Cat 518 winch issues

[litz]

Hey, I have a 94 Cat 518 and I am stumped with what is wrong with the winch right now.  I think there are two issues which may be the same problem.   The first is that all the transmission fluid is transferring into the winch and not going back into the transmission.  It will drain back in over time and the transmission dipstick reads full again by morning. I checked the hoses and none of them seem to be clogged.  The second problem is that the winch stopped working last week (the transmission issue had happened 3 times at this point but I didn't realize the fluid was going into the winch then).  It was clicking in free spool for about a day before it locked up but now it will not let cable out or winch it in.  I pulled a lot of it apart and everything I have found so far looks good but I am out of ideas as to what the problem is.    I have worked as sawyer cutting for line machines for the last 18 years and just bought the skidder this past winter so I know very little about them but am learning quickly.  Thanks a ton for any help or ideas! Ben 

[mills]

Dang, not sure how that fluid transfer is working. As far as the locking up, check to make sure the shifting fork is working. The transmission powers the shifting cylinder on mine. And then there is a small pin that goes through both the fork and the shift rod. The pin is held in place by a small retaining ring looking thingy. (Don't laugh, I'm still on my first cup.) :D Mine has broken that little pin before. Different setup, but not too hard to repair.

[litz]

Thanks for the advice on that! It looked like the retaining pin was good and the shifting fork was working fine.  I pulled one of the side panels off for what I think is the brake and had to replace one seal that was broken in there but the four clutch plates and the springs all looked good.  still no luck once I got it all back together.  I found someone who actually knows what they are doing to come give me a hand tomorrow.   

[mills]

litz, let us know what you find. The way my luck is running right now I'll probably have the same problem by next week. ;)