Hello and thanks for having me. This machine is new to me. After heavy rains last Tuesday the machine started alarming out in reverse. By this I mean that when the joystick was pulled back, the parking brake would engage, the yellow Hazard light would flash, and the engine light would flash yellow. The only way to operate again was to shut off and restart the machine. note- I could turn left and right, telling me that at least mechanically, both drives work in reverse. Suspecting a speed sensor wire or something had rubbed through, I inspected all visible wiring and connections under the cab today and cleaned out quite a few. For the most part everything appears to be in good clean shape. I left for a few hours and came back to try again. Now, the parking brake will not disengage. The switch will disengage hydraulic lockout but not the brake. Interestingly, even with the machine not running (key on) but still in park, if I pull the left joystick back, the instrument panel still lights up as before. However, now I have zero travel functionality and just an expensive paperweight. Before I start throwing parts at it I ordered a scan tool that will hopefully be here this week and will hopefully pull CAT codes. Hoping someone more familiar with this electrical system can point me in the right direction! Thanks for any and all help!
Until you have access to obtain Diagnostic Codes it’s difficult to even speculate. When you get the Codes post a Serial Number as well, it makes finding information easier.
Hopefully the tool works as stated. Will be delivered tomorrow. Serial: MST01245
Good-oh. Let us know as soon as you get some Codes. You will probably also need an electrical schematic to help while you are doing diagnostic procedures. I'll pull a copy of the correct one for your Serial Number and send it to you. Keep an eye on your messages.
I’ve attached an image with the codes that I pulled. Hard to even google what these numbers even mean
Does whoever you bought the scanner from supply a user manual for it.? I have absolutely no idea what the information on that screen means. Maybe someone else who might have used this type of scanner before can help.? The image says "Active DTC", is their a way of looking at Logged DTC.?
Got nothing here either on any of those numbers.. We want to see something along the lines of 2474-08 or 2474-04 or similar... 2474 being the component (LH joystick forw/rev axis) and 04 or 08 being the failure mode (ie voltage below normal or abnormal data, etc)
The manual with the reader is pretty useless, here are a few other functions I toyed with that offered data. One is the logged DTCs
Sorry posted before upload was complete
Left joystick left/right position sensor, voltage above normal equates to a 2476-03 code. It seems to be active from the pictures you posted... that'll most likely be what's causing your fault. There's a troubleshooting procedure out there for that code but I'd start by having a good look over your wiring to the LH joystick.
Here it is.......... If you need an electrical schematic to help you with your troubleshooting then please ask.
After a bit more digging I'm thinking that you might be better re-selling that scan tool and buy a RH instrument panel for your machine. If you buy a 364-6336 (illustrated below) plus a few other bits listed in the attachment it is plug & play and will read Events, Diagnostic Codes, and sensor outputs amongst other things.
Sounds like a bad joystick sensor. I think you have to replace complete joystick.
I pulled off the joystick assembly and the connectors and wires were ziptied extremely tight. both bundles of wires had worn through the outer sheath and a few wires were nicked. The joystick under the boot is also just filthy. I'm going to tear the entire thing down and rebuild it/clean it before going through the full diagnostics. Thanks everyone
FYI - I'm dealing with similar issues on a 299C at the moment. Took the base out, cleaned it up (wasn't that bad as I have a cab machine) and it did not fix the issue. Hope you have better luck! I have ordered a new left joystick base and will see if that fixes my issue. I highly recommend the right side display mentioned above as it will provide diagnostic codes as well as multiple other features for both operating and servicing the machine. The more I researched my issue, the more I concluded these joystick bases seem prone to failure.
Well I’d guess I found my problem. Broken Zip tie in the joystick. It marred up the yellow sensor pad itself hopefully not too bad but it may be shot
Still broken. Diagnostics checked out. Joystick ordered. @Cat299C After exhaustively searching and calling reman and parts houses as well as scrap yards nationwide, the fact that these are nearly impossible to find lends itself to your theory that they are a common issue. You'd think otherwise, somewhere, somehow there would be wrecked skids out there with solid joysticks
Kevin - FYI, I installed a new joystick base today and the machine is now working. Hope it solves your issue as well.
Did you have it recalibrated?
It's not the joystick that requires recalibration if the base is replaced, it's the proportional solenoid valves that the signals from the joystick sensors control. See attachment. In the strictest sense of the word all the relevant functions controlled by a particular joystick (LH or RH) should be recalibrated after replacing a joystick base. The sensors in the base give a signal on both X and Y-Axis from 0% in neutral to 100% in one direction and to -100% in the other. That signal should not change if the base is replaced by another. In a dealer shop it would be SOP to do the calibration because all the electronic diagnostic tools (ET & Comm Adapter) would be on hand and it would take maybe 5 minutes to do. Doing the job on site without access to the diagnostic tooling I would think 99% of the time after testing the machine response to the newly-installed joystick base a re-cal would not be necessary. Now if it was a proportional solenoid valve that had been replaced it would be a different story altogether.
Interesting. I chatted with the field service tech at the dealer yesterday and he made it seem like it may not even be operational without a calibration... but that's also their job so I get it. They charge $6/mile and $155/hour to do the cal. He was planning to send a tech from a local site so only a few miles, but he never told me the hourly minimum on the cal so it could probably easily get to a few hundred bucks. I'm going to drive up to Milwaukee this morning and grab the joystick base and swap it in today. If it works fine I'll tell him not to bother.
I'd bet money he's working by the book (see earlier attachment) and has never tried replacing one without doing the calibration. Then he wouldn't have said that. I agree with you that I'd try it first and see how it goes before making the service call. What do you have to lose.? Just be a bit careful the first time you move the joystick in case some system responds a bit faster than you were expecting.
It's been stuck in the middle of a field for two weeks. It's got room to buck like a bronco. My last skid was a 743 with no parking brake that is responsible for denting my truck while I was taking a leak. I'll park far away
Installed it and it runs great. Im still torn on doing the calibration because this is a new machine for me and I’m confused by the controls. If I’m crawling, and try to accelerate, the machine will only crawl. If I stop and then push the lever forward I can get full speed again. Just seems odd
Do you have an Operation & Maintenance Manual for it yet.? Sometimes it is not in the pocket behind the seat where it was when the machine was new. Probably the best investment you can ever make. The manual can be downloaded in pdf form from Cat if you don't have one. I can walk you through the process if necessary.
No I have the manual and have operated a lot of similar machines. Moreso referring to the crawling thing I mentioned