Starter / Ring gear Update - The good, bad and ugly

[SpoiledSpud]

I purchased my SEE last November. It was not running, the starter removed and the seller disclosed that the issue was the ring gear was damaged. This unit was through the friend of a friend and the price was right. Unfortunately winter came in on schedule and the SEE would have to sit under 10ft of snow until May. Over the winter the starter was rebuilt and several other miscellaneous parts were purchased.



The initial look at the ring gear. Another member had a similar issue and was able to clean up the teeth through this hole. Removing the driver seat made access easier and a Dremel with a carbide bit removed damaged material effectively.



I'd clean up a range of teeth that were visible through the "window" then move the vehicle a bit while in 4th gear to get to a new section of the gear to work on. This process worked well until The Ugly came into view.



Bet that made a few people cringe, I sure did. Looks like 90% of each tooth is missing in this section. I've had comments about possibly trying to add material to rebuild the teeth and then reshape them. I don't think that will be an option considering the amount of damage.

My long-term solution will be to tilt the cab, separate the engine and replace the flywheel. I found one with good teeth and had .005 removed. Purchased new OEM flywheel bolts and may replace the clutch disk while I'm in there if needed.

I think I'll still need to get it started before I can tilt so that I can remove the loader and get the backhoe off the FOPS. I'll also attempt Alpine's method for removing the FOPS with the backhoe itself.

Spud

 

[The FLU farm]

Ouch.
But if you get it to start well, you could get the engine going before hitting that bad spot. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

I would back feed the system from another source to get the backhoe deployed, or pull it back mechanically with another vehicle.

 

[SpoiledSpud]

That's exactly what I'm hoping for. Get the teeth to fully engage in a better spot before getting to that bad spot. I'm optimistic (maybe just because I want to believe). All else fails I have a portable winch to pull that hoe up enough to get that cab tilted.

 

[The FLU farm]

Please refresh my memory here. Did you already have it starting and running good? If so, putting the flywheel is the right position should work just fine.
Especially if you remember not to shut it off before you're done.

 

[SpoiledSpud]

No, this never ran on my watch. However the previous owner said it ran great until he pulled the starter and saw the damaged flywheel. Saw the missing teeth and decided it was more than he wanted to deal with. So, this weekend I'm going to finish changing the oil and filters and see if it will fire up.

 

[tennmogger]

With the manual trans you could always bump start it.

 

[SpoiledSpud]

Excellent point, that will be Plan B.

 

[The FLU farm]

With a tow bar, I hope, in case it does start.
I've had a few near misses using rope or straps. Of course, with two people it works fine.

 

[SpoiledSpud]

Changed the fluids and finished wiring up the starter. Primed the fuel and it started right up! Unable to build up air pressure on its own, I added air through the front glad hands and found one of the tank drains leaking. Still going through the entire vehicle, so far so good.

 

[The FLU farm]

Only one was leaking? You're lucky.

By the way, if you replace the Schrader valve setup with a regular quick disconnect air fitting you'll be able to fill the system a lot ​quicker.