Before I tear into this issue, I thought I'd ask the veteran Bobcat mechanics if I am headed in the right direction with this. My 843 developed a slow hydraulic leak which turned into a massive, high pressure one recently. Like 10 gallons to move it 30 feet type of high pressure leak. She's pumping it right out. I did notice hydraulic oil spraying/sloshing out from under the seat, by the right hand joystick just as I parked it the other day. I'm hoping it's easy to get at/fix if it's right there under the sheet metal under the seat. Are the joysticks known for blowing out on them? In addition to that hydraulic leak, the darn injection pump is leaking too. Opened the back door up to find fuel pretty much running out of the side of the pump, from some little side plate or the screws nearby. If that pump has to be pulled to fix it, do I need to time/pin it to keep in time? Always something...
Update on the Bobcat hydraulic leak; Found it to be a pressure line off the pump to the valve body was blown. I tilted the cab and saw it was mathematically impossible to get a wrench on the valve body end of the line to remove it, so I got creative with my 4.5" angle grinder and created an access door next the the valve body, which made taking that line off a pleasure at that point. I'll put that piece of 1/4" plate I cut out back with a hinge on one side and a bolt to hold it shut on the opposite side, for future access. Bobcat should have done it in the first place. It's literally impossible as far as I can see anyway, to get at that valve body without at least removing the battery, air cleaner can and filter housing bolted to the inside of the machine in the engine compartment, which you'd still have to be a guy with a 12" waist and 6 foot long arms to reach in to get at it. It's either that or pull the motor out. With all that room in there now I can get to all of the linkages that needed tightening and tinkering to the valve body from the pilot controls and pedals. The last thing left to do is find that fuel leak at the injection pump and get that dried up.
I'm not a Bobcat fan but you, sir, have a great looking 843. How many hours are on it?
Thanks for the compliment on the Bobcat. I can't say I would buy another Bobcat given the way they are designed, and the limited lift capacity, etc., but this one was taken pretty good care of by the previous owner who I got it from several years ago. It was ugly, so I DA'd it down and sprayed it with some green I had left over from a truck frame paint job I did, and it has gotten a lot of compliments for the color and the fact that I like to pinstripe everything. The actual hours are unknown. The clock never worked since I got it. After I fix the bad line today, the plan is to tighten up all the linkages from the pedals and levers to the valve spools so everything will have full throw again. It is time while I'm in this deep.