Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I couldn't find anything relevant in the search. I have an 873G with a Deutz oil cooled engine. I can't remember the year but it was the last one for 873's. It has 400 hrs on it and I use it around my house for mowing, snow removal, etc. Last evening I was turning over my wife's garden when I noticed black smoking coming out of the engine compartment. I shut the engine off, got out and felt the rear door - it was too hot to touch. It turns out that the left side of my muffler had rusted out so the exhaust was emptying into the engine compartment. I hit the back with a hose and once it cooled enough, got the door open. Oil was everywhere. It appeared to be shooting out near the left hand side where the valve cover gasket is - under where the hole in the muffler is located. I put a picture up of where I think it was coming out at www.idjsolutions.com/bobcat. I had no warning lights / buzzers and the machine was working like a champ when I noticed the smoke. I'm hoping I can get out with a new muffler and maybe valve cover gasket but thought I'd ask the pro's here to see what you think. My nearest Bobcat dealer isn't very near and I'd rather not spend a fortune having them come get it if I can fix it myself. Any help would be really appreciated!
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I have no idea how your motor is cofigured in your machine.(Is it sideways?) The Deutz in the Gehl is in line with the frame and on the left side as you face it from behind are the cooling lines from the engine that go into the radiator and they are regular Hydraulic lines and fittings. easy to replace. I also have heater lines that run from that side, also hydraulic hose.
If you did not have any idiot lights flash you probably did not hurt anything. Just a mess to clean up. There is a lot of reserve oil to lose before you lose pressure.Other guys here are more familiar with the machine and may have other ideas.Scott
If you did not have any idiot lights flash you probably did not hurt anything. Just a mess to clean up. There is a lot of reserve oil to lose before you lose pressure.Other guys here are more familiar with the machine and may have other ideas.Scott
I can't see why a new mufler and rocker cover gasket won't fix your problem. You are very lucky it didn't catch fire with the oil touching the muffler! The gauges wouldn't beep or anything as it wouldn't think there was a problem till your oil level got low enough to set off a low oil pressure sender.
Luckily I was by the house and it didn't take me long at all to get the hose hooked up and start cooling it down. I was thanking the good Lord I had a diesel! My wife came home a few minutes later and I'm standing by her garden, covered in oil and water, without a shirt (I had to use it to open the still hot door). It would have been funny if it wasn't my baby spewing oil everywhere. I tried to get the muffler off today but can't figure out how to get to the back bolts without taking off the starter and some hoses. If anyone has attacked this before, please pass along any tips. I have the parts list and repair manual for the 873 but can't find anything about how to get the muffler off.
skidsteer.ca
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I have never worked on a 873, and it the only bobcat with the Deutz. (Correction 863 has Deutz too) But in my experience it is often necessary to remove parts to gain room to access. The starter and hoses should not be too hard to remove. Get room for access so you can do a good job on the exhaust.
Also that motor should have a new timing belt at something like 2000 hours, (you have some time yet) but with the years on the engine you may want to inspect it, because a failed timing belt will allow your valves to come in contact with the pistons, bending pushrods or pehaps valves, which would require a head rebuild. Just incase you have not heard.
Ken
Ken, Good idea on checking the timing belt. I'll do that. I finally got the muffler off today and everything is pretty easy to get to now. Turns out when the side blew out of the muffler it stabbed one of the oil lines so it was gushing oil everywhere. The exhaust melted part of the air filter housing so I'll get to replace it too. Could have been much worse though.
skidsteer.ca
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Glad to here your making progress, Most air filters canisters are made by Donaldson and you may be able to get the part cheaper from them. It has some plastic? all the one I have seen have been metal.
Ken
http://go.jeep-xj.info/DonaldsonFilters.pdf - all plastic.
Hey Ken,
Those push rods in the Duetz are made to bend so that there won't be any valve damage.Is the Duetz sideways in the Bobcat? If it is I can see why changing the belt is so difficult.Scott
It is east/west...... You are supposed to use a special tensioner too for the belt.
The rods are made to bend yes, another user in here had that happen, all of them looked like an S Luckily no valve or piston damage.
No matter how well they design parts to break first, there is always a chance they may not though....
skidsteer.ca
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Scott
I do remember hearing the pushrods are designed as the weak link, still can't see it being good for the valves, etc. Good to catch or check it before hand imo.
Yes they are in sideways in the 863/73, which won't make the job easier for sure.
Good info to pass on I thought.
Ken
Yeah if the engine is side ways ,it would a lot harder.The worst part of losing belt is the machine is dead where it happens. My luck would be in the middle of the street or in a mud hole.The mechanic's for the Duetz dealer and the machanic that helped said that they really haven't seen any valve damage.I replaced mine because of the hrs, 4000. I bought push rods fairly cheap and replaced them anyway. The old belt had no checking or visiable signs of failure but I had no way of checking it for being stretched.
I agree that if you have the time and ability and the tools needed, change the belt. The second time I did it it was a two to three hr job,but my engine was inline with the frame and a lot easier to get to. I did it twice because I still had a engine vibration and brought a real mechanic with Duetz experiece in to do it a second time and I helped and watched. Well worth the money. The vibration ended up being a loose motor mount. Yeah how could I miss that but I did.The mechanic did check right off the bat , the isolatorss for play but they were ok, it was the bolts that attach the engine cradle to the actual block.Only when I was cleaning the machine afterward, and had all the belly pans off did I notice the bolts that had come out.
The valve damage point is valid and is mentioned in the Duetz manuals and is why they designed the push rods.If I were to hear that the pushrods did not work before I bought this machine, It could have been a deal breaker for me.
, I had doubts about the oil cooling system on the Duetz when I bought my Gehl but experience has made me a whole hearted believer in the system and now I wish my other machines had it.
I'm curious to know if the oil line was an easy fix or did you have get to one special from the dealer Scott
Getting the muffler off was the hardest part. My bobcat dealer made a new oil line since it uses the same hose as the hydaulic lines. It was quick and easy. The new filter house was ~$130 and they wanted $220+ for the muffler. The 3" air intake line was melted and they wanted $120 for it. I took a pass and am going to use a 3" flexible hose (like from a dryer vent) for the intake air for less than $10. I'm also going to do something different for the muffler but I haven't figured it out yet. Anyone know of a reason not to run a straight pipe out and save $200?
skidsteer.ca
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A straight pipe would just be louder and not have the spark arrestor. The turbo does help quiet things some though. Also the bobcat muffler is wrapped in insulation to reduce engine compartment temps. A person could likely find some other mufler that would fit. Even a straight through one like a glass pack would quiet it some.
Ken
