350C Reverser Slipping

[mbetti]

3 years ago I purchased a 1984 350C crawler from a 1 owner, deceased person estate. The engine was seized from sitting for several years with a rotted out muffler. The liners had frozen and busted in the block. Anyway I pulled the engine and did a major overhaul on it. I also replaced all fluids in the machine. The oil I found in the reverser was quite alarming looking, kind of muddy. Looked a lot like the oil we find in a failed automatic transmission that uses fiber type plates. The filter had 1984 stamped on it, so much for maintenance. I had one of my friendly 350B experts look at it and he said leave the reverser alone, 3500 hours and the front shaft was nice and tight yet. So I reinstalled the engine, rebuilt under carriage, paint, seat, radiator, muffler, adjust steering, etc. The machine looks like new. I have started to work it last year and noticed that I had reverser slippage. I checked pressures and found them low. Turned out to be the clutch pedal not returning on its own. Now I find the reverser slips in 3rd and 4th gears under any kind of load other than traveling. I also notice that I can get 2 gear to slip when the unit is good and hot and getting it in a good bind. I don’t believe it is in the final drives, since I can select a lower gear and not slip. This year I rechecked reverser pressure and I am at 150 psi at 2650. The pressure just gets there at that rpm. At 2000 I am probably at 120 or so. Something tells me I need to pull the reverser out of this machine. Anyone think differently? I use this machine around the house, accumulated about 60 hours on it so far.

[jdemaris]

This year I rechecked reverser pressure and I am at 150 psi at 2650. The pressure just gets there at that rpm. At 2000 I am probably at 120 or so. Something tells me I need to pull the reverser out of this machine. Anyone think differently? I use this machine around the house, accumulated about 60 hours on it so far.

It should not even slip at 120 PSI. 120 PSI is all the reverser clutches need (if good) but the wet steering clutches need more or they slip pretty bad. I've done tests on many older 350s that only had 100 PSI in the reverser and worked fine.

If you are dead sure your steering clutches are not what's slipping then it's time for a tear-down. Many of 1010s and 350s with reversers and dry steering clutches worked fine at 120 PSI.

As I recall isn't there a little inspection door on top of the back of the trans so you can see your ring gear? If so, make it slip and see if the ring gear is still turning. If it IS, it's the steering clutches doing the slipping. If not, you know it's the reverser.

[mbetti]

The book calls for 150 psi at 2650, which is exactly where I am at. I guess the C's run a little higher.

[jdemaris]

The book calls for 150 psi at 2650, which is exactly where I am at. I guess the C's run a little higher.

Yes. Like I said, the C HAS to be set higher because the reverser powers the hydraulic clutch packs in the steering clutches. It is those steering clutches that need 150 PSI, not the reverser itself. Deere allowed setting the reverser down to 100 PSI when dry steering clutches were used.