So I got my 873G home. Bought at auction. Wasnt my best move! Finally got around to opening all the access covers. There is oil everywhere inside the doors. I have found 1 obvious leak from fuel pump. But the thing is covered everywhere in oil. Also is there a drain plug for the housing of the machine, as there is water in the belly? It doesnt seem to smoke a ton like a head gasket failure. It runs fine. I havent been able to operate much as there was also a fuel line leak from the returns, so waiting on new lines. Any ideas? Has less than 2500 hours.
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Look on very bottom in back, facing backwards, should be a bung type plug to drain it. Make sure you have an Extra large pan to catch it! It will be a lot.
I would slowly clean / wipe areas (Do not use pressure washer) and see where the leaks are coming from. Then go from there.
Post pictures of your new 873G
Here is your skidsteer. See #9 should be drain plug.
Todd
I would slowly clean / wipe areas (Do not use pressure washer) and see where the leaks are coming from. Then go from there.
Post pictures of your new 873G
Here is your skidsteer. See #9 should be drain plug.
Todd
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you might also be able to remove some skid plates to allow belly pan to drain and remove debris from in it!
once you have drain plug open and or skid plates removed
I would maybe suggest buying some good de-greaser, soak things, scruff off heavy stuff with a brush or likes, then rinse off with a basic garden hose
as the cleaner you get things, the easier it will be to find leaks
oil EVERY where can indicate that at some point in time(or could still have ) , a hydro hose maybe blew or had a hole in it, and sprayed fluid every where when they continued to operate machine, doesn't take long for fluid to get every where when under so much pressure and hose blows!
But if it as me, I start with a good basic cleaning, and from there, start looking for leaks by starting and running in short amounts, then inspecting things to try and find source of fluid being sprayed or??
once you have drain plug open and or skid plates removed
I would maybe suggest buying some good de-greaser, soak things, scruff off heavy stuff with a brush or likes, then rinse off with a basic garden hose
as the cleaner you get things, the easier it will be to find leaks
oil EVERY where can indicate that at some point in time(or could still have ) , a hydro hose maybe blew or had a hole in it, and sprayed fluid every where when they continued to operate machine, doesn't take long for fluid to get every where when under so much pressure and hose blows!
But if it as me, I start with a good basic cleaning, and from there, start looking for leaks by starting and running in short amounts, then inspecting things to try and find source of fluid being sprayed or??
I took off a "drain cover" that bobcat calls it. Has 3 bolts holding it on in the rear, but for the life of me, I cannot locate a plug for the side access area.
When I say oil everywhere it is everywhere within the engine area; behind, in front, side, around fuel tank, etc. And it is very black. I didnt think Hydraulic oil would get that dark?
Any recommendations on good de-greaser?
yes I understood what you meant by oil every where, like I said, when a hose blows, it can get every where FAST, there is a ton of pressure in them hoses and when one gets a hole or leak, things happen fast and large amounts of fluid can get out and on things fast, pending HOW fast the operator is ir isn't!
and keep in mind, many hydraulic systems use 10W30 oil and not just hydraulic fluids, and all fluids can get dark as time goes by, and many owners of equipment are not always the best at changing fluids often,
so having DARK oil every where again is not uncommon!
cleaning belly pans out on machines is also an over looked condition by many owners
there even know to cause fares from debris in them building up and catching fire due to lack of being cleaned out often!
add in oil from either fill spills, or leaks or changing hoses, and its not hard to have a very oily machine for many operator's/owners, that don't want to spend the time to clean things, we all get lazy some times, but some are just worse than others,
and why many times its so hard to find a good cared for older machine , when folks are looking to buy one
seems almost like more bad owners these days than ever on lacking maintenance on things, as so many have disposable mind sets, !
any how, as for recommending a good de greaser, honestly there are tons of good one's on the market these days, , it might be easier to ask your local HD equipment shop what they use and sell, making it easy for you to acquire from them! as pretty much any good shop will have one brand they use and like and most will sell it as well!
but a simple search online will provide you a long list of good ones
like this off amazon, sure it can be had other places too, and should also have a bunch of like products on same link to view and pick from!
Thank you. I will get what I can fixed, get it cleaned up and check for leaks. Hopefully nothing major!
its an older machine, hose's all age and sooner or later leak or need replacing before they do
once machine is clean, you can do a much better assessment on condition of so many things, and that will then help you maybe prevent new leaks, pl;us find current leak if there is one
your oily mess could just be from an old leak that was never cleaned up !
best of luck and feel free to post a follow up on what you find, always nice to know the outcome of posts that get started!
once machine is clean, you can do a much better assessment on condition of so many things, and that will then help you maybe prevent new leaks, pl;us find current leak if there is one
your oily mess could just be from an old leak that was never cleaned up !
best of luck and feel free to post a follow up on what you find, always nice to know the outcome of posts that get started!
Cleanliness is definitely helpful for identifying leaks. I use U.V. dye and a black light for pinpointing leaks quickly when you have a big mess to deal with once you narrow down the system that is leaking. In areas where oil is spraying around, at times I have used cardboard to narrow down the direction it is spraying from by tucking it between hoses or suspect areas.
ZekeSkyree
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2023
- Messages
- 31
Dawn soap and hot water work fine for degreasing. The 642 I bought had about 6 inches of oily crap in the bottom including the engine area. Took me about 6 hours to get it presentable enough to find the bottom. From there used hose and many brushes to finish it up. It also had 2 leaking hoses and one blown hose. Made it super easy to find once the machine was spotless. Also check radiator and oil coolers while cleaning
While cleaning and wiping stuff off, I did notice a manifold was very loose. I believe it to be the intake manifold. However, it is very hard to access as the exhaust manifold is in the way of the bolts. I hate to take off the exhaust manifold. That wouldnt cause excessive oil leaking?
Markle
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2020
- Messages
- 85
Zeke touched on it… 873 is oil cooled…no antifreeze. If your leak is engine oil which is also coolant, it does get pumped up to the cooler radiator above engine bay. If there is a leak up top above engine, I can imagine the oil could drip down everywhere in the engine compartment. Check up top in radiator area and the hoses going up there and returning. Good luck!
