Trying to run down a crank no start on Cat M312 (3054). This looks like it should just be a ground but the red wire is bugging me. Not hot when key on.
Looks like a flame start.
Ground wires on Cat are almost exclusively black. If you don’t have an electrical Schematic post a Serial Number.
Used to call those a fire breathing dragon. The early generation Komatsu D155 dozers used them. I had never heard of them being used on a Cat, but that engine looks more like a Perkins than a Cat.
Glow plug. The red wire is fed from a relay through a resistor to the glow plug. The orange wire to pull in the relay gets its power from the key switch.
Perkins is a subsidiary of Caterpillar. some Perkins engines and Caterpillar engines are interchangeable, they are exactly the same. Caterpillar 3054 is similar to Perkins 1004-40
Thanks fellas. I can dump that. One less thing to fail.
Make sure you have a perfect plug on the fuel line or it will cause you grief.
This is like a old made up comedy bit...except for the comedy part. Here's the chain of events... I had a small leak coming from turntable, no other leaks or issues. Since hydraulic fluid cost $50 a gallon here, I thought it prudent to stop the leak. So I pulled and resealed swing motor. No more leak! I used the machine for about an hour and the right stabilizer seal blew out. I blocked the line and went back to work. 30 minutes later the stick cylinder blew. I repacked the stick cylinder and went back to work, within 20 minutes both blade cylinders blew. None of these are seeping oil, they are just exploding. I've dumped 50 gallons of new CAT TO-4 fluid on the ground. I chained up the blade so I could go back to work and the force from the blade snapped the chain, twice. I switched to a heavy 3/8" grade 80 chain. I was able to get limited use for a few hours with the blade and stabilizer chained up. Then the batteries mysteriously started draining empty over night. Charged and tested batteries, they're fine. Could find no obvious draw. This went on for a few days, so I started kicking off the battery cutoff anytime I turned the machine off. This kept the batteries from dying. Then 2 tires blew (same hub). I replaced the tires, fired up the machine, moved 3 feet and the left stabilizer cylinder started leaking. I shut it down. Went to start it the next day and it just cranks, no start. Checking, I found the main fuse was blown (60amp). Replaced the fuse, turned on battery and burned the fuse again. This all happened inside of 3 weeks. I doubt I put more than 3 or 4 pampered hours on it, total. *** is happening here? It's like it's infested with tiny snickering gremlins. Anyone ever heard of anything like this? Something blowing a 60a fuse should be obvious, but I can find no culprit.
Alternator rectifier crapped out maybe? Will act like a dead short overnight. Dont know if that would have killed your ignition feed fuse.
The joys of running old worn out machines.
Wow. Was this machine sitting for a long time? Plastic and rubber deteriorate with age, and then when put to work, they fail.?
Starter and alternator are on another fuse. They're operational.
Mouse special? I hate mysterious wiring faults. That is a a huge fuse. Look around for the hot spot in the wiring. It has to be heating up pretty good to blow a fuse that size.
And if I'm not mistaken they are all built by Shibaura.