ecostruction wrote:Ok, so if you find a 350 without these problems, then what to do to prevent these from occuring? Is it pointless to go down the road of a 350? Why can't the studs between the reverser and the transmission be replaced and correct washers fitted and everything re-torqued to the appropriate specs?
What is the cost of the retrofit IP? And where can you find one?
350s get in that kind of condition from being used too hard, and/or being taken apart and then . . . not put back together properly. So, if you were to find a 350 in good shape - and then took care of it and didn't abuse it - it would be fine other than normal repairs needed from normal wear.
As to the 3/4" bolts and studs that join the trans. case to the reverser case? They are adequate in size to do the job. But, once a machine is run with them loose, they pull out and the locating/centering dowells get loose. Running a machine that way is abusing it - but it gets done often.
About fixing it? Well, I guess anything mechanical that man created, can be fixed. The question is - at what level of expense is it still worth it?
If you have a 350 for example - with loose cases and shafts with stripped splines, you have this. A reverser that needs a minimum of $1200 in parts - and that's NOT for a genuine rebuild. A transmiission that needs $1000 in parts - again - just for a new shaft and not a rebuild. Then - you've got the problem of - stripped bolt holes - AND - egg-shaped locating dowels. With the stripped bolt holes - in most cases it can be fixed almost as strong as new by drilling oversize and installing thread inserts as long as it's done properly. It is very difficult to drill a straight hole that large with a hand-held 1/2" or 3/4" drill.
With the egg-shaped dowels? They must be tight - and must match both cases so when they are joined - the centerline of the reverser output shaft and the transmission input shaft are perfectly in-line. If not - the splines hammer out quickly. Due to the sizes and weight of the two cases - they are not easy to handle -and doing a repair job like this is difficult - and VERY expensive if you hire a machine shop to do it. It can be done, in a home shop if a person is skilled and innovative. The dowel holes need to be bored oversize, and then oversize dowels fitted with the cases perfectly inline. There are many other crawlers that don't have this particular problem - but all crawlers have their own particular pros and cons.
With the obsolete injection pump? Deere used to sell a change-over kit for around $1000 and it came with a brand new pump. They still sell the parts but they are all individual and the pump is now a rebuilt unit, not new. You have several options. You can find your own used injection pump somewhere - and then just buy the kit from Deere minus the pump.
Or, buy all the parts from Deere. I've done several and I buy used pumps when possible, take them apart, and "rebuild" myself. I use quotes because injection pumps are never truly rebuilt - just patched up, repaired, and recalibrated with most major parts reused, not renewed.
The one unique item needed for the change-over is the special pump adapter shft that Deere makes. It allows you to use the old timing gear inside the front of the engine - and matches it to the other style injection pump. If I had any Deere with the obsolete pump, I'd at least buy that shaft from Deere while it's still available. You never know when it will get discontinued.
If you ever see a Deere with the injection pump held on by half-circle clamps - it has the changeover kit installed. The clamps are there because the two original mounting studs coming out of the engine don't match the holes in the JDB type pump.
Here's the current list of change-over parts and prices from Deere.
AR69817 is $1639 outright, or $1439 with a good core. It is a rebuilt pump.
AR69809 pump adapter kit is $137.50
R48126 linkage rod - $59.40
AR50894 fuel line - $33.83
AR50895 fuel line $29.15
AT27615 fuel line $23.38
Here's a photo of a changeover pump installed on a Deere 152.
![Image](http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m162/jdemaris/injectionpump.jpg)