# 743 won't start?



## the "wife" (Dec 6, 2007)

My husband just purchased a 1986 743 Bobcat Skid Steer-- it started right up, he drove it onto the trailer, and hauled it home. When he went to drive it off the trailer at home, the thing wouldn't start! Checked over everything--battery, solenoid, etc.--decided it had to be the starter--got a new starter (paid extra to get it here fast!), installed it, and that didn't help either!! The starter gear? won't engage with the engine gear? What is going on with this thing? We have a ton of snow with more on the way, and I AM NOT HAPPY!


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

does it turn over (rrrrrr, rrrrr, rrrr) but not actually start?

does it not turn over? (no sound at all)

does it just click?

we need more info.


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## the "wife" (Dec 6, 2007)

*743 Bobcat won't start?*

Sorry about that--remember, I am just a girl... yeah, the starter rotates, but it won't engage the motor? The hubby has checked all the wires in/to the solenoid, cleaned the battery cables, tried a different battery. It just makes a "clunk-clunk" noise and won't start...


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

never mind, mis-read your answer.

dunno
does the starter have a new solenoid with it?
sounds like the solenoid isn't driving the starter gears to engage.


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## the "wife" (Dec 6, 2007)

yeah, it is a new starter w/new solenoid... and the starter gears are rotating, they just won't engage with the gears of the motor? does that make sense? Is the neutral position of the arms so touchy that it won't start if they aren't in the exact position? (the park brake is on too) The hubby did say that there is a small burr on the teeth of the engine gear-- could that be preventing the starter from engaging-- he didn't think it should affect it because the starter usually engages with plenty of force, and the burr is small.....


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## MIDTOWNPC (Feb 17, 2007)

This might be a silly answer but the fuel is not gelled is it? or frozen.

Also I have this funny thing with my bobcat sometimes that if I fill the tank full and then round up to the nearest doller it doesnt like to start. It turns over but wont go. Don't ask me why however.


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## magnatrac (Dec 22, 2006)

Is the replacement starter an exact replacement? If so does it need to be shimmed to line up w/the fly wheel. Now that the old starter is off did you check it to see if it was messed up. Any saftey to keep it from starting wouldn't let it even turn over, so if it turns over thats not it.I am not really sure whats happening w/o seeing it. Keep us posted Good Luck!!!


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## Little Jon (Nov 3, 2007)

MIDTOWNPC;448012 said:


> This might be a silly answer but the fuel is not gelled is it? or frozen.
> 
> Also I have this funny thing with my bobcat sometimes that if I fill the tank full and then round up to the nearest doller it doesnt like to start. It turns over but wont go. Don't ask me why however.


Dont worry people, I will be the d!ck that asks, Does it have fuel in it?? There, its asked and out of the way, continue with the serious ones...


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## the "wife" (Dec 6, 2007)

Yippee!! The hubby got it started last night, so I know it's not a total piece of crap--but it still has a problem because he had to jump the solenoid in order to start it-- he says the solenoid is good, but it's like it's not getting enough juice to the starter solenoid but there is enough from the battery to the solenoid. Could the starter relay be bad? I hope I am explaining this good enough-- I am pretty mechanically impaired......


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Sounded just like my mower this summer. Battery was charged but not turning over. Put a new battery everything was fine.


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## bike5200 (Sep 4, 2007)

My New Holland had a starting problem, the starter would spin and not engage the fly wheel or partially engage and make a grinding noise. Rebuilt starter, no help. Replaced a relay everything work OK. Call a Bobcat dealer and talk to the Service Dept., they might tell you what the problem is.


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## xtreem3d (Nov 26, 2005)

my old 743 had a similar problem ...turns out the wires to the starter/solenoid were connected wrong during the replacement of the bad starter.


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## 92XT (Nov 30, 2007)

Smooth Flywheel?


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## cog-1 (Oct 7, 2005)

Sounds like the wiring connections to the solenoid dirty/corroded if it is not getting enough juice/husband had to jump solenoiod to start, but I amnot familiar with that machine. Good Luck, am sure everyone on here will come up with ideas to help...


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## Kramer (Nov 13, 2004)

Bad ground or reversed polarity on solenoid, faulty ignition switch or connections, broken/loose wire or connector, bad battery to engine grounding, lack of lubrication on the starter pinion, improper spacing between the starter and flywheel, wrong starter/solenoid combination for the bobcat, flywheel out of position (no idea how this could be unless its warped and the starter would work if you manually rotated the engine half a revolution or so), mechanical friction on pinion shaft (burr).

Because it did the same thing with the first starter/solenoid it's reasonable to assume they were OK....replacement didn't help and if connections were crossed then the problem is worse.

I would be bench testing the starter/solenoid to see if the pinion actually moves...if it does, measure the distance between the starter mounting and flywheel and compare to the pinion movement position. 


Might sound stupid, but when he loaded it up to get it home, the engine might have been in just the right position to allow stater engagement---pull the starter and visually inspect the ring gear--rotate it at least on full revolution to make sure all the teeth are there. A better guess would be a faulty wiring connection--probably a ground.


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