Tamd60c with Twin Disc Gearbox

superheat6k

superheat6k

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Had to top my gearbox oil up after the port clutch started slipping.

Manual says to use same oil as engine, so I used 15w40, then read further along the oil should be single grade e.g. SAE30. So the same but not necessarily the same, thanks VP !

Anyone know if using the multigrade will have any bad affects ?
 
I'd be wondering where the oil went, was the remainder in the box black, if its clutch slipping then it will go black with the heat generated. I'd drain the box and fill with new oil and don't just buy lawnmower oil from halfords, I use only caterpillars sae 30 from finnings for all my gearbox changes I do. Drop the oil and fill up, do a test run, I'd guess you have a worn out clutch pack which will burn the oil away under load or if your lucky you have an oil cooler leaking oil into the seawater passage and out the exhaust. I'd get the cooler pressure tested as it runs at clutch pressure around 400 psi average . I genre it and t will cost you dear as MIT are not cheap but do a really good build and its tested on there rig under load. Maybe you had a rope round your prop that's caused it to slip so the insurers can pick up the bill .
 
sunquest said:
Hi Paul.The SAE30 oil from Finnings, is it Exol which I use in my 3116 TA's or their SAE transmission oil? Cheers Geoff
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Extol oil is not a CAT product, it's bought in by Finnings for the non-electronic engines. The SAE 30 CAT oil is all from the same process batch and is a jolly good product.

It comes in 5lt bottles or the 20lt big'uns.

The more modern engines use CAT DEO (diesel engine oil) that is a multigrade. Also in the newer gearboxes TDTO is used.

http://parts.cat.com/parts/machine-fluids/oils/transmission-and-drive-train-oil
 
sunquest said:
is it Exol which I use in my 3116 TA's
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I've got the same engines on my boat. You might be interested to know that the original Cat (Cat labeled, I mean) oil for them is actually the Mobil Delvac MX 15W-40, which is obviously available at much more reasonable prices.
 
MapisM said:
I've got the same engines on my boat. You might be interested to know that the original Cat (Cat labeled, I mean) oil for them is actually the Mobil Delvac MX 15W-40, which is obviously available at much more reasonable prices.
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Sorry to disagree Mapism, when I bought my boat back in 2004 in Port Solent the engines were serviced by a retired Levingsons/Finnings engineer by the name of Henry Fry. He supplied Exol SAE30 which is still supplied by Finnings at around £65 for 25 Ltrs. Subsequently Finnings Poole marine section advised against multigrade oils as they create some problems in the turbo's. Oxidisation I think.
This is confirmed in the Caterpillar service manual for the TA 3116's. The Mobil oil you refer to is for another model. Cheers Geoff
 
Mmm... It's interesting to see how official dealers - and as I'm told Finnings is a well respected one, btw - can make their own recommendations, slightly different from those of the builder. Though actually it's not the first time I see that happening, and I bet it won't be the last. :)

The so called "CAT DEO monograde" (which btw in the US - where there are still many fans of monograde oils around - is more widely used in its SAE 40, rather than SAE 30 version, afaik) is only recommended for the much bigger 3600 series engines.
For our block (which belongs to the 3100 series), the officially recommended Cat oil is the so called "CAT DEO CF-4", which is exactly the 15W-40 I previously mentioned.
I’d be curious to see which manuals, if any, says something different, because I just re-checked mine (3116TA, 1995 vintage, original US version) and it confirms the above. I can scan and forward you the relevant pages if you wish, just pm me your mailbox address.

PS: 65 quids for 25 liters is indeed a bargain price, though, for any oil! :)
 
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None of the CAT oil is actually made by CAT. A quick call to an oil wholesaler should get you the same stuff minus the middle man and his packaging. JCB oil is Shell I'm not sure what CAT oil is but I know that Shell do an equivalent as it was Shell oil we used in small CAT gennys offshore. (Shell Gadinia possibly?)
 
Thanks Mapism, I will send you my email address by pm. Incidentally my engines are also 1995. I will also scan my manual for the relevant page, but may take a few days as it is on the boat. Geoff.
 
Thanks Cryan. Indeed my oil is Exol which I believe are based in Yorkshire. I know Caterpillar sell Sherwood impellers and VDO oil pressure senders for virtually double the the original manufacturers price but £65 for 25 ltrs would take some beating. Geoff
 
sunquest said:
Thanks Mapism, I will send you my email address by pm.
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Two pages sent, as PDF file.
Don't expect them to mention that CAT DEO 15W-40 is actually the Mobil Delvac, though.
That's what I've been told off records by a Cat Engineer which I trust a lot, based on other indications he gave me.
 
Apologies for stealing my thread back !

Just spent a very pleasant 3 hours laying in the depths of my engine bay doing an oil change and filter clean on both gearboxes. Oh what a pleasure this aspect of owning a Fairline Turbo 36 is !!!

Good news is the clutch is ok on the port, no metallic shards, just darkish (but nit black) oil, so not sure yet where the lost oil went, but noted a couple of weeps that could account for the loss along with the appallingly poor method of checking the oil level, which is made worse by Twin Disc making the dip stick surface shiny. I have now worked out a higher level to check with the engine shut down.

Might have an issue with the stbd as there seems to be an oil leak from someone very obscure, but took loads out, so I will be monitoring this for the rest of the season.

Finally I found a large chunk of broken casting laying on a ledge above the stbd gearbox. After much looking, I determined this to be a broken clamp piece off one if the raw water pump housings. How it found its way 3' aft not a clue, I guess it's been there a few years - previous owners, who would have them !
 
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