Case 580BCK Radiator Replacement Sequence, tricks and tip
That is a nice Gantry that you have there to hold the bucket up and your pictures are excellent as well. I replaced the radiator on my Case 580BCK and man-o-man what a task. I performed my replacement with the bucket on the ground as I have no way to suspend the bucket or hydraulics. However, I wanted to note that it can be done with the bucket on the ground. I found that by remove the equipment hydraulic pump's suction (return) nipples from the reservoirs (left & right) provided room for the radiator to slant forward, making enough room to remove the fan blade's bolts and fan. You must also loosen and slide the upper radiator hose upwards so the you can have the play. But . . . this can't be done until those (2) 9/16's radiator mounting bolts are removed which are access through the (2) holes in the bottom of the cast iron base and front end mount of the tractor (where the counter-weight is mounted; if you have one) Once those (2) mounting bolts are removed from the bottom of the radiator, you have lots of play. I also removed the alternator of which I had replaced the old generator with earlier. Once the alternator was out of the way, I had plenty of swivel room to rotate, lift and swivel the old radiator out and a get that lower hose off of the injector pump housing. Once all was out of the way I spent a few hours cleaning the muck and crud out of the front cast-iron mounting base (which real pays off too). The toughest part of the job was getting those (2) radiator mounts fitted with a flat washer, lock washer and new nuts. It can be done but, I needed help with someone with small hand to get them in place, so that I could tighten them with a 3/8 drive with extensions and swivel with 9/16's 12 point socket. With a lot of patience and a helper, we got that done. I had mounted the fan blade 1st before installing the radiator base mounts. I also replaced the water pump (recommended) while I had access earlier. The water pump was not leaking. Since I have replaced many a pump over the years, I always rotate the pump with my hands to feel if turns smooth as glass. In my case felt a little movement and a slight roughness in the bearings (Pump replacement required) even so if your in that far you should replace it anyway because of age and that sometime after that anti-freeze is replaced the seals will leak. Again in my case, it was my choice as spend hours and hours replacing the pump later would have made me nuts, after having the chance to do it at the easiest time.
I often wondered why they made it so difficult to service and replace items but, then I realized that the radiator and front-end were originally pre-assembled as a module for production purposes and NOT service purposes. However, if you have the rigging, jacks and large rollers then you could pop the whole front-end off and it would be a piece of cake (once the counter-weight is off). In the field and my place, I don't have everything at hand but, with time and patience it can be done. Your pictures help quite a bit too as it gave me ideas along the way. During final assembly I used a 3-ton roller jack and piece of a 2 by 4 to lift the reservoir arms up and align them with the bolts holes of the radiator protector (heavy steel part that holds everything in place, front-end piece with the headlights). The trick is to mount the protector base 1st, then align the reservoir arms with the jack trick one side at a time, install the bolts & nut then tighten them all at once.
I note that will all the repairs that I have performed over the years that there is a sequence to everything. The secret to getting it done easily is to figure out the sequence and then share it with others because the dealers won't, they want the work! So . . . since you shared those pictures, I decided to add some more information that may help others like me along the way and make life a little easier and less tedious. My favorite saying is "how long does it take to change a fan belt on a Case 580CK" The answer is (5) hours if you do it right. Most of my clients don't do their own work but, they will the parts and then are shocked how long it takes to remove and replace those parts. Like I said it is time, patience and knowing the sequence. There are a lot of great posts in this forum and I thank you all for sharing! You have helped me beyond belief, thank you all once again!
