1999 773 starting problems error code?

jimemco · Feb 10, 2015

Bobcatdan said:
I was a dealer tech/ service manger until April when one of my customers stole me away. Somebody like me has to be careful in telling a customer stuff like that because it is overriding safety. You get hurt, I could possibly be to blame for telling you. Not that I wouldn't have told you, hell I've done on service calls to get machines moved. I think there is an 873 still cruising around that needs a wiring harness with it pulled out because they never brought it to the shop. I probably ga e away too much work telling people too much, ha, ha.

yes,Dan, I had that sentiment in mind about a possible reason that he/they might have had for not telling me that "trick" I guess it makes sense for them,with all of the "sue-happy" people around now-a-days. Just thankful you guys can help whenever you can.

jimemco · Feb 19, 2015

jimemco said:
yes,Dan, I had that sentiment in mind about a possible reason that he/they might have had for not telling me that "trick" I guess it makes sense for them,with all of the "sue-happy" people around now-a-days. Just thankful you guys can help whenever you can.

Well,here's an update on my 773 G-series loader. It's in my shop nice and warm which makes it a lot easier to work on! Wanting to totally eliminate the possibility of a wiring,connection,ground,harness,fuse,relay,solenoid,contoller,panel,ignition switch,or related electrical/electronic problem I painstakingly followed the wiring harness in it's entirety checking for all of the above. I even went as far as removing,grinding,cleaning and resetting in place all known chassis,cab,engine,battery and electronics grounding points. I inspected the wiring harness and plugs/connections exhaustingly for indications of rubbing,shorting out,corroding,moisture,oiling even going as far as to spray (even though all were in pristeen condition) the connectors with a top line electrical/electronic connection spray. I also removed the bics controller,the left and right side overhead panel modules and removed their covers (carefully) to inspect the circuit boards for visual overheating and/or "sparkouts" which is the only test on these modules that a layman can perform. Any of them could be bad even though they look fantastic,as I know! I am about at the end of doing what I know to do as far as isolating this problem. I realize (but dread) the thought of it being a controller/bics problem because of the money and or availability problems associated with them but it looks more and more like it points to that. (I even checked the air in the tires-three times,LOL !) So any other suggestions would be helpful,guys! C'mon put your heads together!! No suggestion could ever be considered too simple or lame as I,although not a smart man, recognize the value of even the most basic and simple of suggestions ! You never know! I think I will try to clean the rear window,inside and out and see if that works! lol. Thanks again! Jim

samsonite · Feb 19, 2015

jimemco said:
Well,here's an update on my 773 G-series loader. It's in my shop nice and warm which makes it a lot easier to work on! Wanting to totally eliminate the possibility of a wiring,connection,ground,harness,fuse,relay,solenoid,contoller,panel,ignition switch,or related electrical/electronic problem I painstakingly followed the wiring harness in it's entirety checking for all of the above. I even went as far as removing,grinding,cleaning and resetting in place all known chassis,cab,engine,battery and electronics grounding points. I inspected the wiring harness and plugs/connections exhaustingly for indications of rubbing,shorting out,corroding,moisture,oiling even going as far as to spray (even though all were in pristeen condition) the connectors with a top line electrical/electronic connection spray. I also removed the bics controller,the left and right side overhead panel modules and removed their covers (carefully) to inspect the circuit boards for visual overheating and/or "sparkouts" which is the only test on these modules that a layman can perform. Any of them could be bad even though they look fantastic,as I know! I am about at the end of doing what I know to do as far as isolating this problem. I realize (but dread) the thought of it being a controller/bics problem because of the money and or availability problems associated with them but it looks more and more like it points to that. (I even checked the air in the tires-three times,LOL !) So any other suggestions would be helpful,guys! C'mon put your heads together!! No suggestion could ever be considered too simple or lame as I,although not a smart man, recognize the value of even the most basic and simple of suggestions ! You never know! I think I will try to clean the rear window,inside and out and see if that works! lol. Thanks again! Jim

Our 96 773 started acting up a few year back, strange BOSS codes that looked like alien letters, I thought it was a wiring issue. We had to bring it in to the dealer. Guess what was wrong...air filter!

Bobcatdan · Feb 19, 2015

samsonite said:
Our 96 773 started acting up a few year back, strange BOSS codes that looked like alien letters, I thought it was a wiring issue. We had to bring it in to the dealer. Guess what was wrong...air filter!

Bite the bullet, have a service call made. If it is the controller, that can be figured out in 20 minutes by swapping it. You need the dealer anyways if it is a controller as it needs to be programed with services software.

jimemco · Feb 26, 2015

Bobcatdan said:
Bite the bullet, have a service call made. If it is the controller, that can be figured out in 20 minutes by swapping it. You need the dealer anyways if it is a controller as it needs to be programed with services software.

Ok everybody! Finally got the 773 problem fixed. It was the controller! The local Bobcat dealer was kind enough to loan me their "shop controller" to take home and swap out to test check. They felt convinced that with all the preliminary checks and tests that I had done (big thanks to Bobcat Dan and others) that I was probably safe to swap the controller with theirs and not "fry"it. Worked like a charm! everything is perfect again,plus I got a very productive lesson about the electrical and electronic components in my 773 Bobcat. The only bad news is the controller cost $1100 and the reprogramming the new controller cost $110 for a grand total of about $1210. If it was the busy season It would have cost a lot more to take it to the dealer and say "fix it" . Anyway,nice to talk to you guys and my appreciation for ALL your comments,however minor in helping me solve this problem. Good luck till next time. Looking forward to sharing my experiences on my Bobcat 773 G series with anyone who can benefit, Thanks again! Jimemco

antfarmer2 · Feb 26, 2015

jimemco said:
Ok everybody! Finally got the 773 problem fixed. It was the controller! The local Bobcat dealer was kind enough to loan me their "shop controller" to take home and swap out to test check. They felt convinced that with all the preliminary checks and tests that I had done (big thanks to Bobcat Dan and others) that I was probably safe to swap the controller with theirs and not "fry"it. Worked like a charm! everything is perfect again,plus I got a very productive lesson about the electrical and electronic components in my 773 Bobcat. The only bad news is the controller cost $1100 and the reprogramming the new controller cost $110 for a grand total of about $1210. If it was the busy season It would have cost a lot more to take it to the dealer and say "fix it" . Anyway,nice to talk to you guys and my appreciation for ALL your comments,however minor in helping me solve this problem. Good luck till next time. Looking forward to sharing my experiences on my Bobcat 773 G series with anyone who can benefit, Thanks again! Jimemco

Good job glade you got it