3400 cast oil pan shims & glue?

gears · Feb 2, 2015

Ok, why does the cast iron oil pan need to weigh 87 pounds? What's that front center web with the hole for a vertical swinging drawbar type pin mount used for? What about the darned .008" shims between the front bolster and the lower pan bolts? I had 2 on the left and found one lying on the floor when I finally got the pan that'd been RTV'd on to come off. Did they RTV from the factory or did someone think gluing both sides of the gasket in place would be extra good!?

Rant finished, comments/answers welcome.

Ultradog MN · Feb 2, 2015

The cast iron pan bolts to both the front bolster and to the transmission. It dramatically stiffens the front half of the tractor for loader work.
That same pan was also used on the 4400 and 4500 tractors but on those they used two pivot pins - one in the bolster and one directly behind it in that hole in the pan. - to stabilize the front axle as those models did not use radius rods.
I hear you on the blasted glue and pucky that people love to use everywhere. I almost never use the stuff except for a small dab where the block and timing cover meet at the pan.
Photo is of a 4400 front axle. You can kinda see the pivor hole in that tongue. You are looking at the axle from the back end in the photo.

showcrop · Feb 2, 2015

it doesn't have to weigh 87 lbs but the tractor lasts longer with that structure to hold things together. The pan is not just to hold your oil it is part of the structural strength. When I went to pick up a new oil pan gasket for my 9000, they told me that the gasket had been superseded maybe eight times because of problems with failures, and that the latest one was some $90.00. I elected to get the cheap $12.00 one and use permatex gasket material on both sides so that it would be able to "work" a little with less stress on the gasket. Maybe the last guy had silicone but no Permatex. I would not put the new one in dry. The shims are needed because being structural, it uses some pretty big bolts between the pan and the bolster, which if a needed shim were left out, could put enough stress on the pan for it to break. So you need the heavy pan so that the tractor won't break in two. You need the shims so that the pan doesn't break in two, and you need some flex between the surfaces so that the gasket doesn't shear in two and let your oil out.

gears · Feb 3, 2015

Luckily I know where 2 of the shims went, I'll have to be careful assembling it to figure that 3rd one.

UD, thanks for enlightening me as to the purpose of that front hole.

So Goop it up and put it on and the cheaper paper gasket will do it's job. Got it.

Ultradog MN · Feb 3, 2015

I tried using a cork type gasket on my 3000 when I put a 3400 front axle under it.
But it's thicker and drops the pan enough that you can't get the bolts to fit into the holes under the transmission and into the bolster.
So I bought a paper one.
CNH does show a special gasket for use with the CI pan. $56
I'm sure it has to do with making the pan/block/bolster/transmission/tractor a more rigid assembly.
Ultimately I traded the 3400 axle to Ken and went back to an ag style front end.
But I had an extra CI pan and still use it.
Mainly because it gives a lot more protection for the bottom end of my engine but also because it adds weight to the front end.
3400 pan on CNH

3400 cast oil pan shims & glue?

gears

Member

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member

showcrop

Well-known Member

gears

Member

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member

Similar threads