1992 LX555 Loss of Propulsion

[mllud]

I wouldn't be happy about it either... I'd bet its just seals, a seal kit can't be more than $100. As he has the machine he more or less has you by the uum you know!
What garantee do you have that if you spend that much money that it will be fixed? or will he come back and say the motor is now re-conditioned but the problem is still there, it has to be the pump, how about $2,000 more?
I personally would say give me the motor i want to check it. Take it home, pull it down and check the seals as i bet thats all that is wrong. You can then give it to the repair shop to replace the seals if you don't feel comfortable doing it. Just pull the seals, don't pull the geroler apart, but you can look for scratches and scoring. This way you know you aren't being had with the shop saying the seals were shot, the geroler needed replacing. You at least know whats going on.
In his defence, testing just a motor isn't easy you need to load it down, it was wrong for him to *test* it by just hooking oil pressure to it without a load which he obviously didn't do.

You have been thru hell and havn't came back yet. These guys dont sound right. Ive never heard of pre paying for repairs.I guess your local resources are limited on repair shops. I would bring it home.
I recently bought the manual that covers rebuilding the pumps.It is so well written and detailed that maybe you and a fair mechanic freind could tackle it.The manual was about $35 dollars from N/H .I will fax you that section of the manual if you need it.I have a LX865 the pump may be different.
Off hand I dont know the names of the company but I believe there are trusted shops named on the forum. I dont know how bad shipping would be to send the pump out. Maybe If you give your location someone on the forum can suggest a dependable shop.Best luck ahead. Mike

 

[92LX555]

You have been thru hell and havn't came back yet. These guys dont sound right. Ive never heard of pre paying for repairs.I guess your local resources are limited on repair shops. I would bring it home.
I recently bought the manual that covers rebuilding the pumps.It is so well written and detailed that maybe you and a fair mechanic freind could tackle it.The manual was about $35 dollars from N/H .I will fax you that section of the manual if you need it.I have a LX865 the pump may be different.
Off hand I dont know the names of the company but I believe there are trusted shops named on the forum. I dont know how bad shipping would be to send the pump out. Maybe If you give your location someone on the forum can suggest a dependable shop.Best luck ahead. Mike

This just keeps better and better. The repair shop that this guy uses is located in the Grand Rapids Michigan area...about 1 hour to the west of us. This shop actually is the same shop that rebuilt the boom pump for me about two years ago. They estimated the repair, without seeing the motor, at anywhere from $600 to $1300. I got to thinking about this and if all this guy was going to do is send it to him for repair I might as well look after that. I also called around and found a place in Elkart Indiana....skidloaderpumps.com This guy told me that he would look at the motor for free and could do the repair or I could buy a brand new pump from him for $864. So this is the route that I am going to go. But I gotta get my unit back first so I called the guy who has it. Before I had him pick it up, I had to put the motor back in in order to move from behind the barn. I put about 15 gallons of fluid in it to move it. One of my hoses had a slight leak so I had the guy replace that hose while he had it. I also did not put the seal back around the crankcase but it was tightened down...same thing for the motor where it mounts to the crankcase as well. So i call the guy and tell him to return the unti. He tells me that the bill is $223. I about jump out of my skin! I ask for a breakdown and he tells me that he has $45 in ti for pick up and return, he had to put fluid in it because their was water in it, and one hour of labor at $50. I challange him on almost all of it. I tell him that I just put fluid in it and it should have been clean........now granted I suppose I could have gotten water in it since I did not seal it but heck I only drove the machine less than 50 yards. I then attacke the $50 hour and tell him I already paid $50 for him to look at the pump and motor which he told me nothing was wrong with. I explain to him that I have lost my time in putting the motor back in and now have to take the motor out again and put another one in.....all because he failed to diagnose the problem. I agree to settle for $180 just to get the machine back but what a crook. Once I get the unit back I will post the guys company name for all to see. Like I said, I may be slow but I will get her fixed and will have her stuck in the mud within a week of getting her fixed.

 

[92LX555]

This just keeps better and better. The repair shop that this guy uses is located in the Grand Rapids Michigan area...about 1 hour to the west of us. This shop actually is the same shop that rebuilt the boom pump for me about two years ago. They estimated the repair, without seeing the motor, at anywhere from $600 to $1300. I got to thinking about this and if all this guy was going to do is send it to him for repair I might as well look after that. I also called around and found a place in Elkart Indiana....skidloaderpumps.com This guy told me that he would look at the motor for free and could do the repair or I could buy a brand new pump from him for $864. So this is the route that I am going to go. But I gotta get my unit back first so I called the guy who has it. Before I had him pick it up, I had to put the motor back in in order to move from behind the barn. I put about 15 gallons of fluid in it to move it. One of my hoses had a slight leak so I had the guy replace that hose while he had it. I also did not put the seal back around the crankcase but it was tightened down...same thing for the motor where it mounts to the crankcase as well. So i call the guy and tell him to return the unti. He tells me that the bill is $223. I about jump out of my skin! I ask for a breakdown and he tells me that he has $45 in ti for pick up and return, he had to put fluid in it because their was water in it, and one hour of labor at $50. I challange him on almost all of it. I tell him that I just put fluid in it and it should have been clean........now granted I suppose I could have gotten water in it since I did not seal it but heck I only drove the machine less than 50 yards. I then attacke the $50 hour and tell him I already paid $50 for him to look at the pump and motor which he told me nothing was wrong with. I explain to him that I have lost my time in putting the motor back in and now have to take the motor out again and put another one in.....all because he failed to diagnose the problem. I agree to settle for $180 just to get the machine back but what a crook. Once I get the unit back I will post the guys company name for all to see. Like I said, I may be slow but I will get her fixed and will have her stuck in the mud within a week of getting her fixed.

As mentioned, I may be slow but I get this fixed. I got the machine back and I can now name the repair place that did not have a clue.....C&C repair in Muntih, Michigan. After disputing the bill I ended up paying the guy $183. And for $183, I got him transporting the unit 17 miles to shop, replacing a hose.draining and changing the Hydraulic fluid, and transporting the unit back to me. Now, he inititally wanted $233, the difference being an hourly rate of $50 for looking at the pump and the drive motor of which I had already paid him $50. I agrued with him about the fluid as I had just put 10 gallons into the unit but he claimed there was water in it. I asked why he put more fluid into it if it was the drive motor and the fluid would have to drained out to pull the motor but never did get a real good answer. I guess he was holding the upper hand because he had the unit so I did not push hard. The unit came back and first thing I did was try to drain the fluid so I could pull the motor. Suprise, the unit had LESS fluid in it than when it left, probably a result of the leaky hose before he replace it. What a scam! Anyway, I sent the motor off to skidloaderpumps.com in Elkhart, IN (18665733659). They will tear the motor apart for free and tell me what is wrong with it. A new motor from these guys is $864, at least for this unit. So worst case, I am looking at $864 but I will post again when I find out what is wrong with. Can't wait to get unit back up and running. Cleaning calf pens and horse stalls with a shovel and wheelbarrow is starting to take the toll on my back.

 

[Tazza]

As mentioned, I may be slow but I get this fixed. I got the machine back and I can now name the repair place that did not have a clue.....C&C repair in Muntih, Michigan. After disputing the bill I ended up paying the guy $183. And for $183, I got him transporting the unit 17 miles to shop, replacing a hose.draining and changing the Hydraulic fluid, and transporting the unit back to me. Now, he inititally wanted $233, the difference being an hourly rate of $50 for looking at the pump and the drive motor of which I had already paid him $50. I agrued with him about the fluid as I had just put 10 gallons into the unit but he claimed there was water in it. I asked why he put more fluid into it if it was the drive motor and the fluid would have to drained out to pull the motor but never did get a real good answer. I guess he was holding the upper hand because he had the unit so I did not push hard. The unit came back and first thing I did was try to drain the fluid so I could pull the motor. Suprise, the unit had LESS fluid in it than when it left, probably a result of the leaky hose before he replace it. What a scam! Anyway, I sent the motor off to skidloaderpumps.com in Elkhart, IN (18665733659). They will tear the motor apart for free and tell me what is wrong with it. A new motor from these guys is $864, at least for this unit. So worst case, I am looking at $864 but I will post again when I find out what is wrong with. Can't wait to get unit back up and running. Cleaning calf pens and horse stalls with a shovel and wheelbarrow is starting to take the toll on my back.

I'm sure Levi will sort you out!
Its scary how dependent we get on our machines! all that back breaking work we once did by hand....

 

[92LX555]

I'm sure Levi will sort you out!
Its scary how dependent we get on our machines! all that back breaking work we once did by hand....

Any luck and I have touched the shovel for the last time as of last night. Levi is fixing the drive motor for me and I should have back in a few days. Total cost including shipping was $695. Should have bit the bullet and ponied up a long time ago. I have been with no machine for a long time and can not wait to start tearing stuff up again.

 

[Tazza]

Any luck and I have touched the shovel for the last time as of last night. Levi is fixing the drive motor for me and I should have back in a few days. Total cost including shipping was $695. Should have bit the bullet and ponied up a long time ago. I have been with no machine for a long time and can not wait to start tearing stuff up again.

Well at least he seems to have found the problem with the motor, unlike the last person that told you its fine......

 

[92LX555]

Well at least he seems to have found the problem with the motor, unlike the last person that told you its fine......

Levi looked after me pretty good. He fixed the drive motor and I got it back earlier in the week. Put the motor in and sure enough it now works. I will be back in business tonight after I put the linkages back together and put some more fluid in her. Thanks Levi. Tom

 

[Tazza]

Levi looked after me pretty good. He fixed the drive motor and I got it back earlier in the week. Put the motor in and sure enough it now works. I will be back in business tonight after I put the linkages back together and put some more fluid in her. Thanks Levi. Tom

Awesome, yet another happy customer
Now why didn't the first guy find the problem?????
Its a shame you had so many problems, it should have been picked up at the start! i do know these problems aren't always the easiest to trace though.

 

[92LX555]

Awesome, yet another happy customer
Now why didn't the first guy find the problem?????
Its a shame you had so many problems, it should have been picked up at the start! i do know these problems aren't always the easiest to trace though.

That is what I am kind of wondering. Worst yet, the SOB ripped my off. When I had the unit torn apart and sitting on the pad behind the barn, I put 10 gallons of fluid in her to move here around to the front so he could pick it up. The guy tells me that the fluid had water in it so he put 6 gallons of fluid in it. (RED FLAG HERE.......if the fluid had water in it would you not have had to drain the entire system? Capacity is 17 gallons, not 6 gallons). Then, I tried to drain the fluid when I pulled the motor and sent it to Levi, did not get a drop out of the drain plug. Now, it could be the fluid was on the other side wheel resovior as I had the unit in the air and tilted to one side. So, after I got the motor back I put another 5 gallons in and I think I need another 5 gallons as least. My Hyd light comes on when I raise the boom, perhaps water in there as well but I will add fluid first and see what happens. So, I guess here is another question.....if the hyd fluid has water in it, would that effect the entire system of just the boom? What I mean is that the light only comes on when the boom is being raised and it moves very slowly. I have no trouble with wheel spin. Now back to the idiot at C & C repair. Part of me wants to pursue this guy and get my money back. The other parts says to move on as I don't have the time to put into it. What really gets me mad though is knowing that if I don't make this guy realize that he can not rip people off that he will continue to do so.

 

[mllud]

That is what I am kind of wondering. Worst yet, the SOB ripped my off. When I had the unit torn apart and sitting on the pad behind the barn, I put 10 gallons of fluid in her to move here around to the front so he could pick it up. The guy tells me that the fluid had water in it so he put 6 gallons of fluid in it. (RED FLAG HERE.......if the fluid had water in it would you not have had to drain the entire system? Capacity is 17 gallons, not 6 gallons). Then, I tried to drain the fluid when I pulled the motor and sent it to Levi, did not get a drop out of the drain plug. Now, it could be the fluid was on the other side wheel resovior as I had the unit in the air and tilted to one side. So, after I got the motor back I put another 5 gallons in and I think I need another 5 gallons as least. My Hyd light comes on when I raise the boom, perhaps water in there as well but I will add fluid first and see what happens. So, I guess here is another question.....if the hyd fluid has water in it, would that effect the entire system of just the boom? What I mean is that the light only comes on when the boom is being raised and it moves very slowly. I have no trouble with wheel spin. Now back to the idiot at C & C repair. Part of me wants to pursue this guy and get my money back. The other parts says to move on as I don't have the time to put into it. What really gets me mad though is knowing that if I don't make this guy realize that he can not rip people off that he will continue to do so.

Write him a letter or let him know, you know he didnt add oil and tell you believe in word of mouth advertizing both good and bad. Chances are he doesnt care and gets a lot of one time customers.
I would also tell him what the problem ended up being. It may be better to enjoy your loader and try to forget. Guys like that create mistrust with mechanics.He will get his when the time comes. Mike

 

[92LX555]

Write him a letter or let him know, you know he didnt add oil and tell you believe in word of mouth advertizing both good and bad. Chances are he doesnt care and gets a lot of one time customers.
I would also tell him what the problem ended up being. It may be better to enjoy your loader and try to forget. Guys like that create mistrust with mechanics.He will get his when the time comes. Mike

He knows it but stands by what he has told me. I agree completely about moving forward but I also feel that perhaps if someone had pushed the issue further with him in the past that he would have chnaged the way he does business by the time I found him. I hate to think that he will continue with his business approach. Back to the fluid level.........The capacity is 17 gallons and I added 5 gallons to what was in there. The level was low on the one side that I had pulled the cover but this was the side that was cocked in the air. I am not sure if the fluid would drain into the other side or not? With the cover off, the fluid does not look milky. When I added the 5 gallons the dipstick looked a little milky and the level was still a bit low but by how much it was too hard to tell. The loader drives and turns with no issues. When I raise the boom the hyd light comes on and moves very slowly. I plan on adding more fluid tonight but what do you think the odds are that it is just low fluid versus low/bad fluid? Am I think right that if it was bad fluid then I would trouble with all of the hydraulics and not just the boom?

 

[mllud]

He knows it but stands by what he has told me. I agree completely about moving forward but I also feel that perhaps if someone had pushed the issue further with him in the past that he would have chnaged the way he does business by the time I found him. I hate to think that he will continue with his business approach. Back to the fluid level.........The capacity is 17 gallons and I added 5 gallons to what was in there. The level was low on the one side that I had pulled the cover but this was the side that was cocked in the air. I am not sure if the fluid would drain into the other side or not? With the cover off, the fluid does not look milky. When I added the 5 gallons the dipstick looked a little milky and the level was still a bit low but by how much it was too hard to tell. The loader drives and turns with no issues. When I raise the boom the hyd light comes on and moves very slowly. I plan on adding more fluid tonight but what do you think the odds are that it is just low fluid versus low/bad fluid? Am I think right that if it was bad fluid then I would trouble with all of the hydraulics and not just the boom?

Your fluid level in the Hydraulic tank is lowered as you raise and extend the lift and tilt cylinders. all the cilinders fill with oil from the tank like a giant syringe. The lift and tilt starts acting erratic before the drive pumps. When the boom is down the drive pumps have plenty of oil until you raise the boom. Thats why they dont seem to be effected.
Your fluid quality is probably ok. Probably low and may have some air in the system.After you add fluid run the bucket and boom up and down a few times to clear the air out. Let it set for a couple of hours to let air bubbles in the tank to float to the top.You may have to repeat this a couple times .
I hope allthat makes sence. Mike

 

[92LX555]

Your fluid level in the Hydraulic tank is lowered as you raise and extend the lift and tilt cylinders. all the cilinders fill with oil from the tank like a giant syringe. The lift and tilt starts acting erratic before the drive pumps. When the boom is down the drive pumps have plenty of oil until you raise the boom. Thats why they dont seem to be effected.
Your fluid quality is probably ok. Probably low and may have some air in the system.After you add fluid run the bucket and boom up and down a few times to clear the air out. Let it set for a couple of hours to let air bubbles in the tank to float to the top.You may have to repeat this a couple times .
I hope allthat makes sence. Mike

Put another 2.5 gallons in her last night and she seemed to lift a bit better. I ran her for a bit and then shuit her off a few different times trying to get air out. Should put some more fluid in her and just continue but I think problem is solved.

 

[Tazza]

Put another 2.5 gallons in her last night and she seemed to lift a bit better. I ran her for a bit and then shuit her off a few different times trying to get air out. Should put some more fluid in her and just continue but I think problem is solved.

It will just need time to flush the system out, i'm sure it will get there.
Glad you have it all sorted out though! Its bad when you need to trust the people you deal with and you get burnt. I'm sure they wouldn't want to admit they were wrong in the first place.