Yeah. I forgot the onions. But, it's better than truck stop food any day.That is one thing I can't take......nasty stuff.
Some say lots of caramelized onions help....they certainly don't help me.....
Ditto...not nuts about pork or anything wild either.True that
Mainly a junk food junkie myself.
Just do not like strong tasting foods esp meats.
Which is why I do not care much for wild meat.
I do like seared decaying bovine flesh though. No liver or entrails though.
Swine flesh is tasty too.
After it dies does it kind of do an out of balance cranking when trying to start?
Sounds like the problem, Sarah..."Truck Stop Pizza"...truckers prolly don't give a damn if it wrong..
They couldn't even bother to put the toppings we wanted.
I heard putting synthetic oil in a machine not accustomed to it could screw the engine up....any truth to that?...personally I've never tried it.
It can cause the engine to start leaking more oil, maybe but should not hurt the engine if it is not pretty much worn out and needs the higher viscosity of thicker dino oil.
Gotcha....I never knew the correct answer.
Burbles a bit during the dying process, but when restarting an hour later, it acts like there never was a problem. This 1984 Bobcat has a 2-cylinder Kohler 20 HP horizontal output engine (if it was vertical, I could just swap it out with the 24 HP version on my older CubCadet riding mower). Anyway, I was seriously considering an oil swap and I also bought 5-gallons of brand new hydraulic fluid, but am now not sure if I want to waste all that new fluid on this antique POS.
Can you still buy a Kohler engine for it?...or they long gone?
Don't know. It is 34 years old, so I guess I should be thankful it still works at all. I mean, look at what happens with riding mowers around here (1-2 years max). I'm sure the "official" Bobcat dealer (100 miles from here) might be able to come up with something, but to have a dealer do the work... well, I suspect I could buy a brand new skid steer for their repair fees.
I have no idea what new skid steers sell for. How much are they?
Ranges from about $12,000 on up to $40,000 or more depending on size, power, weight capability, operator comfort levels (enclosed cab with A/C and stereo), and accessory options.
Damn, you really think it would cost more than 4-5K to put a new motor in the ole girl?
Actually, that is right about what I would expect, but $5k is what I paid for the whole damn Bobcat 10 years ago. I am wondering if I can find another used one in that price range or whether I'd just be buying someone else's headache with no warranty.
I hear that....personally I'd have a new engine installed....or find someone besides a dealer to install it....save money there I assume...."IF" you could find a good mechanic....which seem to be hard to find these days.
Unknown. I thought about searching for it, but then realized I could not replace it myself because half the damn Bobcat has to come apart to access all the parts. I have neither the facilities, equipment, or personal mechanical skills (or physical stamina) to do that.
And the problem with this is that the mechanic wants cash. Buying another skid steer can be financed. I can handle a small monthly payment, but I am scrooging us to death already trying to save enough cash to have the roof fixed and the generator switch installed, so buying $4-5k in mechanic cost right at the moment just ain't gonna happen. Zero down and $100/month is livable, but $4,000 cash is not.
You might try a crankcase oil change with synthetic. should not hurt anything and might fix your problem. The burbling could be a valve stuck open.
Heat is usually the number one cause of vapor lock. Anyway to cool the engine down more?Well, I pondered what *I* am capable of doing (very little), so I stared at it awhile, then topped off the oil, the hydraulic fluid, filled the gas... figured a couple new spark plugs wouldn't hurt... but given that it was 90 °F today, there was no point in even starting it because it always vapor locks at that temperature (or above), and given that it did so at almost 20 degrees less yesterday, I figured it would be a lost cause to even try today. Hot and clear all day, but 11 PM now and it is raining again (even though Mars is still visible to the south).
I wouldn't have a clue what would make an air-cooled engine cooler when the air is hot. I suppose I could hang a bag of ice cubes in there, but how long would that last?
Have you always had this problem with the skid steer?I wouldn't have a clue what would make an air-cooled engine cooler when the air is hot. I suppose I could hang a bag of ice cubes in there, but how long would that last?
They have CAT dealers in EC that are within any kind of reasonable distance from you?
What confined space? I mean, like I don't try to use it in the house
so I am always out in the corral or pasture when this happens.
I thought you were in the barn cleaning stalls or something. Guess I had a different picture in my head.They have CAT dealers in EC that are within any kind of reasonable distance from you?
Yeah, I have only had this 34 year old Bobcat for, ummm... 10-11 years? And it has always vapor locked in the hot of summer since I have owned it. I do not know whether or not it did for the previous owner.
What confined space? I mean, like I don't try to use it in the house
Had an old Jeep Grand Cherokee when I lived in Montana that would vapor lock in the hot at altitudes above 7,000 feet. Drove me nuts. A mechanic found a pin hole in a vacuum tube, replaced that, and it never happened again.
Altitude seems to be one culprit, and vacuum the other. I suppose you already replaced the vacuum hoses.
No, we throw all the shit outside the cow barn, which makes lots of piles at one edge of the cow corral, and I usually move all those to one big pile on the horse side of the cross fence to become compost.
Haven't replaced them (yet) because the portions I can see do not appear to be faulty. Bear in mind, the engine is in an extremely tight little cubby hole and it is very hard to work on any portion of the engine without removing it from the enclosure. Damn thing won't keep the battery charged because it is magneto style, and some of the magnets on the flywheel are missing, and, of course, the flywheel is on the front of the engine, which cannot even be touched from the enclosure doorway. You MUST remove the entire engine in order to access the flywheel. I had no idea when I bought this thing that I would not be able to work on it without having access to a full service shop.
The confusion here is probably because a few days ago I was in the barn cleaning stalls... with a pitchfork and wheelbarrow. But the Bobcat can't get in there.
I'm getting the full picture now. Like I said yesterday, sounds like the engine is prolly shot. If the remainder is in decent shape, can't you find a rebuilt engine?...or are they so uncommon nowadays, impossible to find?
That's where the confusion began, for me anyway. I was under the impression you said fuck the fork, use the skid steer.
Which leads us to yesterday's conversation about cost. Assuming that there is a replacement engine available (I'm sure they could come up with something), then the nearest place that is capable of doing this is 100 miles away. #1, I have no way to get it there, and #2, they will want cash of several thousand dollars, which I do not have. So do I just park it out back and finance another used POS?
Thank you for the offer, but you have enough work to do, and you want to get your ass to EC ASAP.