Thanks for watching and I highly recommend getting a Lincoln Oil Suction System. Click the Amazon Affiliate link to help the channel out and thanks for watching! amzn.to/3oaOgeZ
I’m a Ag tractor mechanic and work on earth moving equipment, I find it mentally challenging to work on trucks, I guess it comes down to what you did your time on.
Thanks for the wisdom on using suction systems for changing oil, Josh. When I worked as a boat mechanic that is how we changed the oil on every vessel since you can't even see nor reach the drain plug on inboard motors
Yeah, I used a Topsider for my car before I bought this and it worked good for little engines. People seemed confused when I don't get the big oil tanker and drain the oil out of the plug, the suction style is just much cleaner and less labor time.
Welcome to my world! Now, we just need to get you on a 349 or a D8 out of the landfill lol. We don't get the luxury of sucking the oil out, we have to drop pans/panels and clean them out as part of the service.
Oh man I got stuck as a site mechanic at a landfill years ago , freaking guy came rolling up on a Ole D-5 with steering clutch problems, freaking dead dog hanging off the blade , popped the floorboards to get to a oil leak , it had freaking maggots crawling around down in there , nasty Ole rotten food an who knows what .an the stench gets in the pores of your skin an hair , it took me 2 weeks to get the smell outta the cab of my truck, I threw my boots away .
another incredibly informative video....I'm too old to work on equipment...heck I don't even do my own oil changes on my Cat C7 in my RV...but watching your videos makes me wish I was younger so I could get down and dirty....Nah...I'm ok with paying a good mechanic to do the work. :)
Hey Larry, thanks for the comment as always. Your never too old to work on stuff, it just gets harder and more painful I would say. Your strategy of having others do it is a smart decision.
Great content. I worked at South worth Milton cat through the 90s. From 2000 till now on my own. I literally finish your sentences for you like twins. Cool how cat trained technicians all troubleshoot the same.
At the dealer I work at, you work on one type of equipment, and that's it. For example, I work on all kinds of scrapers, and that's it. From 613 to 657
You are so cute some times. That belly pan was so clean, I wish to come across them that clean. But I do mobile repairs and do not often have a chance to clean them
I don’t know how I came across your channel…. I’m a home owner with a few pieces of diesel equipment for side gigs…. I’ve been fixing random things on these old machines, so your videos are somewhat related. But the thing I like the most is your attention to detail and your sense of humor!
My coworker was trying to fix a gas engine fuel pump and it wasn't starting. He ended up trying to put a $2000 spark module when it was a sparkplug. Its better for us diesel mechanics to stick to diesels
You should do a tour through the forestry division if your dealership has one, that will educate you to some home brewed repairs. You did a great job as always!
I had to laugh when I saw the title of the video. Years ago I took my Pete with a 3176 to the cat dealer. They asked me if it was ok to let a Equipment mechanic work on my truck. I told them no problem nuts and bolts work the same. Well he put the water pump on and it was a bad part out of the box. So I had to keep waiting for them to replace the "new" water pump again. I was there for almost 9 hours for a 3-4 hour job. I did get a free Cat hat out of the deal.
That's probably the best way to sneak in a sponsored ad. I was curious enough to not skip it. I'd rather pull the plug. I don't do enough oil changes on my Acura
Oil evacuation. Great example of working smarter not harder. Better than dealing with a skid plate with 300lbs of mud inside, or crawling under it in water mud and sharp rock. Great tip!
Learn the equipment its more challenging you will earn more and open avenues of oppurtunity.I used to work for a Cat dealer as a truck engine mechanic. Found it boring after changing 3000 head gaskets on 3406Bs when cat changed from asbestos head gaskets to non asbestos. Learn the equipment youll make more $.
I have very mixed feelings about oil changes from evacuators thru the dipstick opening. My dump truck with a Cat engine has 2 sumps with 2 drain plugs so if using an evacuator wouldn't really work on this. Also, the manufacturers have usually engineered the proper drainage thru the drain plug.
Agreed. I’ve seen a video where they showed a vacuum oil ch age left several quarts of oil behind. If it wasn’t designed for it it’s not meant to be used that way.
Oil extractors are great. I got one for 45 bucks that just builds the vacuum with a hand pump and it easily sucks my engine dry in under 10 minutes and its so clean and easy to do.
Gosh, if you'd had a classic Duramax over the years, you would have immediately recognized the bleeder gasket/o-ring failure sucking air on the hand priming pump. Great video!!
I’m a 32 year old everything mechanic . Luckily in Alberta Canada we have excellent training . But really it’s all nuts and bolts . But there is a give and take . Some people know everything about some things . And some people know some things about everything .
I love the vacuum canisters especially when replacing injectors it’s always nice to suck that bit of fuel off the top of the pistons. But doing an oil change with it doesn’t allow the parts to come out the bottom on the plug. I prefer to let the oil drain out well I’m doing all my other greasing and inspections. All the off-road equipment I work on has Cat quick drain systems on them. Once the oil has completely removed I slow the pump down and let them gurgle away for a while.
I have recently started using an oil extractor for doing my cars as we use them at work (I'm a small engine mechanic) and its so much easier. I did it on my 4x4 when i was servicing it and pulled the drain plug to check how much oil was still in the pan and not a drop came out. Was pretty happy with that
Hey mate watching from Australia i turn to you with cat issues i think you are doing a great job at explaining Cat engines and equipment keep up the good work lots of love from Australia
Great video Josh. I'm experiencing almost the exact same issue with my 303.5D excavator. I suspected that it is somehow pulling air into the system, but I wasn't sure how go about finding the leak. I started watching your video and saw that you installed a section of clear tubing in the fuel system to check for air bubbles. Awesome idea! I originally suspected an air leak either in the fuel priming pump or a seal in the water separator. I look forward to trying your method to see if it can help me locate my issue. The timing of this video was perfect! Thanks.
I got a good chuckle from this one, being a Truck Tech too, the last three weeks though have been Dirt show for me also. The CAT dealer's that I work for would never let me create all these videos, ypo much propriatary and too much lost time. Lucky You!
Nice work. I have a very similar oil evacuation system. Looks identical but I purchased it from NAPA under the Crew Chief brand. Probably made by Lincoln. I purchased it for when I was doing some boat work and small engine work but quickly found it works for so much more. And I HATE working on boats.lol The bubble test works great on fuel system testing. There always seems to be some small bubbles due to entrained air but like you mentioned the big bubbles are what cause issues. Also a good reason for positive pressure fuel supply pumps. I've installed them on RV's and well worth it. Mike
With that truck, how the driver never noticed something drastically wrong with the brakes long before the state it was in when you got it into your hands is mind boggling. Also it certainly wasn't getting any pretrip check for a very long time. That certainly is the type of mess that DOT has every reason to have towed off the road.
I've still got 4 of the original brake cans on my truck, 1999 fld 120 with a bit shy of 1.8mill on it. The only reason the other 2 got replaced was one of the springs broke so I replaced both, even the diaphragm was original with a manufactured 1998 stamp. You may know the person who rebuilt it, was rebuilt in Idaho in 2012 before I got it and still running great.
I use an electric positive displacement pump. You have to put a little oil down the tube so the internal vanes get an air tight seal. I find they are very quick and have no issues with sucking out cool or cold oil. I’ve just not had much luck with Venturi systems.
Great video, I've been into a lot of workshops to diagnose "electrical problems" after the customer has had similar problems , but changed the fuel pump, fuel injectors & common rail. Then claim it is a ecu problem & its electrical. I do a couple of tests like yours & find its that fuel filter housing is letting in air or the filter hasn't been changed in 5 years or they've fitted inline air connectors on to the plastic fuel pipes.
Used to see the primer heads fail on ford diesel cars over here, I used to completely cover the primer button with a thick layer of heavy grease and if that was the issue it would cure the fuel drain back and stumbling issues and could even last for weeks as a temporary repair.
The destruction of the week reminded me of a guy I saw setting slack adjusters while the truck was out of air. Yes the brakes were out of adjustment that bad but I’ve seen anyone set brakes and not know the system has to be aired up.
Oh would it be nice for you to work on more heavy equipment engines. Probably the best Cat engine pro in the world very very intelligent guy. Wont find anyone better in my eyes
As an equipment mechanic who doesn't work for a manufacturer and gets to work on just about every brand, cat makes good engines and big dirt equipment but sucks at absolutely everything else, also alot of their smaller, or off type equipment is usually just rebranded other brands with a few options changed or added
Mounting a double diaphragm pump onto your tank works well . Your rental house fleet should install hydraulic fittings on all oil pans. ( quick couplers) Very efficient and oil messes eliminated . This set-up is very fast
I can definitely see how the oil vacuum is cleaner but I always pull the plug to inspect the magnet on the drain plug for metal. This is of course on my own equipment, I like to catch things early before I have my own destruction of the week. Lol...
I have a Mighty Vac system that you pump up like pump sprayer. I bought that 20 years ago to change oil in my cars and boat. I’m glad the driver is doing a good pre trip inspection on that truck. 😳
You talked about changing oils using your vacuum tank and not taking the drain plug out just wanted to say most drain plugs have a magnet it’s always a good idea to check it for metal shavings every oil change
I love the cat filter comment I find it interesting caterpillar doesn’t make their own filters the filter housing isn’t caterpillar either they were using those on John Deers 20 years ago
Caterpillar doesn’t make their own filters? Where do you get your information from? The filter housing on this application may not appear to be caterpillar, as was also shown, the engine wasn’t actually a Cat engine but I bet there’s a seven digit Cat part number on each. The engines, even when built by other companies, are built to Cat specs and most parts are not interchangeable with their counterparts.
Warren from Western Truck And Tractor Repair can do it all. I would consider him an Elite Master Heavy Duty Mechanic. He would be the Vympel Unit in the special forces world.
Hey Josh, I watched the whole video and unfortunately that's not a digger either. I think it's a small house destroyer lmao. Have a great day friend. I love watching your videos
I currently work on garbage trucks and other related medium-duty trucks, but I'm looking to eventually transition into earth moving and heavy equipment. Most of what I do now is hydraulics and driveline stuff (brakes, bearings and seals, etc.) and a lot of minor repairs. We pretty much do no engine work in our shop. How do you feel about working on something like this, and also how easily could skills from working on trucks transfer over? My specialty is hydraulics, so I believe that I would probably enjoy this type of work. Just wanted some thoughts on the matter, thanks for the video.
I do most of the maintenance on our Cat machines at work and thats the easy part. A lot of the hydro stuff is a giant pain in the ass, sometimes zero room for tools etc.Need the patience of a saint at times .I would excavators can be the worst as far as hydro repairs.Parts of the machine are built around it it seems like and makes changing lines a nightmare.
I started on Ag Equipment, moved up Automotive, then went Heavy Truck , then jumped to Construction Equipment as a Road Mechanic ( they call it mobile now ) an never looked back , ended up as Shop Foreman the last 10 yrs at a Cat Dealer . I have bent wrench's for near 45 yrs An DONE !!! 🤣
7:10 false, I’ve seen videos that the suction tube doesn’t remove all the oil. If the engine wasn’t designed for it the pan can still hold more oil. I saw a oil change that was sucked and there was still 3 quarts of oil left in the pan.
That's not an excavator. That is a toy. I've worked on excavators that you can fit five of them inside the bucket and still have room to service them. When you're draining oil into 55 gallon barrels, with a bank of filters. You know your working on equipment.
An unrelated question that I forgot if you've answered before, but does Cat mount both electrical generator and hydraulic pumps to the engine at the same time for marine applications?
I'm a big fan of yours, you're a wealth of information on cat truck engines! But I don't agree with you on aftermarket filters, you basically fixed the problem when you tightened the drain of the wix/napa filter. I haven't seen a failure from a decent quality aftermarket filter yet! But maybe I'm just lucky. Ha. I'm going to say that guy is money ahead with the napa filter ordered on a bulk order at $4 a filter to a cat at $40! I'm still dealing with cat releasing all the filters for my cat 262B skidder. But you're still the greatest cat truck tech I know of!👍
I don't like the design of the equipment filters with all the plastic rings and what not. A Mitsubishi oil filter would have been OEM in this instance. On the larger engines with normal style filters I still really prefer the Cat filters. Thanks for watching.
I'm still not happy with the air bubbles. It's getting in somewhere. The amount is going to be influenced by the size of the leak and the vacuum level at the leak. It's not a tank vent problem because it starts immediately. My first check would be an obstruction in the tank pickup. The fast test is to put a vacuum gauge on the supply line ahead of the fuel pump. It should read close to zero. Then go from there.
