CAT 312b threw track, what's this bolt

[braeburn]

1998 CAT 312B, 6500 hours. Been running tracks loose for years and never had an issue.

The short backstory is I should've grease pumped them up a little....three days ago.

So it threw the track bright and early today on top of a berm for detention pond. Little room to work and a deadline for this tiny job.

I looked and concluded that the idler needed a pressure relief and we'd swing that track right back on and be done in 30 min.

Yes...and damn, Nope. I backed out the bolt right next to the grease fitting, pushed on the idler and you know the rest....except for that grease relief bolt will not eff'ing thread back in.

Has anyone here experienced this? I'm attaching the track pressure relief bolt picture. Its been diesel degreased and cleaned no.

Obviously the track is flappy and flippy with idler reset to zero.

Any help is greatly acknowledged, helpful, and thanked.

 

[braeburn]

Yes, I got about a half tube of grease when we pushed the idler forward. Seemed the usual typical straightforward issue. Track is on machine but idler is well recessed.

 

[Tones]

The bolt in the pic is let the grease out of the ram hence the grove along it. If everything is working right it doesn't need to be removed just loosened.

 

[braeburn]

Yep, I know it's out of the ram and the need for the groove. However, we've never had a track issue with this unit. I backed it off and backed it off and never got grease out of the recess chamfer threads on the bolt. I had to back it out all the way out to get grease from the idler push.. It was falling out then.

 

[CatKC]

Yep, I know it's out of the ram and the need for the groove. However, we've never had a track issue with this unit. I backed it off and backed it off and never got grease out of the recess chamfer threads on the bolt. I had to back it out all the way out to get grease from the idler push.. It was falling out then.

Having a similar Cat -
You appear to be very knowledgeable and -I am not a TRACK expert- . . . but. . I would think there would have been some 'restriction' preventing the pressure release.
Did -something- get expelled after it was removed ?
The 'pressure' should be 'contained' (built up) till the relief bolt xpells . . . -or- you run out of of 'ram adjustment'.

 

[John C.]

Grease probably didn't come out because of dirt and stuff packed into the sides and back of the front idler. I've had to jack a track guitar string tight, clean out the junk and then slack off the bolt. If there is enough rust I've had to use the bucket to push the front idler back.