873 Bobcat White Smoke, Fuel Leak

Help Support SkidSteer Forum:

benb01

New member
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Messages
1
Hello all, I recently purchased a 2000 873 bobcat with the deutz that needs some tlc. I've taken care of a lot of the main concerns but I am still getting white smoke. It is really really bad when first started and dissipates as it reaches operating temp, however it still persists lightly. I have no power loss or surging, no oil loss (the deutz is oil cooled so no antifreeze obviously). The only leaks I have found seem to be from two injector pumps at the base as well as the line connection to the pump. I am not familiar with this deutz motor, so I don't know what type of seal these pumps use.

Are the seals replaceable? O rings or copper washers, can I buy them individually or will I need to purchase a new pump? Would this issue be causing the motor to not burn the fuel correctly?

In addition to these issues I'll add that I am seeing air bubbles in the hose lines leading right to the injectors, but no air is visible/introduced in the hose feeding the fuel rail that feeds the injector lines. Is this normal or would it be a cause for concern as well? How can I resolve it if it's an issue?

The only thing I can think of other than these issues which would cause these symptoms would be loss of compression or an injector that's dumping fuel. Thoughts on this possibility also?

Thanks in advance to anyone with any input.
 

spitzair

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2009
Messages
168
On these Deutz engines it's very common for the head gasket to fail leading to the smoking. Had one go in my 873 a number of years ago, did the same thing.
As for the injection pumps I'm not sure now what sort of gaskets they use…
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
White smoke, especially at startup is caused from low compression, be it a bent con rod or just normal cylinder wear. The fuel isn't being ignited from the compression.

One way to check if this could be the cause, is to start the motor and one by one, loosen an injector line, this will take out that cylinder as no fuel will be injected. See what one makes the smoke stop.

If the smoke was blue it could be a head gasket or even a failing turbo allowing engine oil into the intake.
 

Flip57

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 5, 2012
Messages
77
I had the same thing happen and it was a failed low pressure fuel pump that feeds the injector pump. I replaced the fuel pump and everything went back to normal. Much later I found a hole in the pump bulb that caused rough running when fuel tank was down to half. Check it out before you tear the engine down. Some options would be to check to make sure there is fuel coming out of the injector return line flowing back to the tank. Maybe put a gauge on the fuel line between the low pressure pump and the injector pump. I'm not sure what the pressure should be. Make sure the screen on the pump is clean and is not leaking. I put an inline fuel filter between the squeeze bulb and fuel pump to keep the screen clean. It could be something else but this is what I found on my unit.
 
Top