8833A 4 Mercury GEAR HOUSING (GRAY)

Engine Oil and Filter(s)
BrakeSaver Maintenance (If Equipped)
Make a frequent check of coolant and oil lines for leakage and deterioration of hoses. If an oil or water leak develops, do not operate the engine until proper repairs can be made.Scheduled maintenance on the BrakeSaver, or additional engine maintenance, is not required except for the following recommendation. Lube Oil Change-BrakeSaver
When changing the engine crankcase lubricating oil, it is also recommended to drain the oil from the oil cooler, BrakeSaver control valve and shallow sump portion of the oil pan. * Remove the 11/8-12 drain plug and gasket located on the bottom of the BrakeSaver control valve. Dirty oil NOT drained from the BrakeSaver will contaminate fresh oil added to the system.* At oil change intervals, fill the crankcase to the proper level. Operate the engine until it reaches operating temperature.* Stop the engine and allow oil to return to the sump. Then check the engine oil level. * Check the engine oil level on the ENGINE STOPPED side of the dipstick. Be sure it is at the FULL RANGE mark in the FULL RANGE zone on the dipstick. Add oil if necessary. Refer to the Refill Capacities chart and the Dipstick Calibration topic of this publication to be sure of the correct level of oil for a BrakeSaver engine.Dipstick Calibration
The rear sump and front sump oil level gauges are used with their respective oil pans. These oil pans are used in truck applications with set back axles.Your 3406 Truck engine may have a dipstick that has a FULL RANGE zone versus previous dipsticks that have the traditional FULL mark. This dipstick allows for variations in engine installations. Engine oil level will vary depending on angle and slant of OEM engine installation (angle = front to back tilt, slant = sideways tilt).To determine the correct FULL mark in the FULL RANGE zone and prevent overfilling or under filling the crankcase, it is important to calibrate (or verify the calibration of) the dipstick at the first oil change.To verify the ADD mark and establish the actual FULL mark in the FULL RANGE zone of the dipstick, use the following procedure. A convenient time to calibrate the dipstick is at the first oil change.Drain Oil
The vehicle must be parked on a level surface to perform this maintenance procedure.
Refer to the Lubricant Specifications section of this manual for the recommended oil to use for this engine.Drain the crankcase with the oil warm and the engine stopped to allow for the draining of waste particles that are suspended in the oil.Failure to follow this recommended procedure would result in these waste particles being recirculated through your engine lubrication system with the new oil.1. Operate the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature.2. Stop the engine. 3. Drain the oil. An oil sample can be obtained for S O S (Scheduled Oil Sampling) analysis at this time. Remove the crankcase drain plugs. Plugs from both the deep and shallow portions of the oil pan should be removed to allow the oil to drain.4. Install both crankcase drain plugs and tighten them to 50 10 lb ft (70 14 N m).Replace Filter(s)
1. Use a 2P8250 Filter Wrench to remove the oil filter and optional bypass oil filter (if equipped).
Element with debris.2. Use a 4C5084 Oil Filter Cutter (which replaced the former 6V7905 Service Tool) to cut the oil filter open. Spread pleats apart and inspect the element for metal debris. An excessive amount of debris in the oil filter element may be indicative of early wear or a pending failure.Use a magnet to differentiate between the ferrous and non-ferrous metals found in your oil filter element.Ferrous metals may indicate wear on the steel and cast iron parts of your engine. Non-ferrous metals may indicate wear on the aluminum, brass or bronze parts of your engine, such as main and rod bearings or turbocharger bearings.Due to normal wear, friction, etc., it is not uncommon to find small amounts of debris in your oil filter element. Consult your Caterpillar dealer to arrange for further analysis if an excessive amount of debris is found in your oil filter. 3. Wipe the sealing surface of the filter mounting base. Make sure all of the old gasket is removed. Change oil filter(s) at every oil change. Make sure to use the correct Caterpillar oil filter(s) for your engine arrangement.
Caterpillar oil filters are built to Caterpillar specifications. Use of an oil filter not recommended by Caterpillar could result in severe engine damage to your engine bearings, crankshaft, etc., as a result of the larger debris particles from unfiltered oil entering your engine lubricating system.
4. Apply a small amount of clean engine oil to the new filter gasket.
Do NOT fill the oil filters with oil before installing them. This oil would not be filtered and could be contaminated. Contaminated oil will cause accelerated wear to engine components.
5. Install the new filter(s) until the gasket contacts the base. Tighten the filter 3/4 of a turn more by hand. Do not over tighten.* Replace the bypass filter (if equipped) as instructed in Steps 3, 4 and 5. The Caterpillar bypass filter will require an additional 2.6 U.S. quarts (2.5 L) of oil.Fill Crankcase
Refer to Lubricant Specifications, Lubricant Viscosities and Refill Capacities for the proper oil and quantity to use for this engine. 6. Remove the oil filler cap to fill the crankcase with new oil.
If equipped with a BrakeSaver, refer to BrakeSaver Maintenance topic in this publication for additional lube oil maintenance information.
If equipped with an auxiliary oil filter or system, extra oil must be added when filling the crankcase. Follow the OEM or filter manufacturer's recommendations. If the extra oil is not added, the engine may starve for oil.In some applications FULL RANGE dipsticks are used to take into account various angles of installation. It may be necessary to calibrate FULL RANGE dipsticks for proper engine oil level.Either underfilling or overfilling of engine crankcase oil can cause engine damage.