I purchased a Case 1835B Skid Steer in which the owner was not sure what was wrong with it, allegedly. He said he thought it might not be getting any fuel. I am outlining my steps taken thus far in testing it out. I have ordered the service manual and it should be here next week. I am a novice and any help is GREATLY appreciated. Attempted to start, engine turned over and skid steer pulled to right Neutral bar not installed -appear to have found connecting piece for neutral but it doesn't appear to actually connect to anything in order to put the transmission in neutral -will revisit once service manual arrives Base under engine was very dirty and contained a large amount of debris -pressure washed entire tractor -hand removed debris, sticks, pine needles, etc. Removed radiator in order to clean both sides and get to gas line and under engine Two hoses for hydraulic fluid connected to base of radiator, removed them and drained hydraulic fluid into buckets -Does leaving the fluid absent for an extended amount of time cause harm to seals or other parts? -Will the engine still start without having the hydraulic fluid filled? What if the engine is still stuck in gear? Does this mean that the hydraulic fluid and pump will be used if the engine is in gear? -There appear to be no hydraulic leaks and there was several gallons drained, any good tests to confirm? I looked around online for replacement hoses in the event i need to replace some, they aren't too expensive it appears. Drained fuel, was told that the engine will not start because it is not getting fuel, this may or may not be true. -Is there a good way to clean the tank? Is this necessary? My plan: 1) Take out of drive, placing it in neutral 2) Drain remaining fuel 2a) Test fuel lines? 2b) Replace spark plugs? 3) Change engine oil & filter 4) Reinstall radiator and replace fluid 5) Crank her up! 6) Once I know it will run I'll top off the hydraulic fluid Any other general maintenance tasks I should consider? Any steps out of line?
Assume you for sure have the gas model and not the diesel. Pull line off of carb, crank to see if fuel comes out. If so, pull carb and rebuild. If not pull line from inlet to fuel pump to see if fuel comes out,if not try using a suction pump on line to see if it is primed. If you have fuel there, replace fuel pump, if not trouble shoot line to tank. Be sure you have oil cooler hooked up, or bypassed with a hose before cranking. Unless yours is wildly different from my diesel version, there is not 'gear' for it to be in, nor is there a neutral. Just joysticks to control hydraulic pumps, forward or reverse. It should be shut off by any neutral safety, and should be shut off any time you are leaving the seat.
Do not start with hydraulic oil out or you will destroy the pumps. There are three pumps one for each side of the drive and one for the hydralic system that runs the bucket and boom. Need to refill the hydraulic system before trying to start. As you seemed to indicate machine tried to move while trying to start it I would suggest if at all possible that you block it up with wheels off the ground so if it was to start it will not take off running in circles putting you in danger and other around. You need to learn more about the way this unit works before someone gets hurt or killed. I would suggest finding someone who is familiar with the operation to show you how things work.