You final drives are the most expensive component of your excavator undercarriage so you want to look after it. In this blog, we will look at how to change the oil in your final drives and check for possible hazards.
Final drives either have two or three plugs. Those with three have a full, level and drain plug. Those with two, have a drain plug and the level plug also serves as the fill plug.
The first step is to clear any debris out of the plug holes. You can either do that with a flat head screwdriver or a pick. You then want to align the final drive so the fill plug is at 12 o'clock, the level at 3 o'clock and the drain at 6 o'clock. You want to drain the top plug first. If there is pressure in the final drive and you unplug the drain plug first, oil could come shooting out covering you and your surroundings with oil - the Green Peace people are not going to be amused with that.
Then crack the level plug open to see if the oil level is topped up. The plugs typically have an o-ring that seals in the oil. You want to check for any damage on these plug o-rings. Having checked that the oil level is good and there is no pressure, you can crack open the drain plug and drain the old oil. It can be a good idea to pump new oil into the drive that will flush out the old oil. This can be done with a 1 liter container that has a spout on the end that will squirt new oil to flush out the old.
You now want to put the drain plug back in and leave the other two plugs open. Tighten the drain plug immediately to ensure you do not forget later on. Check the maintenance manual to establish the quantity and type of oil that must be used. Pump the new oil in through the fill plug until it starts to drain out of the level plug. Then put back and tighten both the level and the fill plugs. You can then use some brake cleaner to remove the excess oil off the outside of the drive.
You then want to take the old oil and check for metal fillings or any unusual colour in the oil. If the oil has a milky colour, it may be contaminated with water. You can go down to your local lab or dealership to buy oil sample kits. Fill the kit with a sample of oil, complete the paperwork and drop the kit off at where you bought it, and they will give you a full report of anything wrong with the oil.
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