Hi all, I am new and working on my first BC which is a 763. I have a major leak that is coming out of the bottom of it and have opend the cab and removed the access panels on each side. I have so much crap in there that I stopped there and taking to the car wash today to pressure wash the inside to get all the crap out. Where should I start looking? Any tricks to find the leak? Also I was reading on this forum that I can use motor oil instead of hydro oil? Why would I and why do we have hydro oil then? I am just confused and need some help. On the other hand.....life is good! Thanks for any input, Marcello
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little_fellow
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- Oct 6, 2009
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There is 2 threads on the next page of this forum , written by jinxie . I think this might be useful to you .
Most likely location of the leak is the hydraulic control valve located on the right side of the machine under the seat when operating. Pressure clean the dirt and oil first and then start machine and briefly operate. The leak(s) will be quickly evident. Hoses are another culprit but you will not be able to see them leak till all the dirt is cleaned up.
Got under the seat and sure enought the leak is at the control valve on the right side where the two covers are. I removed them and replaced the O ring under the cap that has a spring in it and then the cap right below that I removed but it did not have a gasket or any evidence of one. Not sure if one belongs there. Anyway I cleaned it and replced them tight but still leaking. I think I have to bring it in to get it fixed. How the hell do you get your hands in there I just about threw my back out trying to do this little job. Wow! Any thoughts?
OK, Update! I read for a about an hour and see that first thing I have to do is power wash the inside so if a mechanix gets in there he does not start cussing at home much crap is in the BC. It seems that I have damaged seals and most of the forums are telling me that I can repair this while it is still mounted in the unit. I think that some lines may need to be removed and I am going to use plugs so that it does not leak everywhere. I will keep you informed but first I am going to stop and find a manuel and then find a warm place to work on my unit. Will let you know what happens. Will even try to video it so that I can post it on youtube.
The leak is usually at the control rod end or the spring end at the rear. You can service the valve in the machine but it has to be very, very clean to do it. I pulled mine out because it was rusty and needed to be cleaned and painted. To take it out you need to remove a lot of hydraulic tubing and loosen that stubborn hydraulic input hose from the bottom. There is a tiny access plate to make that possible from between the wheels. When pressure washing make sure that you get all the dirt from the bottom of the machine in case you drop any parts while taking the valve apart. The spring side of the valve also has annoying little detent ball bearings that will fly or fall out so cover it with a bag or cloth to be safe. As for leaking lines when disassembling I never worry. Just put a tray under the Bobcat's drain holes to catch what runs out. Your best bet is to buy the rebuild kit from the Bobcat dealer for 100.00+ and have fun. Removing the control levers and mounting plate makes your job much easier. I should have taken pics or a video the last time I did it.
OK, got the BC home and took it to wash with hot water. Was working fine then ran out of hot water...next best thing...I hooked up a fire hose to the hydrant and blasted all the dirt out of the BC and I mean blasted, crap came out of every hole and this lasted for some time. People if you never cleaned it out removed the two side plates and get hot hard water into it. What a mess. Anyway I chickend out in making my own repairs. One reason is that I do not have a warm dry spot to work on it and then the dealer told me about $360 in labor. That's not to bad I can make that up in overtime. Will keep you posted. MM
Mechanic told me the control valve is leaking..what a shocker! Anyway after he saw a bunch of other things wrong with it he came with a totla repair cost of $1000.00 which includes a complete service...oh well looks like I got to work alot more overtime. Will post later of what I got out of it. I'm not made, just pissed I didn't put it in the shop before the storm!
If he is doing this complete service have him check the chain case oil also. you did say you used a pressure washer on it, the older ones did tend to get water in them if the top covers were not sealed tight.
OK I will, did you see I used a fire hose too! LOL, I had more water flowing out of it than I did on the jetski! Well he did comment that it was the cleanest BC he had ever seen in a while. I am going to start paying more attention to it, I think I said the same thing at my first marriage!
bobbie-g
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Just a few ideas on complete service. Tazza always drains the chain case first, then drains the hydrostatic oil into the chain case. That'll save you a hundred bucks or more for 5 gallons or so of Bobcat special hydro juice that they will probably want to put in the chain case. There are two small aluminum "case drain filters" most likely in there somewhere. They should replace the inserts instead of replacing the aluminum cases. Ask for the old bronze inserts, and save them. Look inside for garbage, to get an idea of the health of your system. Then clean them out with carb cleaner and reuse them yourself for the next 1000 hr service. Check the forum a bit later for how to get o-rings and washers needed, I'll get something posted in a week or two. Short answer, Bobcat won't sell the needed o-rings and washers separately, but I found them at a store in town. So now we can all reuse our bronze filters. They should also change the hydrostatic filter and the breather on top of the reservoir. Plus the fuel filter and the drive belt. Get the old drive belt, so when you break the new one in about 10 years when your Bobcat is in an inconvenient location, you can at least reinstall the old one to limp home with. They should also change the fan and alternator belts, and check the fluid level in the fan gear box. Lots of that stuff is simple, and it may not pay to have it done. That's all I can think of at the moment. Got the supper call....
--- RC
