Case 580SE dry brakes replacement.

[syndy]

I have had this 1984 580 since 2015 and have been using it with one, (Left) brake. I am now at the point where it can be down for a while and I have been taking the right brake off. It was full of oil and a few years ago I replaced the large seal. Never knew there was a smaller seal but now both will be replaced. Here is my dilemma. I am also replacing both back tires and have the right wheel still off. I have the floorboards up and have removed it all down including the brake housing. Getting the parts off in order to rotate the housing was a bear and I'm not looking forward to reassembly. First Question. I grabbed the side gear and pulled and it should slide off, no luck. I need it off to replace the small seal. I have the manual and it says and shows it just sliding off. Second question. If I install the larger seal in the housing and try to install it, I know the seal will get destroyed. It is heavy and I'm old and working alone. Even with more hands it would be almost impossible. However I can install the seal after the housing is bolted in, not my favorite choice. The manual shows guide rods to slide it in but the chassis is off the axle. Third question. Should I take the time and drop the axle so it can be done like in the manual or does anyone have some sort of trick to this monster job? Putting the 2 little brake cylinder screws back in is going to be a fun job.

 

[syndy]

I am thinking I can answer all my questions and it is not looking good. What the side gear is hitting is the final drive gear. The manual does not say or indicate that it must be out of the differential in order to remove the side gear. Had I known that I would have left the housing in place. The small seal will be a bugger to replace now. The large seal will have to be installed after the housing is back on and secure. The rest of the brake parts to be put back on will just be a pain in the neck. Only good part, I got everything clean.

 

[alrman]

Well @syndy , you're in a bit of a mess.....
You can replace the axle seal easily, with the carrier plate still fitted.

Be certain there is no dirt or old grease between the spacer shims when you reinstall.

The diff lock seal can also be replaced by making a tool out of an old stainless shut off cable - see this thread - which you have shared in... (it will link to others with good info)
It is also possible to install a second diff lock seal - as long as someone has not already done so.

 

[syndy]

Thanks alrman. Bit of a mess, maybe, I will find out tomorrow. The shims are clean as are all the other parts. It looks to me that if I remove the housing leaver pin, reinstall the housing then attach the brake cyl to the leaver and reinstall the pin and roll pin that it might just go smooth. I need to make sure I can get the roll pin back in with the frame right above it. For the small seal removal I have plenty of titanium, SS, and steel to make pullers. For putting in the new seal I have rigid plastic tubing that should fit over the cross shaft, (need to double check that). This is not the way I hoped to install the seal but I'll make it work. For the large seal I had made an installer the last time I had it open. One of my biggest problems is that I have COPD and congestive heart failure. I have built my own house and am still moving lots and lots of dirt but I have to let the machines do the work. I have made attachments for doing every thing I can't do, EXCEPT REPLACE BRAKES.

 

[syndy]

Job all done, the right hand brakes are working. Time will tell if the seals hold up. Here are a couple of tips from what I did. In order to remove the small seal I used a long wood blade from a sawzall. I ground it with a little hook at the end and ground it sort of like a knife edge. Extracted the seal in 10 seconds. Putting that little seal in was a little more difficult. However trying to use what I had at hand, I found a PVC fitting from under a sink. I had lots of spare PVC left over from building the house. I used a flapper wheel on a bench grinder to remove the threads. Then a small, 1-3/4” flapper wheel on the inside. It fit over the cross shaft but stopped when it got to the end of the spline so it had to be opened just a little. It fit perfect with the outside rim of the seal. That was a 30 second install. The big seal was put in with again PVC but sch-40 piece modified to fit snug to the side shaft and match the od of the seal. I could have done the entire brake replacement in a day if I wasn’t so stupid removing the brake housing. My manual is very deceiving as it does not make it clear that the side gear cannot be removed without taking the running gear out of the differential. Well, I never claimed to be an expert Case mechanic. Oh, forgot. On the shims, I scraped them, cleaned them with brake cleaner then used a 120 grit flapper wheel on a drill to lightly go over them to remove rust and stuff the scraper would not removed