Usage:
All Caterpillar Machines Equipped With Hydraulic Cylinders
Reference: Cat Information Release Memo IRM 98-2, Media No. PELM0832, "Cat Hydraulic Cylinder Seal Kit Usage and Kit Consist Now Available Through Caterpillar's Technical Marketing Information (TMI) system," October 1998.
Hydraulic cylinder seal kit information for most Caterpillar products is available to dealers on line. The information is available via a new TMI KITS Program in the Technical Marketing Information Application. TMI is a part of AIMS system on the Cat Network.
TMI KITS Program will show all seal kits available for the different engineering design change levels of Caterpillar hydraulic cylinder group part numbers. This includes standard cylinders as well as 0.76 mm (.030 in) and 1.52 mm (.060 in) oversize bores. In addition, TMI KITS Program will show the current consist of Caterpillar hydraulic cylinder seal kits. TMI KITS information is updated monthly in order to provide more accurate information.
Caterpillar dealer personnel should contact their Dealers' Information Systems (IS) (ACF2) coordinator for access to Cat Network, AIMS, and TMI KITS Program.
The Reference listed above also includes additional data on how to use TMI KITS in order to determine seal and gasket kits available for Cat engines and bearing and seal kits available for Cat power train components. See IRM Eng 98-3, Media No. PELE0634 for more details.
To select the correct Cat hydraulic cylinder seal kit in order to reseal a particular cylinder group, the cylinder group part number AND engineering design change level (C/L) of the group must be known. Group part number and C/L can be found on the outside of the cylinder group, either on a tag welded to the cylinder group, or etched onto the outside of the cylinder group tube. The etched number will be either laterally along the cylinder tube or around the outside of the cylinder tube by the rod (open) end of the tube.
Change Levels (C/L) Are Important For Ordering Correct Seal Kits
If Cat makes INTERNAL changes to our hydraulic cylinder groups, the group part numbers may not change. But, the engineering design change levels of the hydraulic cylinder group part number will change. The initial design of a cylinder group part number is considered C/L 00. Each consist change causes the C/L to be increased, that is 00 to 01, 01 to 02, etc.
Different Cat seal kits may be needed to reseal different engineering design change levels of the same Cat cylinder group part number.
For example, the heads of many Cat hydraulic cylinder groups were redesigned and a head wear ring was added to the cylinder group design. These changes in group design did not cause the cylinder group part number to change. Only the engineering change level of the hydraulic cylinder changed.
There was the need to create new seat kits for the changes to the cylinder groups in order to add the head wear ring for service. Caterpillar still services the earlier changes to the cylinder groups by maintaining the seal kits for the specific C/L that is indicated on the earlier cylinder groups.
Many dealers and customers continue to order the wrong Cat hydraulic cylinder seal kit to reseal their cylinder group. This is because they did not know the engineering design change level of their cylinder group when they started to order the seal kit that they needed.