Bobcat fuel pick up tube repairs

I have a 2004 A300 and I have to blow the line out about twice a day. So I'm guessing I have no check valve. Could the blockage be algae? I don't know how I could have that much trash in the tank. I Drained it last summer and the fuel was clean.

quick tip for flat primer bulbs...

check your fuel cap, bobcat uses a vented fuel cap, if the vents are plugged or you have an unvented aftermarket cap, the primer bulb will suck flat eventually, all depends on how much fuel is in the tank...
the more fuel in the tank the less time it takes to suck the primer bulb flat.

If you have a floater in the tank that can be a real PITA to deal with. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the tank, but there's no guarantee you'll bring the floater out with it and the only way to pull the tank is to pull the engine and pump frame.

If you suspect a floater you could make a modified pickup tube. Take a good length of rubber fuel hose that fits over the pickup tube and put a bunch of holes in the sides and cut the end in a vee. Rig it up so the hose can lay mostly flat on the bottom. That way the floater has to plug all the holes at once to starve it out. Not sure about access in these tanks but you can also cover the end of the pickup with a bag of metal fly screen zip tied around the tube like a tea bag.

On a t190 my drive belt shredded and broke a rubber return line for the fuel, problem is I don't know where it goes other than I assume it went to the tank...

Hello everyone,
I have never had any experience with fuel pick up tubes on these machines and hope to delay it as long as possible. I have had experience with trying to work on something, or trying to manipulate something without being able to see it. I purchased an endoscope on amazon for under $30.00 for these situations. The brand I purchased was Depstech, but there are several brands available. It is a camera on the end off about 20 foot of cable. This camera generates its own wifi. I had to download free app to my phone, then you connect to camera wifi and the image from the camera displays on your phone. The camera has a ring of led lights surrounding it which can be brightened and dimmed. The one I got came with three attachments, magnet, hook and a mirror that allows you to view 90 degrees to the side of camera. The unit is water proof ( I have used it in a clogged drain). The cable is very flexible, but will hold a bend to keep it in position if needed. I would guess the camera is about 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch in diameter and the cable slightly less than that. At the price point I did not expect much, but have been pleasantly surprised. I am here to tell you if you use it one time it will pay for itself. I am not trying to hijack the thread. I just think from the discussions so far this device could be helpful. Good luck to all.

Thank you for the very helpful post. Just did my late 80's 873 and it was a snap. My side cover on the right side is higher so the tire doesn't get in the way at all. Good access to the top of the tank. I was quite disappointed as I pulled my tube out to find someone had already done this job and there was no problem with the tube. Then I was very happy when I found a big wad of junk sucked up the tube and stuck in the elbow. Less than 20 minutes start to finish.

Alan

I was fighting with the pickup tube in a 330 this afternoon - couldn't get the elbow out of the grommet. Finally rigged a can and drove it to a heated shop - hoping the warmth will help ease it. I am enjoying all the commiseration and ideas in this thread. I had suggested to the boss that we drill a hole in the fuel cap and run a pickup tube through it and up and around the machine - he wasn't too keen on that. I may make a filler hose adapter like the one shown by kochevnik, if I get fed up with blindly building the ship-in-bottle.
If you suspect water and sludge in the bottom of your tank, work a hose down the filler neck to the bottom of the tank and using a suction pump - suck it out until fuel looks clear again. I have done this many times on boats at the beginning of the season - sure saves on filters and headaches. It is not unusual to get a couple of gallons of cloudy crap filled fuel out of a 20 gallon tank. Lots of times the cap O-rings or gaskets are shot - better check them!

Mt Takeuchi has 90 degree pickup on bottom of tank and no filter . It clogs every now and then and I have to blow compressed air into it. I’m about to install this exact bobcat thru top setup with screen on end of hide . I bought gates submersibke fuel hose . $18.99 foot . Ouch screen and brass filter with check ball bought offline . Polaris uses then . $8.

Seems the 5/16 90 degree thru tank fitting is only 5/16 on the out side of fitting and it’s 1/4 on the inside . Do you think 1/4 I’d tubing inside tank is big enough to supply? Now I have $61 of hose that’s wrong size . Love sellers selling stuff they have no idea about . So what size is the rigid tubing bobcat uses ? And some use the flexible fuel line ? What size is this tubing ?

Hello, everyone and even Willie. Yup, another episode. In 2014 the plastic fuel pickup tube on my 2001 Bobcat 773G broke off—fell off into the tank leaving no fuel pickup tube.

I have some parts records—I changed out the old plastic elbows for both the pickup and return tubes, installing the new part# metal ones with new grommets, tubes, fuel hoses. . . and the pickup tube got the new #6650239 pickup screen.

Sunday I went to the farm, parked at the barn, and took my chainsaw back to the farm driveway and cut trees and bushes for an elderly neighbor (more elderly than I). The ground was soft from last week’s 5” of rain, so I dragged and dragged all that stuff until there were 8 or 10 piles completely lining ( and blocking) the driveway—my driveway, the only way out. No problem. I’ll just get the skid steer with grapple bucket, pick the stuff up and carry it to my burn pile.

Uh, one problem. The 773 G fired right up, sputtered for a few seconds then shut off. Big problem. I had missed breakfast, and now I couldn’t drive out to get lunch.

The Kubota engine didn’t suck the primer bulb flat ( that is an interesting phenomenon—the fuel can’t easily flow out of the bulb towards the engine without venting a little on the opposite side). But yes, I opened the bleed screw on the filter housing, squeezed the bulb good, and it stayed flat. I went back to dragging brush.

The bulb was still flat this morning, after 20+ hours. Just to be sure there was nothing weird going on in the primer bulb itself, I pulled it off, put a short piece of 1/4” fuel hose on it and pumped some fuel from a jar. That worked. Then I put the bulb back on the line to the engine’s fuel pump and dropped an inlet hose in a jug of clean diesel. The machine fired right up, runs great like that, so the problem is confirmed to be somewhere between the pickup screen in the tank and where the hose connects to the primer bulb. No problem, huh? Lol.

The concept of a “floater” blocking the tube in the tank seems less likely with that filter screen installed. I figured I would just pull the fitting and tube out and see what I find.

Lol. I did it all on this same machine in 2014 but I don’t remember anything difficult about it. Dang memory!

I think the fuel pickup is the one that is hiding behind the larger hose in the photo ( the one in plain sight is the fuel return line, and has been turned some as I worked with them). I don’t remember doing it, but it looks like removing the connected larger hose ( I think it is the fuel filler neck vent) will allow a little more access to the hardest-to-reach fitting.

I’m particular about rubber stuff—I am always inclined to replace the fuel lines and return fuel line when I have any of this apart. Just tugging on them today doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Again, I don’t recall it being any problem, but today those hoses don’t move all that freely. Then I read ibrory’s post in this same thread (Sept 30, 2012) referring to a “hose clamp 8-10 in. down line towards the engine.” I don’t recall that. Is there really a hard-to-access hose guide/clamp that has to be loosened in order to pull fresh hose through?

Any suggestions specific to the 773G will be appreciated. Thanks.

2001 Bobcat 773G fuel return & pickup location

Different folks have mentioned testing the machine--running the engine with the fuel line in a temporary fuel container. That is a good confidence builder, to demonstrate the motor runs fine. But there is a crucial practical element as well: Running the machine will allow you to raise the boom arms (and always place the safety support) to allow easier access to the fuel pickup & return tubes. You can also allow just enough room so you can back the machine up to disconnect any bucket or attachment before you lift and support the boom arms.

can anyone tell me where the fuel pickup's located on a T550? I found the return, but cannot find the pickup..and believe I've got a clog. I can't for the life of me even SEE it much less actually remove it. (cabs lifted) Any suggestions?

ok so update.. I'm leaning less toward a clogged pickup now.

After letting the machine sit over night, I ran it again this morning, not moving the machine I idled it up/down several times, the primer bulb never deflated...and squeezing it i can feel fuel moving through it.

so that tells me i'm NOT sucking air in anywhere, as that would be a consistent issue, it also confirms my pickup isnt plugged, or that would be consistently causing the deflated bulb as well.

However I then hopped in and moved it 50 feet, and sure enough the bulb was deflated.

so, IMO that tells me i got a floater in the tank and the suction draws it to the pickup and it gets stuck, agree?

I shut the machine off, watch the bulb re-inflate to normal (can confirm I can squeeze it and feel it pulling fuel).. start it up and it sits there fine. this time i barley moved it at all, maybe 15 feet, slow and flat... checked it, it was fine.. then moved it again a little more aggressively (to stir up the tank more) and it deflated again.

so i think i need to quit chasing down the pickup, and try to chase down how to clean out this tank. anyone agree/disagree or have a better plan of attack?

Yep, sounds like you have a floater. I haven't worked on a T550, but if they're anything like the older Bobcat machines they only have a small plug in the bottom of the tank, it's a steel plug stuck in a rubber grommet which is typically behind a small cover under the belly of the machine. If you can locate that plug, burn off as much fuel as you can then pull that plug and see what you get. Of course you need to have a new rubber grommet on hand to stick the plug back in.