Hydraulic Fluid Filter - Reverse Threads?

[cchardwick]

Hi, I'm trying for the first time to change out my hydraulic fluid filter on my 1974 Case 1737 skid steer. It has a big 1 and 1/4 inch nut on top and has a center 'pipe' that comes out. I cranked on that baby with a pipe wrench and a crow bar and was only able to move it about an inch or so until I ran out of room to adjust the pipe wrench. Now I'm thinking maybe it has reverse threads and I was going in the wrong direction? Has anyone seen reverse threads on this?

 

[Tazza]

I don't know your machine, but left hand threads are very rare on standard items like this, they only really use them on moving parts that have the risk of un-doing under load. The housing may have corroded a little on the threads causing it to bind up?

 

[cchardwick]

I don't know your machine, but left hand threads are very rare on standard items like this, they only really use them on moving parts that have the risk of un-doing under load. The housing may have corroded a little on the threads causing it to bind up?

That's what I thought too, must be regular threads not reverse. I guess I'll buy a 1/2 inch drive socket, breaker bar and extension and a big pipe and crank on it some more. The only thing I'm really worried about is that there is a threaded pipe between the filter housing and the hydraulic pump and it looks like someone tried to get the filter off and beat on a wrench with a hammer or something that damaged the threaded pipe going into the hydraulic pump due to extreme torque. There is a bunch of play in the pipe where it screws into the pump and it looks like it's threaded all the way into the pump. It's real sloppy and I can even wiggle the filter unit by hand. I'm hoping it doesn't break when I crank on it or I'll have to do some major repair right now. I'm hoping I can leave this problem until all the snow storms have passed and work on it this spring. It doesn't seem to be leaking which is surprising. I looked in my parts manual and I noticed there is a gasket in there, perhaps it's enough to keep it from leaking. Plus it's on the low pressure / intake side of the pump. Either way I think I'm eventually going to have to pull the pump and either get a new pump or try to tap it with new threads and a helicoil. Boy, I wonder how much a new hydraulic pump will be OUCH!

 

[cchardwick]

That's what I thought too, must be regular threads not reverse. I guess I'll buy a 1/2 inch drive socket, breaker bar and extension and a big pipe and crank on it some more. The only thing I'm really worried about is that there is a threaded pipe between the filter housing and the hydraulic pump and it looks like someone tried to get the filter off and beat on a wrench with a hammer or something that damaged the threaded pipe going into the hydraulic pump due to extreme torque. There is a bunch of play in the pipe where it screws into the pump and it looks like it's threaded all the way into the pump. It's real sloppy and I can even wiggle the filter unit by hand. I'm hoping it doesn't break when I crank on it or I'll have to do some major repair right now. I'm hoping I can leave this problem until all the snow storms have passed and work on it this spring. It doesn't seem to be leaking which is surprising. I looked in my parts manual and I noticed there is a gasket in there, perhaps it's enough to keep it from leaking. Plus it's on the low pressure / intake side of the pump. Either way I think I'm eventually going to have to pull the pump and either get a new pump or try to tap it with new threads and a helicoil. Boy, I wonder how much a new hydraulic pump will be OUCH!

Well I bought some tools and I got my hydraulic filter off! I went to Lowes but they didn't have the right tools so I went to Tool King and got a bunch of 1/2 drive stuff, I spent about a hundred bucks but tools are always worth it. I finally got it with a breaker bar, 8 inch extension and I think what they call a crows foot, a real short wrench that you put an extension into. I bought a whole set of those crows feet from 1-2 inches. Good thing I did too cause wouldn't you know that filter nut was 1 and 5/16 inches, a real weird size in my book. I also tightened a lower hose that was loose, it took a 2 inch crows foot with a stubbie wratchet that I also bought today. Good thing I worked on it before I bought those tools cause I knew just what to get. It was regular threaded too. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Fishfiles]

Well I bought some tools and I got my hydraulic filter off! I went to Lowes but they didn't have the right tools so I went to Tool King and got a bunch of 1/2 drive stuff, I spent about a hundred bucks but tools are always worth it. I finally got it with a breaker bar, 8 inch extension and I think what they call a crows foot, a real short wrench that you put an extension into. I bought a whole set of those crows feet from 1-2 inches. Good thing I did too cause wouldn't you know that filter nut was 1 and 5/16 inches, a real weird size in my book. I also tightened a lower hose that was loose, it took a 2 inch crows foot with a stubbie wratchet that I also bought today. Good thing I worked on it before I bought those tools cause I knew just what to get. It was regular threaded too. Thanks for the advice!

Something to know , I have a bunch of the crowfoot wrenches as there are a lot of hoses and fittings that are pretty tough to get off without them , but if your in a bind and need a certain size that you don't have you can fab one up pretty quick , cut the end off a wrench and weld and old socket cut in half to it , if you need extra clearance you can grind the ends of the wrench to get it into tighter spots -----I get alot of crowfeet off of e-bay at some good prices , a big ones like 3" from the Snap on man goes for about $100 , reminds me of a saying my Grandma use to always say , " you can't make chicken salad when all you got is chicken _ _ _ _! "

 

[cchardwick]

Something to know , I have a bunch of the crowfoot wrenches as there are a lot of hoses and fittings that are pretty tough to get off without them , but if your in a bind and need a certain size that you don't have you can fab one up pretty quick , cut the end off a wrench and weld and old socket cut in half to it , if you need extra clearance you can grind the ends of the wrench to get it into tighter spots -----I get alot of crowfeet off of e-bay at some good prices , a big ones like 3" from the Snap on man goes for about $100 , reminds me of a saying my Grandma use to always say , " you can't make chicken salad when all you got is chicken _ _ _ _! "

Wow, that's expensive! I find tool king to be the cheapest place around for big odd size tools. I paid $69.95 for a set of 14 wrenches from 1 and 1/16 to 2 inches, that's only five bucks a wrench. Here's a similar tool set at tool king but they have a cheaper one just like it for $69.95. It's on their website but with no photos: http://www.toolking.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=13185

 

[Fishfiles]

Wow, that's expensive! I find tool king to be the cheapest place around for big odd size tools. I paid $69.95 for a set of 14 wrenches from 1 and 1/16 to 2 inches, that's only five bucks a wrench. Here's a similar tool set at tool king but they have a cheaper one just like it for $69.95. It's on their website but with no photos: http://www.toolking.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=13185

Have never heard of Tool King , what part of the country are you from ? There is a Harbor Freight down here that sells tools at a cheap price , but they are pretty much disposable tools , you use it one good time and it's ready to be thrown away or your hands are busted up , if you don't use the tools every day I'd say you can get by with cheapies , ------ I do a lot of flea markets , garage sales , pawn shops and ebay , I use to hate going to the flea markets but now we go at least every other weekend to a different one and I have found some really nice tools that the people selling them have no idea what the tool is or what its worth and I have bought some tools that I don't even know what they are suppose to do but find other uses for them , once bought a $600 torque multiplier in a used maybe once looking condition for $20 and if I would have bargained with the lady I bet I could have got it for $10 as she was clueless on what it did , recently bought some big impact sockets for breaking the nuts off the end of hydraulic cylinder rods , sizes up to 3 1/2 " and 1 drive was looking on the web at new prices and found that one socket cost $120 , I got them off ebay for $8 -$10 in unsed condition , another thing about tools . treat them like your wife or girl friend and don't lend them out fishfiles

 

[cchardwick]

Have never heard of Tool King , what part of the country are you from ? There is a Harbor Freight down here that sells tools at a cheap price , but they are pretty much disposable tools , you use it one good time and it's ready to be thrown away or your hands are busted up , if you don't use the tools every day I'd say you can get by with cheapies , ------ I do a lot of flea markets , garage sales , pawn shops and ebay , I use to hate going to the flea markets but now we go at least every other weekend to a different one and I have found some really nice tools that the people selling them have no idea what the tool is or what its worth and I have bought some tools that I don't even know what they are suppose to do but find other uses for them , once bought a $600 torque multiplier in a used maybe once looking condition for $20 and if I would have bargained with the lady I bet I could have got it for $10 as she was clueless on what it did , recently bought some big impact sockets for breaking the nuts off the end of hydraulic cylinder rods , sizes up to 3 1/2 " and 1 drive was looking on the web at new prices and found that one socket cost $120 , I got them off ebay for $8 -$10 in unsed condition , another thing about tools . treat them like your wife or girl friend and don't lend them out fishfiles

I'm in Colorado and Tool King is a great store and has more stuff than just about anywhere. I usually don't find that I break tools unless I'm using the wrong tool for the job. For example, I used to break ratchets all the time until I switched over to breaker bars for the tuff stuff. Now I never break anything. What cheap tools do you use that need to be thrown away? I have tons of cheap tools and never have a problem with any of them. I have some nice craftsman and such too but have never seen the benefit of the extra cost to make them worth it. And some tools are just expensive no matter where they are made, such as impact sockets. Usually when I lend out tools I'm lending out the labor too LOL.