What is under the forward access plate directly beneath the parking brake foot pedal on my 743 ?

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Ketana

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What is under the The forward access plate directly beneath the parking brake foot pedal on my 743 ?
There are several 14mm bolts holding the plate to the body of the machine....
The reason I'm asking is one of the mounts holding the parking brake pedal has disintegrated and I want to take the plate off to do a repair...
But I'm not sure if it's a good idea to remove the plate if it's actually covering internal workings that I'm not familiar with and don't want to expose or open up to foreign bodies to contaminate.
Tia Ketana 😊
 
What is under the The forward access plate directly beneath the parking brake foot pedal on my 743 ?
There are several 14mm bolts holding the plate to the body of the machine....
The reason I'm asking is one of the mounts holding the parking brake pedal has disintegrated and I want to take the plate off to do a repair...
But I'm not sure if it's a good idea to remove the plate if it's actually covering internal workings that I'm not familiar with and don't want to expose or open up to foreign bodies to contaminate.
Tia Ketana 😊
Take a look at the schematics in the parts catalog to get familiar with the machine:

In this case look at the drive train.

Those are just that, inspection/access plates. You will most likely need a new gasket after removal. If you open that up and it looks like chocolate milk in there it is time to replace the oil and clean out any accumulated debris in the bottom after emptying it before refilling.
 
Take a look at the schematics in the parts catalog to get familiar with the machine:

In this case look at the drive train.

Those are just that, inspection/access plates. You will most likely need a new gasket after removal. If you open that up and it looks like chocolate milk in there it is time to replace the oil and clean out any accumulated debris in the bottom after emptying it before refilling.
 

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This is exactly why I asked the question, I noticed the huge bung in the front of the body and thought ,what is in there and do I need to drain any oil out...
But I'm unsure what is going on and I also have a service manual for the 743 but it's as clear as mud to navigate, and not knowing the terms they use to describe things I'm left in the dark about it all, I don't know where to look and when I do look there's not much there saying Drive Train....
If I do empty the oil out of the body via the bung where do I refill it from and with what oil & how much ?
I understand it may need a new gasket if I remove the cover,but I'll probably have to make my own as there's no dealer's of these old bobcats where I live in rural remote NSW Australia .
 

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Under the cover is the chain case which shows the drive chains and sprockets. Its splash lubrication by approximately 8 gallons of 10w-30, or similar motor oil. There is a drain plug on the outside front-center of the machine. That drain plug is also the what indicates the proper oil level when the machine is parked on a level surface. It's a good idea to remove the old oil and give the chain case a good diesel bath to clean things up a bit. Then rinse out and refill with oil. Bobcat no longer uses a gasket under the cover plate. They have a special "caulk" that is more water resistant. Any good adhesive would work in place of the Bobcat caulk. If you heard a clunk, you will have a good opportunity to inspect inside of the chain case when its empty, good luck.
 
On my 742 there was about 3/4 inch of dust/sludge in the bottom of that case from one end to the other. I wouldn't worry about contaminating anything--its probably well contaminated already. And water along with the accumulated dust. I parked on an incline so the sludge would tend to flow to the front end. Mine only had a fill plug--you have to siphon or pump the old oil out, and there is a lot of it. But there is nothing complicated nor sensitive in there. Just open it up.
 
On my 742 there was about 3/4 inch of dust/sludge in the bottom of that case from one end to the other. I wouldn't worry about contaminating anything--its probably well contaminated already. And water along with the accumulated dust. I parked on an incline so the sludge would tend to flow to the front end. Mine only had a fill plug--you have to siphon or pump the old oil out, and there is a lot of it. But there is nothing complicated nor sensitive in there. Just open it up.
Thanks for the explanation Dave, much appreciated
 
Under the cover is the chain case which shows the drive chains and sprockets. Its splash lubrication by approximately 8 gallons of 10w-30, or similar motor oil. There is a drain plug on the outside front-center of the machine. That drain plug is also the what indicates the proper oil level when the machine is parked on a level surface. It's a good idea to remove the old oil and give the chain case a good diesel bath to clean things up a bit. Then rinse out and refill with oil. Bobcat no longer uses a gasket under the cover plate. They have a special "caulk" that is more water resistant. Any good adhesive would work in place of the Bobcat caulk. If you heard a clunk, you will have a good opportunity to inspect inside of the chain case when its empty, good luck.
Thanks for your explanation Reaperman, so any silicone type Sealant should do for a gasket , and that's a lot of oil that goes in there.
Thanks for the advice and support and the grade of oil information, much appreciated. 😃 😊 😀
 
When I cleaned mine out I put the rear of the machine on blocks so the contents of the chain case run toward the front. I also drilled and tapped another hole below the existing fill/check one to make draining easier.
A pump sprayer filled with diesel works great for cleaning the chaincase. Once I resealed the front inspection cover I might suggest air checking the chaincase for other leaks, use very low pressure air. I work in an auto repair garage and used a smoke machine that can be used for this, it only generates pressure measured in inches of water. I learned the hard way that the middle inspection cover on my machine leaked like a sieve due to a damaged gasket and was allowing water to enter. After verifying no more leaks the oil has stayed clean and no longer is their water getting in.
 
When I cleaned mine out I put the rear of the machine on blocks so the contents of the chain case run toward the front. I also drilled and tapped another hole below the existing fill/check one to make draining easier.
A pump sprayer filled with diesel works great for cleaning the chaincase. Once I resealed the front inspection cover I might suggest air checking the chaincase for other leaks, use very low pressure air. I work in an auto repair garage and used a smoke machine that can be used for this, it only generates pressure measured in inches of water. I learned the hard way that the middle inspection cover on my machine leaked like a sieve due to a damaged gasket and was allowing water to enter. After verifying no more leaks the oil has stayed clean and no longer is their water getting in.
Thanks dfb, very informative.....I have a set of ramps I can reverse onto to get the back up.....what did you use for the new gaskets ?
Ketana.
 
Thanks dfb, very informative.....I have a set of ramps I can reverse onto to get the back up.....what did you use for the new gaskets ?
Ketana.
Probably not the best idea, but I used 1 inch wide 1/8 inch thick gasket material (Devnol neoprene rubber strip) cut to length for each side, and had to drill holes in it for the bolts. I think a new gasket was way too expensive for me...

I removed the old oil by putting a tube through the fill hole and sucking it out. I got a tiny stream going, then left overnight and it got alot out. The bottom was a ton of sludge like the others have mentioned. I used a rag and broom handle to push the rag back and forth to get most of it. The suggestion to spray with diesel is a great idea, too bad I didn't think of it...

You might want to check your wheel bearings while in there. I had removed the fluid to replace a wheel bearing. Good luck...
 
Like I said before, bobcat no longer uses a gasket, just a sealant. But a gasket and sealant wouldn't hurt, I'd think
 
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