743 Q's I might have a good deal here but am not sure

[mxz71]

I am looking at a bobcat that is owned by a friend from work. It is a 1990 "743" with the Kubota 4cyl Diesel. It runs excellent as I have had it for the last 2 weeks. I checked all of the fluids and of course would change them all if I make the buy. The only real concerning issue is the Milky oil in the chaincase.... How big of a concern is that? I dont have a clue how long it has been since it has been replaced. The other concern is that none of the gauges are working... No Fuel,Temp, or Volts. It runs good enough that I dont think it has been overheated but would definitely like to get them working if I do buy it. The hour meter was replaced about 580hrs ago and I was told the old one had about 3000 hours on it.... He wants $4500 for the loader.... Good deal or should I keep looking?? Thanks for any advice!

 

[Tazza]

The milky chain case oil is an issue and needs to be changed. Its not a super hard job, but it does take a little work.
The gauges is probably a blown fuse or a bad fuse holder in the dash. They corrode and fall apart. The connector between the harnesses do go too, its down the left side behind the rops. Gauges are available from the dealer.
If its still tight and starts/runs well its probably worth it. They are a very simple machine, no electronics to worry about. Just get the chain case done. You need to drain the 30 odd litres of oil, mop the sludge out and re-fill with engine grade oil, cheap stuff is fine here. Even if you drain the hydraulics, you can use that oil in there if its not white from water contamination. You can even fluck it a little by draining the oil, re-filling and move the arms up and down, tilt etc then drain more and re-fil. Use the oil that came out in the chain case.
It may pay to jack the wheels off the ground and feel for end float. This is a sign of bearing wear if they move in and out. Hopefully they are sill tight though and a simple oil change will do the trick.
Good luck on your purchase.

 

[mxz71]

The milky chain case oil is an issue and needs to be changed. Its not a super hard job, but it does take a little work.
The gauges is probably a blown fuse or a bad fuse holder in the dash. They corrode and fall apart. The connector between the harnesses do go too, its down the left side behind the rops. Gauges are available from the dealer.
If its still tight and starts/runs well its probably worth it. They are a very simple machine, no electronics to worry about. Just get the chain case done. You need to drain the 30 odd litres of oil, mop the sludge out and re-fill with engine grade oil, cheap stuff is fine here. Even if you drain the hydraulics, you can use that oil in there if its not white from water contamination. You can even fluck it a little by draining the oil, re-filling and move the arms up and down, tilt etc then drain more and re-fil. Use the oil that came out in the chain case.
It may pay to jack the wheels off the ground and feel for end float. This is a sign of bearing wear if they move in and out. Hopefully they are sill tight though and a simple oil change will do the trick.
Good luck on your purchase.

Thank you for the info. I did read in a manual that you are supposed to "Suck" the chaincase oil out with a pump.... Kind of a pain and you are not likely to get all of it that way.... There was another thread on here where someone added a drain plug to the bottom of the resivoir... Is that a good idea or not? I will jack it up and check for wheel float too. I kind of figure it must be a connection that is keeping the gauges from working as it is unlikely that all of the sending units would go at once.

 

[Tazza]

Thank you for the info. I did read in a manual that you are supposed to "Suck" the chaincase oil out with a pump.... Kind of a pain and you are not likely to get all of it that way.... There was another thread on here where someone added a drain plug to the bottom of the resivoir... Is that a good idea or not? I will jack it up and check for wheel float too. I kind of figure it must be a connection that is keeping the gauges from working as it is unlikely that all of the sending units would go at once.

You don't just suck the oil out, you are meant to mop the sludge out of the bottom with rags too, this contains metal particles from the chains and sprockets as they wear. You need to remove the front inspection cover to do this. A drain plug isn't a bad idea at all, it would make draining a lot easier. The thing is, its meant to be done every 1000 hours, how many times do you think you'll be doing that? The only time between that it needs to be done is if you get water in from a leaky inspection cover (the usual water entry point).

 

[mxz71]

You don't just suck the oil out, you are meant to mop the sludge out of the bottom with rags too, this contains metal particles from the chains and sprockets as they wear. You need to remove the front inspection cover to do this. A drain plug isn't a bad idea at all, it would make draining a lot easier. The thing is, its meant to be done every 1000 hours, how many times do you think you'll be doing that? The only time between that it needs to be done is if you get water in from a leaky inspection cover (the usual water entry point).

After digging deeper I see you are absoleutely correct. What is a good replacement oil that I can buy at a local auto parts store? I don't need top of the line stuff just a suitable replacement.

 

[Tazza]

After digging deeper I see you are absoleutely correct. What is a good replacement oil that I can buy at a local auto parts store? I don't need top of the line stuff just a suitable replacement.

Engine grade oil 15W40, 20W50 something along those lines.

 

[sblanchard]

You don't just suck the oil out, you are meant to mop the sludge out of the bottom with rags too, this contains metal particles from the chains and sprockets as they wear. You need to remove the front inspection cover to do this. A drain plug isn't a bad idea at all, it would make draining a lot easier. The thing is, its meant to be done every 1000 hours, how many times do you think you'll be doing that? The only time between that it needs to be done is if you get water in from a leaky inspection cover (the usual water entry point).

How do you remove the front inspection cover? How difficult is it to "mop the sludge"?

 

[Tazza]

How do you remove the front inspection cover? How difficult is it to "mop the sludge"?

The cover is a bit pf a pain, but totally doable. You will need to remove the plate that the steering levers come through with the rubber boots, remove the 8 odd bolts on the cover and simply lift it off with a screwdriver to break the seal. Drain and mop the bottom of the chain case out with rags, re-fil to the bottom on the threads on the plug at the front. Replace the cover and use silicone to make sure its sealed against water getting in. Its not a hard job, its just a lot of messing around, especially getting to the bolts to remove the plate where the stering levers go through.

 

[mxz71]

The cover is a bit pf a pain, but totally doable. You will need to remove the plate that the steering levers come through with the rubber boots, remove the 8 odd bolts on the cover and simply lift it off with a screwdriver to break the seal. Drain and mop the bottom of the chain case out with rags, re-fil to the bottom on the threads on the plug at the front. Replace the cover and use silicone to make sure its sealed against water getting in. Its not a hard job, its just a lot of messing around, especially getting to the bolts to remove the plate where the stering levers go through.

I did this job last weekend. It really isn't too bad of a job. Like Tazza said it is a bit of a pain but not really that bad and TOTALLY worth it if you have chocolate milk in the chaincase. I jacked the back of my 743 up and let everything run forward also just to make sure I could clear out as much old "Fluid" I possibly could.