Bobcat 863, 1997: it looks like that one of the braided diesel fuel return hoses is leaking where it is connected to the fuel injector. There’s no clamp, the hose is just shoved on top of the fuel injector. It’s about 3 inches long. If I just remove the old hose and put a new one on, do I have to vent/bleed the fuel lines? How, with the bulb you press by hand? Is there a great risk of fire? I can’t get the replacement hose right away? Thank you in advance.
U do not have to bleed anything.. It’s hard to judge about the leak and a possible fire.. ur gonna have to make that call.. If it’s on the exhaust manifold side, shut it down and fix the leak before starting any jobs..
Thank you. It’s the second aside the exhaust and the fuel is mainly dripping down to the bottom of the fuel injector. I bought a clamp and I’ll try to get it in there and see whether it will stop the leak. No bleeding because it’s the return line?
Pretty common for Deutz engines of that age. That's a metric fuel hose, you really need to obtain a foot or two of that hose from a Deutz distributor and replace those return lines. After all, if that piece is aged and leaking, the others aren't far behind.
Okay, thanks for your responses. For sure I going to get the replacement hoses. But I can’t get it right away, so I need an intermediate fix. I will apply some duct tape around it and try to add a clamp.
I bought “aftermarket” kit once. It looked like wiper washer tubes. It lasted a few days.
And get ready for oil cooler tubes - those usually follow.
Wait a minute! Does that thing have Deutz or Kubota?
Lol.. it’s not the worst patch I’ve seen.. I hope it works..
863 was fitted with Deutz BF4M1011F
Thanks everyone! Got a new fuel line and the problem is solved. But I got a new problem: looks like today the alternator didn’t charge the battery while operating. It wasn’t a problem when I used the machine yesterday and even last week I measured it and I got 14.xx V but today only 11.89 V… can I just tighten the belt (has at least 1/2“ play) or do I need a new alternator? Or do I need new brushes for the alternato? Thanks!
Got those already exchanged…
Nope, didn’t work…
BEFORE I spent a few hundred dollars on an alt.. I’d be tightening up a belt..
How tight is tight?
Those suckers expensive as heck! Inspect the small harness that goes behind the alternator. It goes to alternator, oil temperature sensor, oil pressure sensor, fuel shut down solenoid etc. insulation on those deteriorating and failing apart approximately the same time as return and oil tubes. As far as I remember the connection for it clicks in to sheet metal. You’ll have to remove cooling shroud cover to get to it
Fortunately, on that machine the alternator is external and on the door side of the engine, easy to get to. Make sure you have battery power on the battery terminal of the alternator, then with engine running you should see a voltage signal on the exciter wire going to the alternator. If you don't have power on the exciter wire it won't charge.
Just last fall I had a weird thing happen with the alternator in my skid steer. It's a 2 wire Leece Neville that replaced the original. I started the machine and normally the charge light stays on until you give it some throttle. After that it stays off on idle. Well one day the charge light never went off. I checked voltage and it wasn't charging. I couldn't see anything wrong but shut it off. I started the machine back up a few minutes later and after giving it some throttle the light went out. I checked voltage again and it was around 14 volts. Have no idea what would cause it to not charge the one time? Thought maybe dust in the alternator or something but it was very strange. Hasn't done it since.
Thanks everyone for your input. I tighten the alternator belt and recharged the battery with the negative cable disconnected. Battery voltage went up to 13.3 V, but dropped over night to 12.78 V. When I tried to start the machine, the starter wouldn’t turn. I assume pre-glowing takes the voltage of the battery down further and there isn’t enough left to start. I boosted it and machine started right away. The alternator did charge the battery again while running (14.xx V) and battery was over 13 V after I shut down the machine. Unfortunately, over night the battery voltage drops to 12.7 V. Interestingly, my battery maintainer also can’t keep the battery above 12.5 V. I guess I need a new battery. Thanks again for your input!
Battery sitting should be 12.5 to 12.8 volts. Sometimes can be 12.4 and still be good. Your battery might not be the problem. Best to load test it.
Static voltage on a 12V wet battery is 12.6 volts since each cell has 2.1 volts, 2.1 x 6 (cells) = 12.6. And that may vary depending on battery condition, but is not a finite indicator of battery condition. Load is better indicator of condition as you can have a battery, and Gagu has done a sort of "load test". Stated he had a static voltage of 12.7, but wouldn't crank (load). Boosted it and started right away. Perfect example of failed battery that has proper static voltage but fails under load. Battery has gone south.
Probably needs a new battery but sometimes bad cables or connections can cause similar symptoms.
Usually, if I am replacing battery or batteries on anything, I go completely through cables, hot and ground, all the way to the starter. Sometimes just cleaning up ends, cleaning grounds and verification of good star washers. Then either spraying that red crap on the connections and terminals or using NO-OX. I don’t care for the dialectric grease as it gets everywhere.
Thanks Dave. I am not familiar with “load test”. Could you give me a hint? What else could it be? After glowing there isn’t a crank, tried it even several times. As soon as I connect the booster, it cranks after glowing and starts immediately.
Any auto parts place that sells batteries can test your battery. The testing tool is pretty simple. It puts a heavy power draw on the battery and measures the voltage drop. The battery needs to maintain a certain voltage during the test. It does sound like you have a bad battery.
Google: battery load tester.. Harbor Freight has 1 for 20.00.
Take your battery with you to buy a new one. They can test your battery right then. If it's bad they can apply your core charge and you don't have to come back again. If it tests good you've got some wiring gremlins.
I used to have one of the older pull the trigger and watch the amp draw on a scale and smell the arc but alas, someone must have needed it more than me, as it grew legs. After 20 years without one, I finally bought a newer computer one, off of Amazon for 25 bucks. Now I do battery tests on every battery I own yearly in the fall.
Good afternoon, thanks for your input on the batter. Bobcat recommends a battery with 1,000 CCA and 185 RC. I only can get 950 CCA ($250) or 925 CCA ($99, $150). Is it worth it to spend the money on the 950 CCA battery? Thanks in advanc!
I don't think you'd notice a difference. Lower cranking amps could be a little more HD battery with thicker plates.