1969 Case 580 Construction King gas engine rebuild?

rasman57

Member
1969 580 Ck with a 33 hoe that has been mine for a couple years and worked like a champ even though she was smoking a bit and pretty tired. Hoe and bucket hydraulics are great and direct drive shuttle works fine also. The governor was not working and I nursed her this season digging stumps and doing general cleanup on my cabin bulding site in Michigan until she just died under load and would not start. Something let go in the engine as it would not turn over and then dragged hard on the starter and finally turned but for sure the rotating assembly is not moving everything right.

This old digger is nice enough to keep and sink some money into. I am going to tackle it as a winter project I think. It is a hunting property machine that does not work for a living and will be worth saving. The 159 gasser seems straightforward enough and parts are available I assume? Any been there done that advice? What else should I do for sure while it is apart?

I pulled the hoe off and the bucket so I can trailer it home and get going. Wiring is a mess but seems easy enough as I never road it and will not need lights etc. Brakes are awful but work good enough for me to stop and am told they were never good to start with. The governor was shot and was drinking oil so she needs surgery anyway. The local machine shop says they have done a bunch of the engines and no surprises for them. I am more concerned about the might as well fix or restore..... syndrome.... Don't really know what else to look at besides clutch? How complicated is that direct drive shuttle (clutch needed to shift)? It works fine now. Appreciate any thoughts.
 
Try the Case forum too. Some great mechanics there too.
I have a 1961 530 Hoe with 159 gas. I think my tractor had a short block somewhere along the line. The oil filter screws directly on the engine block instead of the spin-on adapter being bolted on the block. Anyway this is the cleanest running engine I"ve ever seen. Doesn"t burn any oil and the oil isn"t very dirty at oil change time. I was talking to a mechanic at the Case Dealer and he said that"s typcial of a Case engine. I know parts are more expensive at the dealer but I would at least price it. I"m sure this engine has many hours on it and is still amazing.
I"ve added huge oil pressure lights. one on the dash and one on hoe controls. Most of the blown 159"s lost oil pressure and the operator didn"t see it on the oil gauge.
Also I would have replaced the seal between the touque tube and four speed. Torque tube runs a much higher oil level than final drive. When that seal goes the torque tube drains into final drive (4-speed & ring gear area).
Brakes; replace the seals, brakes are probably oil soaked.
God bless America, Dennis...
 

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