Track adjuster won't accept grease

[Mark A Weiss]

I've been working on trying to free mine for nearly 3 weeks now. The only movement is the recoil spring stretching, which made me wonder if the giant nut near the Zerk is holding the whole thing in place. I've whacked it, I've yanked on it with a chain. I've flooded it with nearly 2 gallons of WD40 purchased in bulk and sprayed in with an Agway pressure sprayer. The only thing I haven't done is gotten two CAT D9 bulldozers to pull from opposing ends of the track. It's really solidly in, like it's welded in place.

 

[carguy]

So it sounds like your track is still in place? If so there's no way you're going to pull the assembly out of there.
That "giant nut" is only about 1 1/16". That's the valve unit, and it's held in place with a piece of 90 degree angle steel, which is held on to the assembly with a couple of smaller bolts. That is only there to prevent removing the valve, allowing a slight release of grease. All of that will come out with the assembly.
I'm curious as to how you know the spring is stretching. It's hidden inside the frame.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I realize that the adjuster cannot be removed with the track in place, but it should move a little until the track slack is taken up. Mine does not move at all. If it moved even slightly, the big nut and Zerk should have moved but they did not.
The big nut I'm referring to looks to be over 3" in diameter. Some are saying that holds the spring in place and not to touch it. I've already removed the keeper plate and the smaller nut with the Zerk in it last week. Tested the Zerk (it passes grease) and put it back together after still being unable to move the piston.
How do I know the spring is moving? Because when I pull on the idler, it moves forward 1/2" and then returns to it's former position when I remove the pulling force. It's certainly acting like the spring is pulling back. Same thing when I was pushing in to loosen the track. It would move in a few fractions of an inch and then spring back to former position.

I contacted AMS for a new assembly and asked about how to remove mine and this was there reply:

"Mark,
You’re very welcome! There should be a bolt to loosen adjuster so you can pull it out. Keep me in the loop, it’s not too difficult to remove and once you get it out, I’ll be happy to help you move forward.
Thank you,


An Industry Leading Supplier

Stefan Pendergrass
Account Executive"

 

[John C.]

"Account Executive" means know nothing sales person.

 

[Swetz]

"Account Executive" means know nothing sales person.

LOL

Kinda like my boss! They call him a bean counter...LOL

 

[carguy]

I realize that the adjuster cannot be removed with the track in place, but it should move a little until the track slack is taken up. Mine does not move at all. If it moved even slightly, the big nut and Zerk should have moved but they did not.
The big nut I'm referring to looks to be over 3" in diameter. Some are saying that holds the spring in place and not to touch it. I've already removed the keeper plate and the smaller nut with the Zerk in it last week. Tested the Zerk (it passes grease) and put it back together after still being unable to move the piston.
How do I know the spring is moving? Because when I pull on the idler, it moves forward 1/2" and then returns to it's former position when I remove the pulling force. It's certainly acting like the spring is pulling back. Same thing when I was pushing in to loosen the track. It would move in a few fractions of an inch and then spring back to former position.

I contacted AMS for a new assembly and asked about how to remove mine and this was there reply:

"Mark,
You’re very welcome! There should be a bolt to loosen adjuster so you can pull it out. Keep me in the loop, it’s not too difficult to remove and once you get it out, I’ll be happy to help you move forward.
Thank you,


An Industry Leading Supplier

Stefan Pendergrass
Account Executive"

Mmmmm I'm not sure I trust this answer. There IS a big nut holding the assembly together and if you look back over the earlier responses here you'll see warnings about the power in that spring when it's released. If yours is identical to mine I guarantee you there is nothing holding that assembly in place except for the track itself. I installed the thing myself and it just slid into place (well, it wasn't as easy as that, but...) and I pulled the track back over the idler. Then pump grease in to tighten.

Ha ha I read again "help you move forward". Yes, if you're sitting in front of the idler when the nut lets go.....

 

[Mark A Weiss]

It's like the back end of that spring were welded to the frame though. Every video I could find on replacing this part shows it sliding out without removing any bolts. I would think with a track as loose as mine is (stretched it out trying to loosen the adjuster with blocks of wood between the idler and track) would allow the whole assembly to pull back when the idler is yanked on with a chain tied to the bucket. But even with full hydraulic power applied to the limit, all I did was slightly stretch the spring, only to have it go back again when I release the pulling force. The back end of that spring is solidly stuck. I know not how any rust can be stronger than the hydraulics, but this one's stuck. It should move to the point where the track becomes taught, but it doesn't move at all.

Oh yeah, I'm leery of that spring, believe me, I've been reading the threads.

 

[carguy]

It's like the back end of that spring were welded to the frame though. Every video I could find on replacing this part shows it sliding out without removing any bolts. I would think with a track as loose as mine is (stretched it out trying to loosen the adjuster with blocks of wood between the idler and track) would allow the whole assembly to pull back when the idler is yanked on with a chain tied to the bucket. But even with full hydraulic power applied to the limit, all I did was slightly stretch the spring, only to have it go back again when I release the pulling force. The back end of that spring is solidly stuck. I know not how any rust can be stronger than the hydraulics, but this one's stuck. It should move to the point where the track becomes taught, but it doesn't move at all.

Oh yeah, I'm leery of that spring, believe me, I've been reading the threads.

And you're sure the track isn't holding you back? When you pull out on the idler doesn't the track stretch tight?

Two things....first is get that track off by unbolting it. If you can't then while pulling on the idler keep the tension on it and whack the assembly wherever you can reach it....tough to do with the track on though. If you could reach in behind the assembly through the opening in the frame, stick a steel bar in there and bang on the end of it. It sure sounds like you will have to hit it hard while under pressure. That's how the shop did it when getting mine unstuck....they had the assembly under pressure and then banged it with a sledge. Just pulling on it won't be enough.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

Oh believe me when I say this, that I've been all through it with iron bars and 16lb sledgehammer, and I've flooded the entire assembly with almost 2 gallons of WD40, care of a pesticide pressure sprayer, and I could not get it to move.

If the track were truly holding it in place, then I should be able to pull the track taught when pulling on the idler (I put a thick iron bar through a hole in the idler and used a chain wrapped around each end of the bar to the bucket and pulled. Bent the bar into a U shape, but the spring stretched temporarily about 1/2").. even with all that pulling power, the track was still sloppy loose and hanging down. And as soon as I released the pull on the idler, it sprung back to original position.

Two weeks ago, I removed the Zerk fitting and shot Marvel Mystery Oil into the space where the grease goes, then put the fitting back and pumped it full of grease and waited. I've let the grease out and pumped in new grease dozens of times over the past 3 weeks and not a single mm of movement. The spring stretches or compresses a little depending on whether I push or pull on the idler (pushed by inserting four 2x4s on the track and running it backwards. That's how I pushed back the adjuster on the other side of the machine.)

It really seems like the spring seat at the Zerk end of the assembly is affixed to the frame right there, as if welded in place. Seems like this track is original from Japan too, as the part number is a Japanese number. The other side has an American part number like the ones we're familiar with. So this side on the right with the stuck adjuster may have the original factory track from who knows how many years ago and has never been changed.

 

[carguy]

No one in their right mind would weld that in there.....absolutely no reason. Seems like all you have left now is get out the acetylene outfit and heat the blazes out of it, yank it and bang it. Lay a steel plate on the track over it. Let the WD40 burn. Keep water handy.
Another bright idea....run it back and forth over rocky places and give the assembly a good workout.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

That is a gawdawful lot of mass to heat up. I have a Prest-o-lite acetyline torch, but I doubt that's going to be adequate to heat it enough. I suppose if I can get a good fire going in that assembly (and keep it from spreading) that the heat might reach a point where it might help unstick things. Heck, it might even unstick the piston/adjuster. I dunno.
In a week or two, my neighbor's making another trip to his dad's in PA and can bring some sort of hydraulic device that can exert 30,000lbs of force. We can stick it in the opening near the Zerk fitting and try to push out that whole assembly.
I've driven it all over the yard, over rocks and so on, but that adjuster remains as steadfast as if it were welded in place. I've never seen anything this stuck before.

 

[Kobelco ireland]

Please don't light a fire anywhere in that area or anywhere on a machine ever. When you do have to remove the track it will be easier to see what going on in there. Don't waste any more time of money trying to diagnosis a problem that you can see with the track still on the machine. My bet on why the idler won't pull out is the spring has broken and maybe fallen down inside the frame. When the track is off the machine you can look up between the bottom rollers and you will be able to see what's holding it in

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I guess if the spring has broken and fallen into the machine, then that would stop the adjuster from working too?

 

[Mark A Weiss]

Snuck a smartphone selfie camera under the track and this is what is looks like. I don't see any broken spring though. What do you think?