I bought an old 530CK backhoe that needs a some work (I got it for $3500) The diesel engine runs great and the loader and hoe work well with very minor leaks, BUT the case o matic clutch pressure is low (about halfway between the green range and no pressure at all). The pressure does drop slightly when I push the the "clutch" pedal. When I put the machine in 4th (low or high) I can rev it up in torque converter mode and it won't move at all. It will move OK in the low range of lower gears and the direct drive lever does work. I didn't feel that I should try the direct drive lever while it was in 4th gear at a stand still... I opened up the filter housing and found no filter at all so I suppose I can rule out a clogged filter as a possible cause of low pressure on my machine. Searching the archives of this website I found these possible causes of low case o matic clutch pressure: 1. plugged trans filter (the filter in front of the radiator)
2. low trans fluid level, incorrect fluid or water in the fluid.
3. pressure relief valve (located under top COM cover plate) stuck open
4. worn out case o matic pump
5. plugged trans fluid cooling tube which passes through the base of the radiator Is this a complete list of cause of low clutch pressure? How about a leaky torque convertor? Also- Is there a trans fluid pick up screen that could be plugged? One old post said there was no pick up screen and that's why metal chips could end up stuck in the relief valve.
Thanks in advance for any more ideas here-
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