3406e front cover leaking

mine too right behind the air compressor told the same around 2500 to fix it will stay that way as long as its not dripping on the ground

 

Mine was leaking on the C16.....It turned out to be leaking out the front of the head

 

The 3406e are known to leak from around the front cover. The local CAT shop fix is usually to pressure wash the motor extremely well the smear silicone over the leaking areas. Unless the leak is really bad I would just run it or try the CAT fix. The gears are behind the front cover, but he was probably being cautious in the quote just in case he had to remove them to clean up the left over gasket material.

 

There is a cover then a spacer plate. The gears are in front of that plate so thats why they have to be taken off.

If its not leaking to bad don't worry about it. When I had mine done they took all the gears off. Two months later the timing gear broke and locked the motor up! After fighting with Cat for a month they finally agreed to cover part of the cost when they should have covered it all!

Come to find out, when you take the timing gear off (which I was told is something that shouldn't be done) they didn't use a new key or clean everything off good enough! Thats what caused the problem.

 

the backside of the front cover is leaking on mine....was quoted 3k to r&r it

oil is cheap, it will leak it doesnt leak much, just enuf to annoy me...lol

 

Where is it leaking from? if its leaking between the front structure and the block the gears do have to come off. If the leak is running down the front structure from behind the horton fan then check the horton retaining nuts aren't loose, often if someone adjusts the fan but doesn't do the retaining nuts up tight enough you get an oil leak because the studs also hold the front structure on.

 

I would be careful. It takes a special Cat tool to set the cam gear backlash..although you could use feeler gauge. Other than that, its just nuts and bolts.

Its ok to take the gears off. In the instance of the cam gear, you need to use new bolts when you go to put it back on. The dowel pin doesn't need to be replaced.

 

Someone that knows more can clear this up, but between the head and the front cover where the cam come's through there is a spacer about 4" round with 2 O'rings behind the cam gear, that's most likley where it leaks. it will run down by the air compressor.