard to one side, you have to input hard...

www.heavyequipmentforums.com

 

[Nige]

I believe I used 80w-90

Ooops. The correct oil is a fully synthetic 75W-140 gear oil. Each FD contains 1 litre. Change it every time the engine oil is changed. When finals are priced at $7k it's cheap insurance.

(1)	Cat Synthetic GO is the preferred oil for the final drive. If Cat Synthetic GO is not available, Cat GO, or API GL-5 grade oil may be substituted
(2)	Cat GO (Gear Oil) is available in SAE 80W-90 and SAE 85W-140 viscosity grades

 

[673moto]

Ooops. The correct oil is a fully synthetic 75W-140 gear oil. Each FD contains 1 litre. Change it every time the engine oil is changed. When finals are priced at $7k it's cheap insurance.

View attachment 284467

(1)	Cat Synthetic GO is the preferred oil for the final drive. If Cat Synthetic GO is not available, Cat GO, or API GL-5 grade oil may be substituted
(2)	Cat GO (Gear Oil) is available in SAE 80W-90 and SAE 85W-140 viscosity grades

I’m gonna need your direct phone number, Nige...before I do anything from now on I’ll be consulting you first!
Ha!

 

[KSSS]

Well that could certainly explain the heat. Good to catch the mistake now before you took out the new drive.

 

[Acoals]

Had you put the gear oil on the side with the new drive motor when you replaced the motor? Or did you just put the gear oil in the other day when you noticed the one side was hotter?

 

[Nige]

I’m gonna need your direct phone number, Nige...before I do anything from now on I’ll be consulting you first!
Ha!

The problem is that the finals have such a small quantity of oil in them. Itr has to be a high-preformance oil.

It might pay you to get an Operation & Maintenance manual, or if you already have one try reading it ....
Here's the correct one for your machine. At $70 it could save you 100 times that............

SEBU9084 CAT D-Series Skid Steer Loaders SSL MTL, Operation Maintenance Manual | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SEBU9084 CAT D-Series Skid Steer Loaders SSL MTL, Operation Maintenance Manual at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[673moto]

The problem is that the finals have such a small quantity of oil in them. Itr has to be a high-preformance oil.

It might pay you to get an Operation & Maintenance manual, or if you already have one try reading it ....
Here's the correct one for your machine. At $70 it could save you 100 times that............

SEBU9084 CAT D-Series Skid Steer Loaders SSL MTL, Operation Maintenance Manual | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SEBU9084 CAT D-Series Skid Steer Loaders SSL MTL, Operation Maintenance Manual at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I can’t find that damn manual to save my life.../finals