The company I work for has just sold our aging 988B. We are now demoing a 03 980G series 2. The machine has 11,202 hrs. My question is, Is it possible for the control levers to become out of adjustment, And if so how are they calibrated?
Finger tip controls i take it?
Yes electrohydraluic.
Best way to calibrate the controls is with the Cat ET program on a laptop computer.
yup, 992g has got the right idea. What is the issue you are having with it? It seem slow, or is it have a mind of its own so to speak?
I think a mind of its own explains it. Sometimes the bucket seems fast, almost too fast. other times too slow. There is almost no consistency.
Since you guys are looking at buying this one, make the seller replace the controls. I had a 980G series II. It was a hell of a machine for 18k hours, original engine and trans. Bent front frame and all. I had problems with the controls. They seemed to have a mind of their own from time to time. It was worse when it was wet or humid out. A Michigan Cat mechanic from the Lansing shop replaced the whole control box. Then re calibrated it. It was about a 1-2 hour project. Solved most of the problems. But I will tell you, it seemed when I had a bucket of wet, or heavy material and went to dump it almost always wanted dump fast. My bucket was heavier than most as it was a demolition bucket. So that may have been some of it.
The seller is Michigan Cat. Here is a list of things I found wrong with the machine; 1) the bucket needs to be completely rebuilt. or replaced 2) every pin and bushing from the tool cylinders to the oiler pins at the bucket need to be replaced. 3) somone was in the dash there are jumper wires running on the outside of the dash. 4) all four tires need to be replaced. 5) the autoride system needs to be repaired, while carring a loaded bucket the boom will drop about 3 feet whether the loader hits a bump or not. With this said I hope we dont end up completely rebuilding this thing and only getting twentythousand hours out of it.
With proper care you will get a lot of hours out of that machine. Like I said, 17k in hours on the one I had, original everything. Not to say she wasnt getting tired. I would say another year and it needed some loving from the shop. My environment is tough on a loader, concrete slab with chuck holes every where. Not to mention, heavy HEAVY loads. A lot of the time I was picking up trusses that would lift the ass end off the ground. I rarely went forward, as most of the time I half carried, half drug items to where they needed to be moved. Most of my time going forward was spent pushing an I beam anywhere from 15-30ft long. Or pushing 5000-10000 sq 8 inch thick slabs of concrete, most of the time with the assistance of a 45 ton excavator. My job was like a loader on a pipe crew, but add two machines making production on the front, and 7 other excavators in the back that i needed to help. Weather it was bring them more material, or take material that was not theirs to deal with away.
Komatsukid, If the company you work for is interested in a spare engine for the 980G II, I have a rebuildable one, that is complete.
We do have same problem here (980G) can you give me some info about the correct control box , anyway we do removed the bucket and use it as a forklift not a loader. And sometimes when there is a load or not sometimes its goes down itself without touching the control. I do replace some parts in control which is the spring , bearing , and its change a while but after some months of using its goes back again. Its very dangerous since we use it for lifting 10T of concrete slab
You should check the centering springs on the spool in the main control valve also, I encountered a few that have had broken shims and springs all worn to hell there, that causes them to act up like you describe, difficult to lower or dump in a controlled manner, it's like nothing, nothing, whaam, your'e on the ground. The controls on a series 1 really depend on that both the lever and the "beraings" are in good order and springs in place, always replace both lever and bearings, they work together and wear together. I've never replaced a sensor though.
There is a detailed procedure in which you can calibrate the controls. There is also a way with Cat ET or the "little green clicker box" to set the speed of the hydraulics for each function. Be sure the tilt position sensor and lift position sensor and attached linkages are in good working order, as they will affect the sensitivity of the way the loader functions.:spongebob
Lonestar's right about using the clicker box to calibrate the pilot solenoids, but as far as I'm aware that is the only way to do it. This is one of the rare occasions when ET is no good to you. The last time I did the procedure, the guys on site were quite supprised that I didn't have to fire up the laptop. I think they felt cheated.....