I am having trouble with the seat switch I think. about half the time the traction lock and hyd lock are engaged. It seems that if I put the bar up and down and jump up and down on the seat they release. I would like to look under the seat but can't seem to get it to tilt up. Where is the release? I am sure I have seen it tilted up before when my son told me it needed cleaning out under it. :beatsme
You most likely have to tilt the cab to get to the seat rail bolts anyway thats how mine are setup. Two nuts in the front corners of the ROPS hold the cab down.
Thanks It sure looks like that is the case. Funny when this problem started It was just like you were not in the seat...No hyd and no track movement. After fooling around on and off (I was trying to remove the backhoe) the hyd started working but the track l;ock was still on. I managed to use the traction over ride and moved it away from the backhoe but then it just stopped moving and I can't get it to move at all now. Over ride or not.. but the hyd arms work when the bar is down and I am in the seat. The traction lock seems to be a mechanical lock. do you know if it is controlled by a relay and where that might be. I wish I had a service manual for this beast. Thanks for any help
Also check that the bolts for the searbar are tight. If the bar/pivot moves, even a little, the sensor will think the bar is up and lock up. There is a brake. If yours is a C or F series it will be in the engine compartment. When the machine is locked up, take note of which lights are not lit on the BICS controller beside the seat. There were several versions of the controller, with different 'sensitivity' about the seat sensor.
Make sure there's no empty pop bottles, old rags, or other various forms of debris under the seat that would restrict it's movement. The seat has to be able to pivot downward in the rear when you put your arse in the seat to activate the seat safety switch. Junk under seat can't mess up this operation.
BICS? I am ignorant or this item. BICS stands for what? I don't see too many lights. I have read about codes, is this where you would read them? Heading out to check the Bar/pivot. I will dig into it deeper. Thanks
BICS: Bobcat Integrated Control System I'm thinking on that machine the BICS LED display is on the box located on the back wall of operators cab to the side of the seat back.
Thank you I will check that out. Just did a google search on BCIS and came back here with the is your reply. It has just started to rain so I am calling it a day here on the WET west coast.
With both systems acting up I would suspect a safety switch. If everything seemed right but you had an intermittent problem with one or the other I would look at the wiring harness. Do the usual checks and make sure the battery cables are good and tight. Make sure the relays are seated properly. Check the fuses for signs of Heat or corrision.
Ok I found the BCIS it is on the back of the cab. All the lights come on when I am in the seat EXCEPT Traction. The wires from the seatbar switch are in good condition and the plugs are clean no corrosion. I am at a loss as to where the relay is located for the traction lock. The lock its self must be a solinoid as I remember a loud click when pressing the traction over ride. the machine moves about 3 inches before the lock stops it. The over ride does not work anymore.
If the traction lock wont work at all I would verify power to the feed wires and check resistance through the solenoid coils. With the cab up the solenoid would be right between your legs if you were in the seat. These solenoids do burn out but wiring is also a concern on off road equipment.
Now I feel really dumb where are the fuses located. On the back door there is a label that lists them and the size. Where is the fuse box? This is and F 763 about 1998 I think. Thanks
No such thing as a dumb question. Only dumb question is a question not asked. The fuses should be in the engine compartment on your machine, to the right of the oil filter, and below the fuel solenoid.
Thanks Have used that line "Only dumb question is a question not asked" before when I was teaching. I wonder what the fuses look like? I see some black square things that i THOUGHT WERE RELAYS In that area. I will dig deeper. I found that when I had the cab tilted up the traction over ride worked. I lowered it and it did not work. after raising it about 4 inches it worked and I moved the machine to my shop. I pressure washed under the cab and in the engine compartment so tomorrow I will be able to really look for the loose connection.
That would be the fuses. The fuses are under covers which are held in place by a sort of spring clip. This protects the fuses from environment. If I remember correctly, there's not a lot of fuses on that machine. There may also be a few relays in that area, possible fuel relay, glow plug relay, and such. One thing to always look for on Bobcat machines are rubbed spots in the electrical harness, all over and anywhere on the machine. Check closely the harness that comes from cab and goes to lower harness. With cab raised, you should see that harness to your right if you were standing at front of machine facing toward its innards. Check if that harness has a plug connection where it meets up with lower harness. I've seen plug connections with corroded pins more than once.
Thanks I will check out the fuse box tomorrow. Also the harness.
This whole thread started out as "the seat switch. Now I am back to that. I wouild like to bypass the switch. I would think I could just jump two wires..but there are three. One must go to the bcis but which two are the ones to jump? On the switch there is a Red, Green,& Black. On the harness that they plug into there is Yel/grn stripe, Yel/Red stripe and Yel/Black stripe. I triedto remove the switch with a 7/16 but the bolt just turns and I have not been able to get to the head of the bolt. Will pursue that some more.
Unfortunately , bobcat has designed the system such that you can't just fiddle with the wires to bypass the sensors. The controller actually senses the resistance of the sensor, which changes depending on the magnet's position. One way I've seen folks 'eliminate' the seat sensor is to remove the sensor and magnet from the mounts, leaving the wires connected, then with the key on find the correct position that makes the seat light stay on in the controller, and glue the magnet in this position. Then secure the sensor out of harms way. I know that if you buy a new controller it will not require the seat sensor, bobcat eliminated the seat sensor after a few years due to all the problems. The new controller is a direct replacement for the old. They used to be called a 'push to operate kit' because for the machine to function you first lowered the seatbar then push the button(where the traction override is) to unlock the functions.
Thanks Mr. Paul for the bad news. I am trying to get the switch off the machine and find it difficult. There was one bolt with a 7/16 nut on it that has a phillips head on the other end. It was burried under all kinds of gunk. I now have it off but the switch seems stuck to something. I would like to slide the seat off the rails but it does not want to come.
You have to remove the magnet in order to remove the sensor. should be the 1/2" head bolt holding it in place, the magnet is in the piece of plastic (usually white). The bolt screws into a metal sleeve that screws onto the stud for the seat rail. Word of caution- make sure the magnet piece is free on the sleeve before you start loosening things, or it will damage the sensor line up 'key' . I usually work the magnet back and forth slightly with pliers to free it up if it is stuck to the metal sleeve. Even with all bolts tight, the magnet normally is free to move a little.
Thank you. I figured that I needed to hold the white piece from turning. Now I have the seat switch working by cleaning the gunk around it and making sure the 'key' can slide up and down. The switch is working but my problems are not solved. When I sit in the seat and lower the bar I get three lights but Traction is not lit. If I raise the bar and lift my butt all lights are out. I now push the traction override and I get that solenoid click and a green light on the BCIS Traction lock. If I sit down and the solenoid clicks out and the machine locks up. With the seat light on I can not get the machine to move. The machine must have a computer that is acting weird. I feel like I am chasing my tail and it is getting shorter.
It sounds like you may have the brake pedal on, or a faulty switch at the brake pedal that 'thinks' you have set the brake. You can disconnect the switch for the brake pedal....follow the tube back from the pedal to the under cab area, and unplug the 2 wire connector from the harness. The brake pedal switch is just a normal on/off switch and leaving it disconnected will not affect anything but the parking brake pedal function.
Hold on a minute. If I'm not mistaken, when you sit in the seat and activate the seat safety switch, it lights the Seat LED on BICS controller. When you drop seat bar, it lights the Seat Bar LED on BICS. But these do not activate the traction lock solenoid. You have to push the Traction Lock button on left console to activate traction solenoid and release traction brake, this after you have activated seat switch and seat bar. Likewise, if you don't have either seat switch of seat bar LED's lit, it won't unlock traction brake.
The 'push to operate' was not originally installed on bics machines with a seat sensor, it was developed to eliminate the seat sensor and all of it's problems. When the seat sensor worked properly, you sit in the seat, lower the bar, and everything worked....no button needed to be pressed. Some of the controllers had a delay for if you came out of the seat, to prevent instant lock up....others would give a he!! of a headache when the brake locked up everytime you bounced off the seat for a split second
Yes this machine never needed the 'push to operate' The traction override I use when running the backhoe so I can move around with out getting back in the seat and dropping the bar. I played with pushing the brake on and off this afternoon as I never use it I thought maybe it was on part way. Tomorrow I will go at it again. I would hate to have to take it to Bobcat for reopair. Not only do they cost alot but BCFerries will charge me about $150 for the trip to Vancouver and back.
Ok, got it, been a while since I've been around one of these older machines.
I had the 'joy' of chasing hundreds of these machines around when the bics first arrived....to try and teach operators how things worked and to try and find solutions to make system more user friendly without compromising safety.
You Did a fantastic job with me. The BRAKE SWITCH has been disabled and ALL problems seem to have gone away. THANK YOU Charles: PS Thank you to all who responded with help.
Glad to help.
lift the cabin under the seat belt you will see the sensor of the seat belt a 1/2 nut is holding the sensors eye take it out clean it and try again