Working on the Touch Control system,

[countershaft]

how tough is it to tear into the cylinder block unit to clean the oil strainer and replace the check valve actuator seal and replace the check valve ?? I have never been in there before . Do you drain the fluid to do that work ? And of course take care of anything else needed.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Yes, you definitely need to drain it. You can get the manual from http://www.binderbooks, or o to Rudi's manual server and look in the blue ribbon manuals. Remember, cleanliness, cleaniness, cleaniness. There are two different touch control bolcks, and the only part that is interchangeable is the filter so far as I know. Also the filter does NOT come as part of an ovehaul/repair kit.

[Cub-Bud]

I would not even think of trying this job without the service manual. Without it, you will be lost. There are two different kits, as John said. The correct kit to use is determined by supplying your local dealer with the part number that is cast into the touch control block. The filter will cost close to $50.00. Oh yeah, that cleanliness thing John spoke of is very important, too.

[Cubnut]

Touch control cylinder block strainers should be checked & cleaned every 100 years, whether they need it or not.

Seriously, it would be easier to offer advice if we knew which one you will be working with. Is it 354383 or 360719?

If your strainer is the original part, it will probably have a very fine mesh brass screen. My screen (and several others, so I hear) had a large hole in it when I removed it and was split at the seam. I was lucky because I found all the loose screen parts in the bottom of the reservoir...it didn't get into the pump. According to the local knowledgeable IH dealer, these busted screens were the single biggest cause of pump failures. The new strainers that they sell have a stainless screen and an inner coarse mesh reinforcement.

Check valve...in the -383 unit, there are two check valves: one in the front and one in the rear, and they are identical. They are easy to remove and replace. If you really mean the pressure regulator valve seat (352025, index # 26 in the parts catalog), things can get complicated in a hurry. Roumor is that they hired Arnold Schwartzenegger to install them, so be prepared to eat your Wheaties and buy a special tool to remove it. The local service guy says that he checks the regulators by standing the unit up with the rear facing up and squirts WD-40 in the chamber behind it...if it doesn't leak down, he feels it is OK and leaves it alone.

In either case, do yourself a big favor and buy the rebuild kit...354008R95 for the -383 units and 360713R91 for the -719's. My -383 kit came with 11 0-rings, 3 gaskets, 3 copper rings and a useless instruction sheet. Well worth the price at less than $40 to know you have the correct parts and didn't have to drive all over the county to find them.

Yes, drain the fluid first. If you don't, gravity will drain it for you.

On the rear plate (head), be sure to record which bolts came from which holes. My -383 unit used 3 different bolt lengths, and I'm still not sure that they're correct. Some of them were pretty tough to get out. When you install them, torque the bolts to 45 ft. lbs. in steps, like you would install head bolts on the engine. If you have a bad bolt, buy a new one from IH and don't substitute a weak replacement. I'm not sure, but they may be Grade 8 bolts.