SMTC Oil Fill?

[big_mak]

Calling on all VF owners with SMTC's. I'm doing some routine maintenance right now and I need to top up the oil level for the SMTC. Where the heck does it go?? The manual is um well useless as it show the drain plug, but no where to fill the darned thing!!!!

Thanks(B)

[awesome83]

There is a small brass breather on the top of the cambox. If you remove the top cover, it will be toward the front of the machine. You have to remove that breather and slowly, i mean slowy poor oil into that hole, it gets airlocked quickly so take your time.

Do you know where the sightglass is? You have to take the number plate off, and it will be on the left side....if there isn't a casting in the way....lol.
If there is a casting in the way i would make a dipstick out of a metal coat hanger (if you can find one anymore) or a tig welding rod. I would fish that down the fill hole and sight the level to the actual sight glass level. Sometimes its a lot easier to remove the front bubble of the smtc, operator side of machine and left of the head. You will know what im talking about when you see where the fill hole is.

Hope this helps

[big_mak]

you are talking about that little breather underneath all the wires right? What a pita to get @!!!

[awesome83]

Yeah lol well, dont say i didnt warn you. Some machines it is very easy to remove that front bubble, and it makes checking and filling that cam-box much easier. Please verify that the cambox isn;t too full, because some people see the sight glass and assume that its empty, when actually the level of the oil is above the glass, so they fill the cambox completely full and waste all that mobil oil.

I'm glad to see you checking your oil, a lot of places don;t untill the tool changer locks up, and most of the time its too late by then, 3500 later they are running again.

[big_mak]

IT's my only machine right now so I gotta take care of it extremely well, so today we did the geared head oil, and coolant and some other little things!!!!! So why not the Tool changer!!!!!!

[rlabonte18]

At our shop I have modified the haas's slightly for easy oil adding. take a 1" hole saw and make a hole in the number disc between the 0 in 20 and the haas symbol. then call up pocket number 1 and you can easily see the sight glass without removing anything. also remove the breather screw in a 1/4 npt 3/8 hose barb drill a hole in the top cover the diameter of the hose and run a hose up through the top cover and put another same style hose barb then screw the breather onto that fitting. it makes it quick and easy to check and add oil.

[JoBwan]

Originally Posted by rlabonte18 At our shop I have modified the haas's slightly for easy oil adding. take a 1" hole saw and make a hole in the number disc between the 0 in 20 and the haas symbol. then call up pocket number 1 and you can easily see the sight glass without removing anything. also remove the breather screw in a 1/4 npt 3/8 hose barb drill a hole in the top cover the diameter of the hose and run a hose up through the top cover and put another same style hose barb then screw the breather onto that fitting. it makes it quick and easy to check and add oil.

rlabonte18,
Great advise for easier access! How long did the modifications take to do? I have 7 or 8 smtc machines and this could really speed things up with P.M.

[rlabonte18]

It should take less than an hour.We have had to replace two gearboxes in the last couple of years on different machines and both were from low oil. We were checking the oil level quarterly. The seal on the shaft that the atc arm attaches to goes bad and can drain the gearbox in only a few days. A good operator will notice the oil in the coolant but sometimes it gets overlooked. I modified these now we check them once a week and can add oil without shutting down production.

[l u k e]

Sorry for bringing up this old thread, but I ran across it today and thought it was a fine idea.

It didn't take long to do and will save a ton of time down the road, not to mention the SMTC oil will get checked regularly and with ease.

Filler mod>


Sight hole>


Oil level>