FLUSHING AND FILLING FINAL DRIVE FLUID | CAT 303 MINI EX (HOW TO)

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised when I went to flush this fluid and the final drives were completely dry. No fluid in there at all. Makes me wonder how long this machine has been run like that? Well, they have fluid now. Hopefully the damage hasn't already been done. More videos to come on this machine and others around the farm!

[@jfitz9624]

I have a 304, same finals I assume since my manual covers 303-305 and says 1 quart of fluid for all. But I’ve never got more than 16oz in before it’s spilling out of the level plug. Which is weird, with a final drive, most of not all the oil comes out when you drain it. Good choice on the 75w90. These don’t like thicker gear oil. I have years of oil analysis on mine where I tried 75w140 for a period. The sampling lab suggested 30wt T0-4 fluid in mine, and not gear oil. So I just did a flush and refill. Diesel is what the cat techs recommend for the flush. Fill it, lift the track and run it back and forth a few times, drain and refill with oil.

[@user-rm4cw9zo2j]

Does running track back and forth with diesel in the final drive not damage it? I want to use something to flush mine out but was afraid to run the track back and forth.

[@jfitz9624]

@@user-rm4cw9zo2j no, it doesn’t hurt anything. I’m talking lifting the track off the ground and running it back and forth, so no load on it. Just go back and forth a couple times to get it all sloshed around in there then drain it. I think it’s a good idea to flush them every service. If you’re worried about it just fill it to the very top, then pull the drain plug. That’ll still flush it out pretty good without running the track.

[@johncollins8304]

I'm gonna have to go out an see if mine (Takeuchi TB01) is likewise "unbelievable". Hope not...

[@J_S209]

I’d fill it and run it for a few hours and then perhaps drain again and refill. Filling it and flushing it straight away is just wasting good oil ... not like gear oil is high detergency and this method is achieving any cleaning effect.

[@RockyBottomAcres]

That’s very true - didn’t think of that.