580 B scrap, rebuild, or T/O?

[moknots]

Greenhorn needs advice! I bought a Case 580BC (serial 8756012) extendahoe with about 5400 hours on it about 14 years ago to use in the process of converting an old 20 acre dairy farm into a residential place to raise my kids. Had a blast doing the pushout, septic, driveway, power and waterline trenching, landscaping, pond building, tree removal, and demo/cleanup/burial of 100 years of old treasure and played out buildings.

Bought it for $8000 and have put about $8000 in it (rear end, transmission, brakes, hydraulics), and have been keeping it around as a general farm hoe. Then I loaned it to my neighbor, who's hired hand hammered it hard, right up to the day they let me know "won't go". I figured I'd baby it along for anything I'd need for the next 10 years, but now it's got bad blow-by, and very little power. The local mechanic prescribed an engine overhaul, at $5000 to $6000. I see an overhaul "kit" on line for $1700 (pistons, rings, bearings, gaskets, etc). His labor is around $65/hour, so he must be figuring 40-50 hours.

I've got a place to work on it, and good mechanical aptitude, but I've never been inside a diesel. I can't see spending $5-6000 in this economy (my earnings are around 25% of what they were). The engine now has 5738 hours on it. Enough background, my questions:

1) too big or complicated for an amature to handle the overhaul?
2) can I do a Top Overhaul like airplanes get when a cylindar or two drops compression well between overhaul intervals? (rings, replace any bad pistons, maybe have some machining work done), and get back in the mode of having a good machine I can get another few hundred hours out of?
3) value of the thing, a) as is, b) top overhauled, c) complete engine overhaul?

Thanks a ton!

[mailtrain]

You bought it for 8k and put 8k in it over 14yrs and 300 plus hours. Don't do a half a$$ job for an overhaul.Blow by usually means the top needs work, if you do the top and not the bottom the bottom will usually fail because of the high compression.

I would do it all if you plan on keeping it for another 10yrs.One thing you could is do a short block and save on a lot of the internal work.

Just my opinion, good luck.

[Phil]

Mailtrain has some good points. If your mechanics assessment is correct and the loss of power is low compression, an 'in-frame' overhaul is an option for you. Lots of help here; if you post pictures step by step, then you will have less risk for error, for lack of better words. However an in-frame does not give you the opportunity to have your crankshaft properly inspected, or replace the cam bearings (which on the 188 engine, do wear), or check the block for cracks. As a side note the crankshaft seals do not get replaced also. You also have a slight risk of an oil leak because you are only replacing a section of the torque tube - engine block gasket.

So as Mailtrain noted, there is a risk by doing the 'top' end and not the bottom. Many have rolled in new main bearings or just replaced rod bearings on what appears to be a good crankshaft and had good results with the 'in-frame' though.

I put the value of a nice 580B here in Ontario at $10 -$10.5K, an exceptional one with extendahoe maybe a bit more. A good 'B' with no power....about $5-5.5K. But I think south of the border prices are still down. The value with an overhauled engine would be about $500 higher with receipts, maybe a bit more if you had the receipt from an actual dealer. Phil

[LT-x7]

Have you seen what newer machines have been going for recently. It all depends on how much money you want to throw at this. I've seen quite a few 2000ish backhoes with half the hours of yours sell under $20,000 on ironplanet. I'm not saying the old hoe isn't worth rebuilding, just wanted to point out the deals on newer stuff.

[Phil]

I really like that avatar LT. I've heard there have been some pretty good deals south of the border. Phil

[LT-x7]

Originally Posted by Phil

I really like that avatar LT. I've heard there have been some pretty good deals south of the border. Phil

Well thank you sir! Thats my company logo.