Replacing Brake Bands on D5

[Old Magnet]

Yes, sounds like the left brake adjuster is froze up or the threads are corroded. There is a large drain plug under the steering clutch compartments for draining. Can be drilled for a cotter pin wiggler for permanent drainage.
There are techniques for washing the clutch compartment described in the Owners Instruction Manual but that is only a temporary fix. Usually it's the pinion seals that cause the problem as they are high in the housing and dribble on to the hub and drum. Bevel gear compartment seals can also leak but the oil normally does not get to the brakes unless the compartment fills to where the drum dips in the oil. Yup, looks like your in for some serious repairs.

 

[54j]

do a search on a thread I started back in June (I think) about loosing all motion on one track...it'll go through what I had to do. Obviously you won't need to rebuild the final drives(great) but you'll need to work out why the oil is in there. two questions..how many hours has the machine done? and most importantly do you feel any 'pulsing' comeing back onto the steering brake pedal on the side with the leak?

 

[d5cat]

do a search on a thread I started back in June (I think) about loosing all motion on one track...it'll go through what I had to do. Obviously you won't need to rebuild the final drives(great) but you'll need to work out why the oil is in there. two questions..how many hours has the machine done? and most importantly do you feel any 'pulsing' comeing back onto the steering brake pedal on the side with the leak?

The total hours is around 4500. I don't really feel a pulsing when I use the brake pedal. What would be the problem if I did feel that? I will do a search on your thread to see what it contains.

 

[d5cat]

Yes, sounds like the left brake adjuster is froze up or the threads are corroded. There is a large drain plug under the steering clutch compartments for draining. Can be drilled for a cotter pin wiggler for permanent drainage.
There are techniques for washing the clutch compartment described in the Owners Instruction Manual but that is only a temporary fix. Usually it's the pinion seals that cause the problem as they are high in the housing and dribble on to the hub and drum. Bevel gear compartment seals can also leak but the oil normally does not get to the brakes unless the compartment fills to where the drum dips in the oil. Yup, looks like your in for some serious repairs.

I was able to drain all the oil. What happened is the plug that is usually there to drain the oil out of the brake compartment is no longer there. There was a bunch of dirt in the hole which caused the hole to plug up. This caused alot of oil to back up into the drum/band area. There was probably 2 gallons of oil that came out of there. My guess is it is the bevel gear seal. I knew the final drives leaked but it was never a problem until that hole got plugged because it was just able to drip out. I will do a search to see how to get all the remnant oil out of there so that the brake can engage without slipping.

 

[d5cat]

do a search on a thread I started back in June (I think) about loosing all motion on one track...it'll go through what I had to do. Obviously you won't need to rebuild the final drives(great) but you'll need to work out why the oil is in there. two questions..how many hours has the machine done? and most importantly do you feel any 'pulsing' comeing back onto the steering brake pedal on the side with the leak?

So I looked up your thread. It seems gasoline is the consensus to dump into the compartment. Did you try this? If so, did it work? I am fine with the seal leaking, I will just make sure it is being drained properly. I called CAT and they quoted me $2700 to fix the final drive seals. I asked how much to replace both brake bands while there were at it and it was $1500/per side. I damn near fell on the floor.

 

[54j]

no , I didn't try the gasoline trick as I had to pull everything apart. My opinion for what it's worth is that you may want to find out why the oil is there. The compartment is meant to be dry and from what I saw on my tractor was that the seals won't fail unless something is really wrong. I know thats an obvious thing to say but if the oil is comming from the final drive housing then I would be worried about the 10 tooth pinion at the top not running true and is 'stretching' the seal enough to allow the oil through. Before I bit the bullet and rebuilt the back end I did try degreaser and brake cleaner but it had no effect. My opinion is that you need to find out the problem, fix it and at the same time change the bands. Remember I'm no expert though.

 

[d5cat]

Well I figured I would provide an update for the people who have been following along. I was able to make a brake pedal linkage adjustment to get my left brake to work again. I was able to drain out all of the oil in the right brake compartment, then had someone spray brake cleaner (alot of it) on the right brake band/drum as I drove it back and forth with applying the brakes. So far that did the trick and the right brakes works great again. It turns out both bands/pads were fine after all.

Thanks everyone for your tips, tricks, and ideas.

 

[OldandWorn]

Good to hear when a problem takes the easy path.

 

[Old Magnet]

But!!!! Haven't fixed anything.

 

[acudanut]

This is what it looks like inside. Not a great pic but you can see how each end is pinned and the bolt on under the case.

That looks like my D7 Dozer. I unbolted one section of the brake band but cannot see any other sections to unbolt. This is kicking my butt and I cannot get the rest to slide out. errrrr

 

[Metalman 55]

We had done the same job on our D4D a few months back & could not get the band assembly to slide around until loosing the bottom support stud....then it slid around quite easy. I wonder if the D7 is the same? We only had to take the top & back inspection plates off to gain access. Think the D4D was in either 3 or 4 sections.

 

[acudanut]

I think there might be a bottom support stud. However, after taking the rear inspections plates off, I found it did me no good. I can't see anything with this cable unit mounted in the rear.
it's killing my view. eeer.
What's the purpose of this stud. ? What does it support. ?

 

[Metalman 55]

On our smaller D4D, the stud seemed to be a support, riding against the bottom of the shoe assembly, to keep the bottom of the brake band assembly up close & tight to the bottom of the drums, thus preventing the shoes from a bottom sag. If you look at one of the earlier threads here, you see the diagram of the brake shoe assembly & you can see the stud on the bottom. Hope this helps.

 

[acudanut]

The stud's job sounds legit to me. The Big question is: How to remove it, and is my cable unit mounted in the rear going to prevent this. ?
The diagram that was posted on page one is too small and blurry to see much at all. Does anyone have a better diagram of it. Thank you so much for your help.. Cheers.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .acudanut PCU shouldn't be a factor mate . . . access is from underneath tractor.

Cheers

 

[acudanut]

Well, that's good. Can't see crap in the rear inspection holes with that dang Cable unit. It will be a few days before I try to find that stud underneath. I have only been able to disconnect one portion of the sleeve/shoe. I wish I could find a better diagram. Cheers.

 

[Metalman 55]

Yes, I agree, if the D7 is the same as the smaller machines, the stud is located underneath & I think there is a jam nut to loosen first & then back off the stud for some clearance so the shoes can be slid around.

 

[acudanut]

We shall see. I'll let you know. Cheers