New ( to me) Yanmar Vio70

[fast_st]

So, picked up from a friend, a decently used Vio70, engine tag says 1999 emissions model and overall its decent, hour meter is showing over 10000 hours. I am working up a repair list for it at the moment. One hydraulic leak located, main fitting on the pump is loose, easy fix with a crows foot. Radiator has a serious leak someplace and the brackets are off the end tanks, but its brass so I can fix that. There are some missing bolts here and there but everything looks good overall for the most part. I took the top cowl/cover off to really get in there, I'll work on removing the cooling package this afternoon and seeing what love the radiator needs. I'd love some warmer weather to get into a good cleaning but that may take a month.

Now as to the high hours, well, I know Kubota engine green, and this engine is black and the mounting bolts look like they've all been removed and reinstalled, and the hydraulic pump looks like a brand new rexroth unit. I'm going to try calling the previous dealer and see if they have any repair notes on this machine, it may be a long shot but records would be good. The engine runs smooth and quiet and not a whiff of smoke anyplace. All the hydraulics run smooth but will likely be changing the fluid out, It seems a little heavy, and I'm not sure what type my buddy was adding when it was low (due to the loose fitting) I might go with a good ISO46 as the hydraulics call for SAE20W.
I've called around and have a source for a locally made thumb, going with a pin on versus the weld on as I've noticed on my backhoe, the spread between bucket pivot and thumb anchor causes the boom to flex at maximum squeeze, I'm thinking the common pivot will help reduce that.
The windshield has been replaced with plexi a long time ago, I'll get some new latches and see about adding some lexan sheet, perhaps a bit closer to original thickness, I've done the side window but really need to curve it just a fraction for a better fit.

The bucket pins and bushings seem decent, will give it a good looking over and also have to replace some sheared off cover bolts on the finals.

 

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Cowl removed, cooling package removed, time to dig out the putty knife and dig out all the big chunks, All of the hot side small coolant hoses are hard as a rock, will replace all of them and see about pulling out that dent in the scuff guard using the backhoe.

 

[Vetech63]

That machine almost looks identical to a Volvo ECR88. It has the Yanmar engine.

 

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Now that you mention it, it sure does! I'd love the volvo cab though, this cab is a little small but I'm planning on changing the seat to gain a bit more legroom.

 

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Found that some of the anti-chafe on the fuel line has almost rubbed through the oil cooler inlet tube, I'm on the fence between jbweld and dusting off the tig welder and spiffing it all up, I'll probably go with tig welding after a really good degreasing. I have not yet found the big leak in the radiator but because they're hard to get to, I'm replacing both radiator hoses as well as the thermostat. Someone had substituted gray permatex for the o-ring that lives beneath the thermostat, new thermostat and gasket on order as well. I picked up some 8mm multipurpose hose from Napa, its rated for 300f as well as fuel/oil to 140 psi. Its hard as hell to push over the fittings, its almost like parker push lok. All my small coolant lines are brittle like glass, might as well change them and the fuel lines too.

 

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Spent the day yesterday with a rented hot water pressure washer, found that the thermostat would go up to almost 300 and alternating between soap and no soap it blasted away a ton of nasty caked in, packed in grease mud, leaves and sticks. I can actually make out hoses and components down in the rats nest now.

 

[fast_st]

Yanmar VIO paint colors.

So, called the dealer, said I have this model/serial vio70 excavator and I"m looking for paint or paint codes that can be referenced. He said he'd call the supplier and see about getting some information. Well 10 hours goes by and not a word, time to hit the autobody shop. My place I like is smaller and they don't have the camera paint match, we tried some color samples but couldn't get one that crossed over to a code for the frost green color that's on the skirt, engine compartment and roll cage. Well wandered over to Napa to get some other misc supplies and there's some frost green paint, brought in my belly pan paint sample, never seen the light of day and its really close. I tried a can and wow, its spot on.

SKU is 2691691618
Dettroit Diesel Alpine Green
I figure that should add at least 60 more horsepower and get that Yanmar to scream!

 

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The Yellow, tested on another protected area seems to be really close to the John Deere AG yellow. Still no call back from the dealer.

 

[heymccall]

As for the pump output leak, if it's the same family of thread as my Takeuchi machines, all 8 (yes, eight) have developed a leak there. The Oring needs replaced, but SAE Orings are the wrong cross section. I used to get them from Takeuchi, but have found that the ones from my Kobelco kit are the same. Anytime I've put in SAE Orings, it's leaking within weeks.

 

[fast_st]

As for the pump output leak, if it's the same family of thread as my Takeuchi machines, all 8 (yes, eight) have developed a leak there. The Oring needs replaced, but SAE Orings are the wrong cross section. I used to get them from Takeuchi, but have found that the ones from my Kobelco kit are the same. Anytime I've put in SAE Orings, it's leaking within weeks.

I did find that the fitting was far less than hand tight, put a crows foot on it and added some torque, it was backed off about half a turn.

 

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Well, ended up with 8-10 inches of snow followed by a cold blast! Today is supposed to be above freezing and tomorrow is forecast for rain. Hopefully my parts will be in at the dealer tomorrow so I can get the radiator and oil cooler mounted up. Everything is all nice and cozy under a tarp for now.

Today's plan is to reassemble the cooling pack, get the radiator painted up a bit, check all the fins, oil cooler has been cleaned so get that bolted back to the radiator and and get those big chunky brackets lashed back in place, have everything ready to reinstall maybe tomorrow evening or Friday. I'm debating on a hydraulic oil change as the level is pretty low and when it was changed last is an unknown.

 

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Well, got my radiator hoses from the dealer, was a bit of a drive but a nice person running the show. I inquired about window latches, little spring jobs to secure the two front windows, well it seems they're mostly not available and they want $100 each so $400 for latches, wowsa! in converse it seems if there's a part I really need, the request will go to Japan and the part can be made but there's like a 12 or 16 week delay. sort of good to know. I'm going to change over to John Deere/Hitachi spring latches and be done with it.

 

[fast_st]

Well, getting to replacing the fluid, decided to pull the trigger and do a complete oil change, the manual calls for SAE20w and the dealer suggests on the older machines that they're using a good quality AW46 oil. Seems reasonable. There is a huge viscosity difference between a 20w oil and what's in the machine, what's in the system is closer to 40w. Started adding oil and had not hooked up the cooler lines in order to help purge air from the system, then realized one of the rubber cooler lines is cracked, time to get lines today and also get some more fluid, managed to drain the cylinders and most of the lines, betting it'll run better with the right grade of oil in it. Good news, the pump intake screen is intact and only had a couple particles on it., the drain plug magnet only had some light dust on it and the bottom of the tank had a faint gray residue that was easily removed with a rag. The return lines were leaking judging by the amount of goop around the cooler so its needed anyway.

 

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Looking at my return lines, one is a hose barb to hose barb, double hose clamped ends that goes from the cooler to the tank, and the line going to the cooler is a flat faced o-ring fitting to a barb, I'm wondering if I can just double clamp both ends if the hydraulic shop wants huge bucks to crimp on a new fitting.

 

[fast_st]

Weather has been wonky here, gave the Yanmar another good soaping and pressure washing, each pass getting all the nooks and crannies less disgusting, it'll get dirty once it starts working but will be far easier to keep clean going forward. Painted the cab guard with the rattle can paint, wipe everything down with acetone and then catch a warm day to spray some on, seems to work well. Next step was fixing the front cover, goes over the fuel tank and hydraulic tank.

Its pretty busted and its a strange material like bakelite, brown and a little flexible, doesnt melt, makes sort of an orange dust. Removed the foam from the inside, removed all the crappy unbonded fiberglass from an earlier repair. Superglued one crack to locate a couple pieces and removed all the paint and sealer from the inside, roughed it with a 36 grit disc and applied 2 layers of woven roven (heavy glass mat) and pressed it in good. Let that cure up for a couple days then attacked the ouside, removing all the fractured material. Gouged out a lot of stuff and then rebuilt, roven to fill in the big holes and then finer fiberglass cloth over that to smooth it off.

The lighter areas are were the broken cover have been completely replaced with fiberglass. More to come later.

 

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Cut the key lock hole with a unibit and got it all primed and sanded, new coat of paint applied with a foam roller, flattened out decent.

 

[The Peej]

wow, that's a huge improvement. Nice work

 

[fast_st]

wow, that's a huge improvement. Nice work

Thanks, paint was applied somewhat cold with a foam roller and let it lay down, it seemed to really set down smoothly once the temperature came up. Letting it sit for a few days, might check on it tomorrow