# Case 870 issue



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

Last week I picked up an old Case 870 gasser locally. I got it for only $3200, had powershift so thought it might be nice for baling, so figured what the heck.

I tried taking it down the road today and it had no power in 4th gear (road gear). I throttled all the up and tractor didn't want to go. In fact it kept slowing down more and more. Hydraulic fluid was burping out of the fill cap on the rear, and the rear back by the hydraulics smelled hot and was smoking when I parked it.

I can only imagine this is a very bad thing, but wanted to check before I send it down the road.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Mar 14, 2015)

Did it act the same with the power shift in 1/2/3? What about 4th gear reverse?


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

It acted the worst in 3rd, so I’d downshift to 1 or 2. I didn’t try it in reverse in 4th gear.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I think your park brake is on. Waiting to hear back from somebody on this.


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

That is what I was thinking while it was happening and the first thing I checked afterwards. The brakes (the case itself) weren't hot and didn't smell. The hydraulics in the back did smell, and the smell was like hot brakes. It has hydraulic dry disc brakes.

When I was going down the road I did try to throttle all the way up but there was no further increase in engine speed.

I don't know what the brakes are supposed to look like or how the mechanics of this system works, but when I'm inspecting it, it's looking pretty suspect to me like they are frozen in the engaged position. And there is not a lot of travel on the brake pedal. When I brake it feels like there's not a lot happening unless I push really hard and then the tractor lurches to a stop. So I'm interested to know what you hear back.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I'm not familiar with Case powershift trans but on JD PS trans there are test ports to check hyd pressures in each speed. If test ports are available then that's where I would start my diagnostics.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

My contact confirmed that this tractor has a friction parking brake. What he did not know was if the park brake is its own mechanism or if it acts on the service brakes. He also was pretty sure these tractors have dry brakes, so if the park acts on the service brake them I am likely suspecting the wrong thing. Your problem is clearly coming from something “wet”. I would recommend following the cable that actuates the park brake and see if it clearly goes somewhere other than the service brakes. If it does, then it could still be the problem, and if so I would suspect a sticky cable.

This problem sounds exactly like what happens if a person takes off with a CIH 5000 or MX series Maxxum with the park brake weakly applied which is why I suspect what I do.

Jim, this tractor has 3 power shift gears and 4 ranges with reverse being part of the power shift system, so if this problem were power shift related I would expect it to act similar in each range. IT sounds like it gets significantly worse in each higher range.


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

The parking brake acts on the service brake from what I can tell in studying it. The parking brake cable routes down to a pulley that is connected to an arm on the service brake. It pulls that arm up when the parking brake lever is pulled up. The cable runs through the pulley to the other brake and pulls that arm up too. I can post a pic later.

The tractor seems to work fine in gears 1-3. I'm going to use it to bale a field at my house tonight because I really need the second tractor until the first tractor finishes raking a second field. I will be in third gear for that and will see if it acts up with several hrs of run time.

I don't have anything to test hydraulic pressure and would have to look more into that, as well as if it has test ports.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Mar 14, 2015)

Gears 1/2/3/4 are physical gears they either work or they don't (IE stripped). If the PS was going to act up it would usually do it in every gear. Odd issue that it only acts up in 4th gear regardless of PS position. 

You need to pin point exactly what causes it to get hot. IE which PS ranges, which gears, pto on/off, clutch engaged/disengaged, etc. Then go to the service manual and follow the flow charts.


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