I bought a IHI 35J mini (guessing well over 10 years old) is the year has 2,400 hours. Bought it for 14k, I did notice some leaking underneath. I am not a diesel mechanic but would this be a swing motor? Excavator runs like a top, has the Isuzu 3 cylinder engine. I bought it because I am shipping it to a remote area (Dillingham Alaska) and need a excavator to build my duplex. I want to get it into tip top shape before sending up. Noticed the leak when buying it but much worse than I thought. It will pay for itself after I get my septic system in and foundation in. Dont want to have to dump a bunch of hydraulic fluid in it daily unless I have to. Is it a big deal to find parts or these things? Is the swing seals a huge ordeal to fix? Hoping it doesnt need something major. Going to call a diesel mechanic out hopefully they dont soak me too bad. Any info from you guys is appreciated. Before buying it I read up a little on the machines and seem like they are great machines, I like how they dont have all the computer systems like the newer ones. Thank you
They are great machines .Easy to work on .Remove belly pan plate and take a look it might be loose hose .use a floor jack to help you take the plate off makes it easier.
Thanks for advice, I crawled under there earlier, was going to dig out a little more room to work under there will do that tomorrow. Some of the hoses are weather checked and need to be replaced so wouldnt surprise me if that was the case. I was going to buy a newer machine but its more money and more to go wrong with computer systems. There are no diesel mechanics in town where I am going later this summer.
It might be simple fix .you will not know till you take the plate off .also could be coming down from the control manifold under the floor plates running down a hose .I have seen that in the passed.
Do yourself a favor and run it up on some 6x6's. If you dig a hole it will be awkward to work on. Also, if you have to work on dirt or stone do yourself a favor and slide a piece of plywood or foam board insulation under there to, the jack will roll way easier (on plywood anyway) and it will be more comfortable to work under there. Good luck!