PLATE AS. 3599316 - Caterpillar

The information supplied in this service letter may not be valid after the termination date of this program.Do not perform the work outlined in this Service Letter after the termination date without first contacting your Caterpillar product analyst.
This Revised Service Letter replaces the 09Oct2012 Service Letter. A change has been made to the Title.
TERMINATION DATE
31Jan2013
PROBLEM
Some C27 and C32 cylinder packs, short blocks, and long blocks with certain part numbers, packaged between September 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011, may contain 10R-5457 Connecting Rods that have debris in the oil passage to the pin bore. This debris may cause early hour failure to the bearings.
ACTION REQUIRED
Inspect the part numbers that are listed in Image 1 in dealer parts stock.
Inspect the part numbers in Image 1 for the affected packaging date code in the date code range of "D01M09Y11P68HL" through "D31M12Y11P68HL". Refer to Image 2.
If a cylinder pack is found with affected packaging date code, open the top of the box and inspect the connecting rod cap. If "10R-5457 NDUU" or "10R-5457 UNUU" is etched on the rod cap, then the cylinder pack must be further inspected for debris as described below. Refer to Image 3. If the rod cap does not have the suspect part number (in the case of a new rod substitution) or the rod cap has a different 4-letter date code, then the connecting rod is acceptable for use.
If a short block is found with affected packaging date code, block must be removed from crate and packaging, and safely lifted to allow viewing rod caps. Inspect each connecting rod cap. If the Connecting Rod has "NDUU" or "UNUU" etched on the connecting rod cap, then further inspection for debris is required as described below. If the rod cap does not have the suspect part number or the rod cap has a different 4-letter date code, then the connecting rod is acceptable for use.
If a Long Block is found with affected package date code, contact Reman Product Support Engineer Robert Cannon at cannon_robert_k for further instruction. It is not anticipated that any affected Long Block part numbers will be in dealer parts stock.
CONNECTING ROD OIL PASSAGE INSPECTION AND CLEANING
Connecting rods within the affected date code range can be inspected using a borescope with a 4.7 mm (0.2 inch) lens or any comparable borescope that fits through the 6 mm (0.24 inch) oil passage. Image 4 and Image 5 show a cylinder pack rod being inspected without removing rod cap. If no debris is present through oil passage as in Image 6, the cylinder pack is acceptable. An affected connecting rod with debris as shown in Image 7.
CYLINDER PACK ROD CLEANING
Individual cylinder packs with debris in rods should be cleaned as follows.
1. Carefully pull out the piston from the cylinder until the piston pin is exposed but rings are still within the bore.
2. Remove one snap ring. Note the orientation of gap.
3. Remove the pin and rod.
4. Remove the rod cap.
5. Use pipe cleaner or wire and cloth