SHUTOFF GP-AIR 2968190 - Caterpillar

Personal injury or death can result if two persons are not used in the following procedure.
Care must be taken to ensure that fluids are contained during performance of inspection, maintenance, testing, adjusting and repair of the product. Be prepared to collect the fluid with suitable containers before opening any compartment or disassembling any component containing fluids.Refer to Special Publication, NENG2500, "Caterpillar Tools and Shop Products Guide" for tools and supplies suitable to collect and contain fluids on Caterpillar products.Dispose of all fluids according to local regulations and mandates.
Brake service life can vary greatly because of the different applications. The following conditions can lead to premature brake failure:
Check for oil leaks at the yoke and the drive axles. A leak can also allow contamination from water and debris to occur. Water and debris can enter the axle through the lip seal at the drive yoke. The water and debris can mix with the oil. This water and debris can lead to premature brake failure.
The axle housing breather is plugged or damaged. Check the axle housing breather for proper operation.
Excessive heat can be generated if the service brakes are used as a retarder. Excessive heat can be generated if the service brakes are used as a device to maintain a slower ground speed. This type of operation should be avoided by using a lower transmission gear speed. Check the grooves on both sides of each disc in both the front and rear service brakes. The wear of the service brake disc may vary from one end of the machine to the other end, and from one side of the machine to the other side. The estimated wear for a given groove depth is shown in table 1.Also, it is very important to change the friction discs as soon as possible once the groove depth has reached the maximum wear limit. As the depth of the grooves is reduced, the flow of the cooling oil is reduced. This causes heat to build up. The heat causes the rapid wear of the disc material. Eventually, the friction material will wear off the disc. This will cause metal to metal contact between the disc and plates. This problem is known as spalling. The buildup of the friction material in the oil could cause damage to the very smooth surface finish of the plate. Spalling will destroy the very smooth surface finish of the plate. This will make replacement of these brake components necessary. If the failure has progressed to metal to metal contact, the complete axle must be thoroughly cleaned. This process of cleaning the axle must be done correctly, or the debris will continue to contaminate the oil. This will cause the material on the service brake disc to wear rapidly. This condition will cause premature failure of the service brakes.If excessive brake wear or premature brake wear is suspected, perform a scheduled oil sampling. This report could help establish a possible cause for failure of the service brakes.
Illustration 1 g00620466
Location of Inspection