980 v8, ok or run away?

[Neily]

Hi all, got a clearing sale coming up soon with a 980 in it. Done some searching through a few old posts and I'm getting the impression that the v8 d336? Is not very desirable. There is a spare engine,or blown take out at the sale also, which might be a hint. Just thought someone might share some knowledge about these loaders, thanks neil.

 

[repowerguy]

I ran the wheels off of one back in the 80's and it was a real machine, but parts were $$ even then. When idling they had a odd rattling sound from all the cams and gear train.
I suppose if we knew the price and the job at hand we could help with a more informed opinion.

 

[Neily]

Hi. This will just be a farm loader, might clean a bit of timber up and load a bit of gravel. Will never do many hours. I don't know price as its in a farm auction sale. Just was a lil unsure what the engines are like that's all. I have only seen pictures so I don't know what condition it's really in, will have to wait till sale day. I assume these we're a solid loader, not always good to assume though lol.
Thanks

 

[DoyleX]

There was a thread the other day about the terminal problems with a D336. Caterpillar even had a procedure to convert some machines to the 3406.
https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?57008-621-engine-swap&highlight=d336

 

[kshansen]

Guess it all depends on price and how much you intend to use it. Well and of course if it runs good right now!

Big difference if you are going to be using 2,000+ hours a year or 200 hours a year.

 

[repowerguy]

This time of year it will start hard and white smoke for a while until it gets a little heat in the heads. This may well scare off bidding competition and score you a good deal. Ignore the sound of the cams overhead, it will sound like a bunch of FM magnetos snapping. If it idles with the oil pressure in the green and moves without hesitation in all four gears, don't be scared of it. As to a repower, a 3306 would be the natural choice as the B's had that as a power unit. Did see one once that someone had put a 8v71 in, I wish I could have seen it run!

 

[oarwhat]

I asked my old Caterpillar shop manager if Cat ever made bad machines/engines. He said the 980A with a V-8. This guy bled Cat yellow. I'm sure it's find for very limited use. I was told they shouldn't be re-powered with a bigger engine as it will break the tranny case. The only difference between a 980A and a 980B transmission is the case.

 

[Neily]

Thanks for the input. I'll wait and see what the machine is like and go from there I guess.

 

[JDOFMEMI]

This time of year it will start hard and white smoke for a while until it gets a little heat in the heads. .....

Remember, Down Under it is mid summer, so I don't think he will have the same problem you are thinking of the cold start.

 

[repowerguy]

Oops! Didn't check his profile and I didn't hear his accent, too many years banging around without earplugs.
Anyhoo, the ones I ran always needed a count of 10 when it was 90 out first thing in the morning no matter what. That might be enough to scare off the faint of heart.

 

[Neily]

Hi, bought the loader 15k. Still on the truck atm ill put up some pics when I get home.

 

[Neily]

She is a bit rough around the edges and I payed a lil more than I wanted to but that's how it goes. Get her off the truck in the morning and give it a good once over, wish me luck lol.

 

[Desertwheeler]

I like the rippers! The local rental yard has a 966c with rippers and it makes grading and digging a lot easier.

 

[Bob/Ont]

Neily Don't even think about repowering it, repowers rip the trans case apart. The exact torque curve needs to be duplicated with repower and that's too involved for the Low Budget repair people to deal with.
Later Bob

 

[Neily]

Hey bob. I'm hoping I won't have to re power it, with any luck the engine will last me a long time. The transmision has only a few hours on it since supposedly being rebuilt. Got a reasonably long list of repairs that need doing already though unfortunately, haven't found anything major as yet though.
- no brakes
- few small oil leaks
- fuel leak
- only steers full lock one way, I assume I can adjust that out. Anyone got advice?
- couple of dribbling wheel-hub seals
- centre pivot a lil sloppy
- y piece feeding into turbo rusted out, that should explain the lack of power and the cloud of smoke that almost blackens out the sun under load lol
Wow the gear train in the flywheel housing rattles at idle, is this normal or should I be worried?

 

[kshansen]

Wow the gear train in the flywheel housing rattles at idle, is this normal or should I be worried?

I'll start with the last one. That engine has a set of gears going up both ends of the engine. One for left cams and one for right cams. Both ends also have balancer gears down near the oil pan level. These are all straight cut gears. Four or five gears at each end each with a little free play. Each time a pair of cam lobes goes past full open there is a snapping sound from the free play in the related gear train. Most noticeable when cranking over by hand or at low idle. At higher speeds it more or less smooths out. So without hearing it in person I can't be 100% sure about the noise you are hearing, but I would not panic as long as it smooths out as RPM's increase.

As for brakes, they are more or less simple air brakes. only odd thing is each front wheel has two Maxi-brake cans on each cam! Those cans are easy to rebuild if you use some basic common sense regarding the spring inside. A section of all thread and large washer like disk and some nuts to fit the all thread will do the trick. Any good truck shop should beable to match up the brake valves and air governor. Compressor might be a little more involved but could probably be made to work with a good donor Tu-flow 500.

 

[kshansen]

Tried finding directions on steering adjustments for a 980 on SIS, not there, but 966C is very close and will give the basic idea.




One note if one of these type machines are moved with engine not running and they a pivoted one way or another the arm for the follow up linkage can get bent. If it must be done someone in cab can turn steering wheel to keep up with things to prevent it but not recommended, better to install frame lock.

One other thought. If you look at the front of steering column a bit above the steering box there is a pipe plug on the front. Sometimes a machine with jerky steering can be helped by pouring oil in there to help lube the internal parts. There is a splined connection between the steering shaft and the steering box that needs to move free. Worst case the column can be unbolted from the box and slipped off to clean and lube the splines.

Other causes of jerky steering would be the rod end to the steering valve, worn pins and bushings for steering cylinder mounts and worn center pins of the loader frames.

 

[Neily]

Yeah the rattles quieten down once the rpm's increase just a touch off idle. The brakes will be the easy part, I spent 5 years working on trucks before I came home to the farm. As for the steering it will go full lock left but I'd say it's flat out going 50% to the right. Looks like there is going to be a little more to the steering than I thought looking at the diagram lol. When I get a chance I'll have a better look at the setup and see if I can sort it out.
Ps thanks for ya time putting up the info, it should be quite helpful.

 

[oarwhat]

I'll start with the steering. Yes you should be able to adjust it out. That is unless someone bent something in the linkage. I was told never steer the machine when it's not running. Like pushing it straight to move it if it's broken down. You'll need the book to do it. That Cat steering can be a pain. Also in my book the final adjustment is WRONG. You loosen or tighten a nut so it doesn't hit the stops on both sides. The book is backwards! I've been following the book for years and just thought my linkages were shot. I have 3 980B's and the first two always hit the stops hard because I followed the book. When I bought the third one it steered like yours. So I adjusted it to center and then it hit the stops both sides. For the hell of it I said I'm going to go backwards and presto works like a charm.

Now the brakes could be a few things. The way they did the front brakes is just strange and causes problems. The spring brakes are fairly easy to rebuild as Kshansen says but they're prone to leaking. Be careful with that spring! Use a big threaded rod like 5/8". A chrome tube extends from the can to apply the maxi brake. This tube and the inside piece are sealed by orings. Stupid!! The chome rust/pits. Inside the can it rusts/pits then it leaks. When they leak enough the brakes don't come off. The piping between these cans is a joy to work with. Rear brakes are also sealed internally with orings and leak. So you may me be lucky and this is going on and they just unadjusted the brakes so they could use it. Keep us in formed. Randy

 

[repowerguy]

I do believe Mr. Hansen covered pretty much everything I was going to say , the fuel leak,is it running down the inside of the tank close to where it mounts?
The couple I ran and a B also had a crack in the tank up high so I didn't fill the tank past 3/4 full. We eventually fixed it but it was bit of a job to grind it out and weld it up. Have fun on your new toy err umm desperately needed tool for the farm!