welp it seems all my hyd fluid went in the tank then I started it and took off alll of 20 ft.. locked down no fluid in sight glass another 4 gal. and back to 20 feet. no fluid. its all in the chain case . where do I start thanks guys
I’m going to guess drive motor seals…
I wonder if I can access them with out pulling the drive motor as I see a number of bolts on the outer plate?
Most likely the motor carrier seal on one side or both sides, no way to tell from the outside. Motor carrier seals can fail on their own, but the most common cause of motor carrier seal failure is a drive motor that's going south and is producing excessive case drain leakage which puts pressure on that motor carrier seal and blows it out.
I was having a problem with the right side drive leaking as the bolts kept coming loose and un fortunately as I tighten one it broke off and I had to remove the drive to extract it im getting to old for this lol thank you everyone
It's usually internal damage to cause a wheel motor to leak and often cheaper to replace than rebuild. Some Bobcats have case drain line filters that if not cleaned can lead to damage.
The only path for oil to enter the chain case is past the oil seals on the drive however here’s what my s250 is doing even though I have redone those seals and changed drive motors. The hydraulic oil is full of air and is still leaking past the oil seals while also over pressuring the case return on that side. It’s a two speed motor model After rebuilding the motor carriers and drive motors I was confident it was resolved but nope. It’s all still the same. I bypassed the brake line in case oil was leaking past the piston No change. I’m about to dismantle the two speed control block to check for obstructions. All case drain filters are new and no plugged lines so that not the issue. It’s possible the extreme aeration of the oil is unrelated but *** any advice is appreciated and I can certainly post the resolution when that transpires.
My A300 has this same issue. When I fill up the hyd reservoir, if the machine sits or runs, the fluid will all go to the chaincase. Spoke to the dealer, evidently this is a common issue and he said Bobcat came out with a double lip seal to remedy the problem. He also said they have some procedure where the weld something to the bearing, he wasnt real detailed about it. They want $1000 per side to fix. I'm mechanically inclined, is it really that difficult to change out?? Now I'm even more concerned from willie59's comment about the motor itself being the main issue. This machine is akin to owing a boat, the happiest days are the first and the last days of ownership.
Ok so here’s the skinny on what’s happening probably First replace both case drain filters before you go any further. One is easy to get to inside the side cover on the left side. Ext one is under the control arms that link the steering levers to the hydrostatic pumps. You got to pull a bit of stuff away to get to it but persevere and change that filter or wash it out if it’s not too dirty. I would replace it. There’s absolutely no reason to weld anything on the bearing or motor carrier. Bobcat may have an updated seal however there’s two in the motor carrier and they are back to back so it’s already double lipped. 1000 bucks is not that bad considering what’s involved in pulling the motor carrier but if you know which end of a wrench to hold onto you can do it yourself. Pulling the bearings and replacing the drive shaft seals require a press as there is a fair amount of preload. If yypull the motor carrier just know that the book says it has to come straight up and out which then means a lot more stuff to remove. It is possible if you hold your mouth the right way you can rotate the carrier and it will come out the hole instead. It’s a lot of work but doable. Absolutely do yourself a favour first and ensure both case return filters are replaced. I think your problem will go away. Mine’s fixed now it was some **** plugging the return liners a result of the former owners idiot employees dumping filthy oil into the machine. You might drain your hydraulic reservoir and rinse it with diesel numerous times by putting the drain into a bucket while you continue to pour it through. Mine was full of crap plus I had to go in through the bung in the top with a compressed air long nozzle and blast the crap out. Change your filters including the canister filter after you do this. I bet your problem goes away let me know if it doesn’t. I’ve owned 10 bobcat machines and I don’t care what anyone has to say they are the best skid steer. Tough as nails but expensive parts but whose parts aren’t. They’re like a puzzle that come apart a certain way with very few shortcuts. Make sure you have a manual. If you don’t send me a message. I might have an electronic version I can email you. Good luck and change both filters first
Also dont worry about the motor leaking into the chain case. Leaks return from the motor via the case return plus they are supposed to leak a little into the chain case to lube the bearing. A badly leaking drive motor will have reduced power. Does yours do that or is it just the leaking into the chain case?
There was a restriction in the case return line to the point of pressurizing the return. This cause cavitation hence the air introduced into the oil. Clearing the case return line cleaned up all the issues. It was a lot of work rebuilding the motor carriers and drive motors but there are 13000 hours on this machine and it could use the refresh. All is well now and I learned a lot plus I’m pretty good at pulling the drives out and know exactly what ha$ to come out o& the way to achieve the job
Which machine is the best is a matter of opinion at best but the drive motors aren't supposed to leak into the chain case by any means.
Thanks for your reply. The power of the machine is fine. I've changed both of the case drain filters with new ones. I removed the drain plug on the chain case and made sure the oil level was correct. I'm using the machine and have about 10 hours on it since changing the case drain filters. I'll eventually remove the case plug again and see how much extra fluid I get out of it. As of now, I have a hydraulic leak at each fitting for the right front and right rear wheels. I think I can get to the front one by removing all the sound deadening mats and through the small access cover. The rear wont be as fun. I want to open the old case drain filters but I dont know how much tension there is.
So after a measly 15 hrs of use, I've lost 6 qrts of hyd fluid into the chaincase. I opened the old case drain filters and didnt find anything inside, they were clean. Any advise on what to do next?