JD 350C reverser adjustment

I suspect you've got some internal problems from what you describe. In regard to the accumulators - there are NO shims. It is adjusted by the length of stroke - which is adjusted with a bolt and nut.

I would check the easy and obvious firt. Find out what your cluth pressure is - when it's shift okay and also, when it's not. Also, look closely at the control-valve and pedal-linkage. Make sure there is no dirt limiting the travel and also - check the big return spring. They often get stretched and don't let the linkage return to "full on" position.

The problems you had with the isolator are common. It was, and is, the #1 failure point on those crawlers. We used to have a line of them at the shop awaiting repairs. The early 350s did not have it, and held up better. And, the later 350s don't have it either. It was eliminated with the 350D series and on. Deere sells upgrade kits to eliminate it in a C, but kit probably costs a fortune. Hopefully, your's was done correctly. It is very easy to assembly one with all new parts and have it blow to pieces in a week.

To answer your question about the isolator. There can't be much wear on anything. The springs, anchor posts, clips, the main plate with facing, etc. must all be good. The outside of the spring-hooks need to face the proper direction (open ends away from direction of rotation), and lots of high-strength Loctite on everything. Besides that, the pilot bearing must be good and the front-shaft in the reverser needs to have the proper end-play (.002" - .004"). If the input shaft is too loose - you have to pull the reverser out to fix and/or adjust it. With the isolator, often what does them in early after a new installation is - if one of the outside clips gets cocked - and then rubs.

The $1000 sounds like a very good starting price - but with part's cost- it's kind of hard to tell what a good deal is anymore. My farmer-neighbor bought a first-series 350 last year for $3000. It has a mechancial 6-way blade, no-reverser, winch, undercarriage and steering clutches bad, but a good running 152 c.i. diesel.

And, silly me - although I was a Deere mechanic much of my life, I bought a very-beat up Allis Chalmers HD4 with a 6-way hydraulic blade for $3900. When, and if - I ever get all done fixing everything on it - I might have been ahead buying a $6000 - $7000 machine already fixed up and running. But - at least when I finish mine, I know exacty what I have - since I've got to meet - up front and personal - just about every moving part in it.

When you say you can't get it right - what exactly do you mean? The pressures you're mentioning probably will not effect the feel of shift - no matter what you do - unless they are way out of range. The reverser in the C-series runs a little higher pressure than the older 350s - because the reverser pump has to power the steering-clutches also. Many 350Cs never shifted the same - from forward-to-reverse, as reverse-to-forward. When the crawler is hot - and transmission in 2nd gear, engine at full throttle, you should be able to shift from forward to reverse (without touching the clutch pedal) and it should be firm but NOT snap your neck. This you adjust with the rate-of-shift jet-scr*w you already mentioned. If you are getting some sort of delay or hang-up midway through a shift - the reverser probably has internal problems - or the accumlator stroke is set wrong inside the control-valve assembly.