RD7 Track Adjuster

Well, yes and no.
Instructions are to use the adjuster to move the idler forward so you can block between the idler and the track frame then dismantle the push arms and remove the recoil spring as an assembly. In your case you will have to come up with a substitute to move the idler if the adjuster is nonfunctional.

Thanks Old Magnet. Here is the picture out of my parts book of the spring and adjuster. I assume that you are calling guides that are bolted by the S-1577 bolts the push arms? My plan is to break the track and take the S-1577 bolts out and slide the idler forward to remove the spring assembly. The spring should be fully released when the idler is slid all the way forward. I hope to find a service manual for this machine sometime. I have a operators, parts and engine manual already. Are they available thru Cat? [attachment=33846]DSC01333.jpg[/attachment] Thanks Jim

Sorry, I was initially thinking early D7 not RD7.
On the RD7 you do need to split the tracks as you say.
To break the tracks and get the spring assembly out of there with a suspected broken adjuster bolt is a bit hazardous. To begin with you need to pull the idler back to release pressure on the tracks in order to separate them. This is usually done by running a chain between the idler and a sprocket spoke and using tractor power. Once you separate the tracks you can then control the release of the recoil spring.
When you get the springs released then you can remove the 8 cap screws in plate 2B8958 and separate the recoil spring from the yoke, remove the guides if need be, remove the guide clamp and broken piece of spring bolt and remove the springs.

The only way to safely remove the spring if the centre bolt is broken and it is pressuring the track is to remove the spring guides split the track under the sprocket, to hold the track together, and carefully reverse the machine until all spring pressure is released. There is at least 15-20 tons of pressure held there.
If it is the adjuster section of the thread gone, you cannot undo the retaining nut to release pressure, this is very dangerous, So you have to remove the complete assembly, very carefully, and clamp the springs up together to release pressure on the centre bolt and cut it off to fit a new one.
The use of chains to hold spring pressure horrifies me, the chain can become shrapnel under this sort of pressure.
This is a potentially a very dangerous operation and should be thought through at every stage, keeping fingers and yourself well away as much as possible.

Addendum, there is no need to remove the spring guides, let the whole lot go forward.

This is not an unheard of process, just bigger on the RD7.

That is on a D4 OM, and is only to get the track split and let the idler go, in this case the front guides have to come off. It could be used to get the track slack to take out the master pin on the RD7, but his complaint is that the thread is gone in the adjuster, there is no way it is safe to try and remove the retainer nut if the thread is that bad. I saw this in the old reference books back in my apprenticeship days, I never had to do it that way my main concern is that if you went back to far, the chain would slide down the sprocket spoke, just something to be aware of. I also reckon that you would have to be careful about the chain length to get enough travel to let the spring go completely slack.

He says the bolt turns but nothing happens. If the adjuster nut was stripped the bolt wouldn't turn. Reads as a broken bolt to me and that's probably better than having to deal with unloading the spring pressure from a removed assembly. He should tell us if the tracks are at maximum extension.

That's what we need to know OM, he says the 'bolt' turns but nothing about track tension, if the bolt was broken inside the spring, I reckon we would have a different question about the track being too tight.