T 3-15 engine swap

[Alexhasson]

ok so I've done a bit more since i've updated this thread. here goes.
First off you'll notice a lot of rust removal and painting. you'll see that through out.

taking some parts off


more parts off


Not pictured are the hoses all off and new hoses were made. also some cylinders were rebuilt.

I welded in tabs to bolt in a battery tray. holds a large boat battery.


outriggers and under carriage cleaned, prepped and painted


I had to do a lot of torch work on the bucket, some bends and cracks.


the mounting block took a little damage trying to remove that main pin. it took some effort to uninstall it.


Here's the main boom swing bracket, it had a lot of wear on the collar that caused slop and play while using the hoe.


here's that bastard pin 1.25" shaft that was seized in place. welded multiple nuts to run an impact on it while torching beezwax on the shaft. it did free up but not with out a fight.


here's the new shaft before cutting with one of the new beefy collars tacked in place


swing bracket installed and tight as a drum


more parts installed, i reused some of the 1" pins but some had too much wear and needed replaced.


further reassembly


more reassembly



i don't have pics yet but i have since added hoses and installed the outriggers. I'll be doing some more work on the engine cover before putting it back to work. But i'm hoping that with this winters efforts this machine will be easier to service and have additional productive years.

more to come.

 

[Alexhasson]

So ... it's November 2019. The engine swap was in the summer of 2014. For the record it has lasted 5+ years and still going.

I did end up rebuilding the hydrostatic trans. and some more cylinders over the years. the 70's model trans are made by Vickers and Eaton owns them now so Eaton has parts to rebuild.

I also had more water in the hydraulics some time ago and i finally took off the loader arms to uncover the cracked welds. it confirmed the theory. they are repaired now but i still tarp it at all times.

the engine has done well, no complaints. no issues. it has yet to not start, i've never cleaned the carb, it just keeps rolling. so i'm very happy with it.

the only complaint is on the T3-15 itself. the owners manual recommends multiple weight oils. literally says "ISO48 , 64 or 150". well which is it? I guess it's summer vs winter weights. currently have 48 so i think in the spring i'm switching to 64 for the long term since i'm more summer use than winter. I can put a magnetic pan warmer on it if i need to in the winter. important note, i accidentally put ISO32 in it because the drum wasn't labeled and that stuff was weeping out of seals nearly immediately. so don't go too light.

anyway. Harbor freight engine has passed the 5 year mark so we'll call it good.

 

[fastrumme]

Alex....can you send me the manual download for your terramite ? ty

Did your machine have the metal screen in the hydraulic tank/ hose to strain the hydraulic oil ? If so, where exactly is that metal strainer/screen located ?

 

[Alexhasson]

PM me your email and i'll send over the T3-15 files.

the screen was near the rear axle on my machine but a previous owner removed it and installed a more modern filter housing. I have to remove the body panel where the seat mounts and it's between the backhoe valving and the tank return.

 

[fastrumme]

PM me your email and i'll send over the T3-15 files.

the screen was near the rear axle on my machine but a previous owner removed it and installed a more modern filter housing. I have to remove the body panel where the seat mounts and it's between the backhoe valving and the tank return.

Ty....I guess I will have to check to see where that screen is on my machine. Im sure it is clogged up badly, since all my cylinder piston seals where degraded and falling apart. Do you think that plastic/nylon seal material from the seals falling apart in the cylinders would have caused damage to my hydraulic pump ? The pump still seems to work.

I guess I will disconnect the hydraulic hose from my hydraulic tank / frame and blow it out with compressed air to help get any debris out of the tank....maybe even wash it out with some diesel fuel ?

 

[fastrumme]

I got the PDF file...ty.

The guy I bought my terramite from, informed me that it had stickers on it, that mentioned it was originally a diesel powered machine, but those decals came off when he steam cleaned the machine, to paint it yellow.

I have 2 more cylinders to reseal today, then that will take care of all the cylinders then I need to drain all the hydraulic/motor oil out of the tank and try to find the hydraulic screen because I am positive that screen has to be clogged up badly with plastic/nylon chunks from the original hydraulic cylinder seals that were falling apart...its actually amazing to me, that the hydraulics on this machine still seem to work .

 

[fastrumme]

When you drain all the oil out of the hydraulic tank/system....do you just reconnect all the hoses back up, then fill the hydraulic tank with motor oil...then start the machine and it automatically bleeds the air out of the system as you hit each lever for each cylinder ?

 

[Alexhasson]

first off i didnt use motor oil. the manual calls for hydraulic oil, iso 150, 43 or dexron transmission fluid. it really depends on where you live and the temperature. technically it doesn't auto bleed but since it's a closed system that pumps in a continuous loop it will drop off captive air in the reservoir.

when you refill the system have the drive axle off the ground so there's no resistance. run the hydraulic system and cycle all teh cylinders multiple times (5+). this includes the drive unit, run it in both directions. check the fluid level and add if needed. repeat the process.

if you're worried about contaminants then dump all the fluid after this and change the filter and do it all again. screen the dirty fluid and check for contaminants. you can use a magnetic pick up tool to stir around the dirty fluid an look for metal shavings.

repeat the fill process and dump process again. do it as many times as you need to to produce clean oil.

each time you'll use 3-5 gallons so for a$40 at tractor supply you can do the process for probably $100 + filters.

please recycle the oil at your local waste station.

 

[fastrumme]

I used a 5 gallon bucket and a pair of panty hose to filter out the motor oil in my hydraulic tank . Did not see any type of metal shavings, but had a lot of plastic/nylon debris from all the piston seals in the cylinders coming apart . My metal hydraulic screen filter was also partially clogged with the plastic/nylon.

 

[Alexhasson]

I used a 5 gallon bucket and a pair of panty hose to filter out the motor oil in my hydraulic tank . Did not see any type of metal shavings, but had a lot of plastic/nylon debris from all the piston seals in the cylinders coming apart . My metal hydraulic screen filter was also partially clogged with the plastic/nylon.

Additional update.
Rebuilt the vickers transmission.
New rear drive motor.
Flushed the hydraulic system
Switched to SAE30 oil for the hydraulics. 5 gallon buckets at tractor supply.
Machine is running very well.

First engine issue just happened. Exhaust mounting stud broke off.
Other than that, March 20, 2021. Predator 420 holding well.