I am back to dealing with the same old problem with Cats that sit.  D4  6U.  Stuck steering clutches. I managed to get the pony working and the main started up and purrs like a kitten, but the steering clutches have not gotten any better. I bought it with stuck clutches before covid changed everything and now that the big engine is running, I need advice on the clutches. I only have about 50 feet to go forward and back where I am located, so enough driving to get the clutches hot is not possible. I am considering pouring 1/2 ATF and 1/2 acetone into the compartments and letting them soak. 1st question is HOW MUCH SHOULD I PUT IN?  Next question would be if taking the two inspection plates off of the back of the rear end housing and heating the clutch compartment before I add the loose juice be worth doing. I know that this has been discussed many times before, but I would appreciate any advice.  Thanks

I've mixed ATF and acetone in the past because I'd read it was the best at loosening stuck things, but I found the 2 fluids were not stable over time, and would separate out from each other, so I went back to my regular diesel and ATF mix which works well, so my advice is use diesel and ATF.

As to quantity, I'd put as much in there as I could, there is the possibility your loose juice will migrate into the tranny via the cross shaft seals, so you might find yourself "losing" loose juice for awhile, but keep topping it up, and aim to change your tranny oil.

Your other option is fill the clutch compartments 2/3 full and plan on dragging the Cat backwards or forwards every few weeks to ensure the whole clutch pack gets soaked.

I have a RD6 here that had a badly rusted steering clutch, the brake adjuster covers on the tranny top were missing and it had sat outside for years, I tried everything to get it to release, including dragging a big log for hours and riding the brake till I had smoke pouring out of the compartment and wore the brake lining off, that didn't work, so I ended up filling the compartment with a citric acid solution and a small fish tank pump to circulate it, and let that soak the clutch for a few weeks.

After that I tied the RD6 to a large tree with a chain with both steering clutch levers tied back in the release position, put the old girl in 1st gear and let her try digging her own grave, it only took a few seconds and the stuck clutch popped loose, she obviously woke up to the fact I was determined to win......LOL

Deebo wrote:

You should have told her that you don’t let up Mike! She learned the hard way.. pity you didn’t get that on video

Tony

Ha ha, you are right Tony, but to be honest I wasn't confident it would work, it was my last roll of the dice, that steering clutch compartment had a lot of water in it when I dragged her home.

Have you made any new progress on your D4?
Mike
 

Thanks Mike. I had not thought of the two chemicals separating. Dealing with diesel is probably safer than gallons of acetone anyway. When I got the big engine running, I was like a teenager popping the main clutch to try to break things free. That didnt do anything but was fun. I planned on changing the transmission fluid but I will wait until I am thru soaking the clutches. I hope it works.

My most recent D4 had very reluctant steering.. I couldn't find the drain plugs at first so I pulled one adjusting screw that supports brake band. Lots of oil came out. I think I put about 3 gallons of gas in there.
It was not enough to submerge everything but came a few inches up on the drum. You can see what is going on by removing one of the plates on the back. There was enough gas in there to slosh around good. I eventually found the drain plugs, they are the big ones like the oil pan and trans drain. I will leave them out for now to see if I can track down where the oil came from. I may be in for a re seal of bevel gear shaft. Another problem I am having is sticking bell crank bearing at top of case. Hard to get lube to those needle bearing.

I know this is not the same as your problem, but only to tell how much liquid to use to wash. I f you can move cat 50 ft back and fourth 3-5 gallons is probably enough. I f you can't move it it would take a lot to submerge everything. I would drain all liquid before trying the ride the brake for heat method. If the brakes are good you won't need a tree.

8C361, thank you. The amount of fluid to soak things will help a lot. I am also thinking of doing what Mike Myers suggested, but in reverse order. I may try the citric acid bath for a day or so, and then the ATF/diesel mix. My thinking on this (which may be wrong) is that the citric acid doesnt clean off grease, and after an ATF/diesel soak, everything will be oily and might keep the acid from doing much. I am going to try to raise the temperature in the housing with 24 hours of a blow dryer running hot air thru it and then add the hot citric acid. In this Fall weather, I dont know if it will make much difference, but heating cant hurt anything. It will be a week or so before I can get to it, so I will keep you posted when I do. Thanks, Grant.

You are right, Citric acid will not work on oily greasy items, but it needs at least a week in warm weather, longer in cool weather