hey guys im working on one of our cat 953c loaders it has roughly 4500 hours on it and this machine has been pretty good up till now, but this machine when you are going forward you can tell the right track feels weak but it does pull some. if you try to turn left it will try but wont really do it until you push the left pedal all the way down and the left track goes into reverse and if you try to do any grading or go into a pile with it the left track will spin but the right side wont pull at all. with that being said when you have the machine in reverse right side and left side work perfectly. I have talked to cat gave them the codes and they more or less just want me to bring it to them. anyone ever heard of anything like this? s/n 2zn05494 codes I got to come up on the dash- 079 0070.03 079 0110.03 079 0168.04 any help would be greatly appreciated thanks, Cameron
First question. Are all these Codes Active..? In other words as you pull each Code up on the dash panel does the "SERV CODE" indicator light up..? Any code where the indicator does NOT light is simply a logged code that was there previously but is not there now. To check that the SERV CODE indicator is working look at the top RH Corner of the indicator panel when you turn the key on. When the panel does its self-test that light (amongst others) should light up. Assuming all 3 codes are Active they indicate the following: - 1. 079 indicates the Hydrostatic Transmission Control, so all 3 codes are in the same "black box". 2. 0070.03 is the Parking Brake Switch voltage above normal. 3. 0110.03 is the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor voltage above normal. 4. 0168.04 is the Electrical System voltage voltage below normal. I seriously doubt that this code is active, it can happen if a battery or alternator goes bad or even a loose fan belt at some time. If it was active the alternator charging light should also be on. There are diagnostic procedures available for all 3 Codes. If you're competent with a digital multimeter you can do them yourself. Post back here what's active and what's not (you can clear the non-active ones yourself using switches on the machine, there is a procedure for that too) and we'll go from there. Personally I don't think any of the codes you've posted could be a reason why the machine is behaving the way it is. However they need sorting so that they can at least be eliminated as a possible cause of the problem.
all codes are inactive
First off check the filter for metal. Hystat and Hyd are common oil in 63 and lower. 973 has separate systems. It could be the RH forward solenoid valve has a problem. Electrical will give code mechanical will not. Or the drive pump or motor could be in trouble. The direction that works hardest will wear most on a closed loop system. Maybe putting a gauge on each forward pilot pressure line would tell you a lot. If the computer is telling the solenoid to deliver the right pressure you should see the same pressure on each gauge while pushing straight into the pile. If you do see equal pressure the problem is in the rotating groups pump or motor. Any metal in filters means a full teardown and clean out. Later Bob
Cameron, If all the codes are inactive then they are nothing whatsoever to do with your present issue. Bob/Ont is the track loader expert. I'll leave it to him.
Swap drive solonoids, with one of the other 3 and see if the problem changes, most of the time the coil to stem gets rust between them and they just need taken off cleaned up with emery cloth and re installed but I have seen a lot of bad stems and bad coils as well, they are like $200, send me your serial number and I'll send you the part number ....... they are all the same. We keep spares around but we have several c models, then calibrate the machine and you'll be back up n running. We have also had to do a lot of reflash updates to the computers as well...... One of my machines went down one time the local cat dealer claimed it as lightning and gave a $43k estimate...... So I took it to another cat dealer and had the computer reflashed like I has asked them to do to start with....... Too bad the machine wasn't insured or it woulda been a good payday haha I guess I should ask what year this machine was, some of the early square backs had a bad computer and wiring problem.
Bad news guys cut the filter open... and theres some metal. Wish I could figure out how to post the picture from my phone
Posting this pic for Cameron
That looks suspiciously like rollers out of a bearing that does ............. not good.
Nasty, start with the RH pump and motor but get it under cover where you can do all the work. needs a thorough clean out, including a cooler flush. Might be a good job to send to the dealer. They can find these repairs a CHALLENGE to complete so they go out and stay working. Later Bob