I have a Bobcat S250 skid loader that is throwing a warning code of 8-21 after about a half hour after its been running. The code says Coolant temp out of range high. I dont know how big of a deal it is too keep running it after it comes on usually try to get it parked as quick as possible after it comes on. Changed the air filter and cleaned the radiator (wasnt very dirty) Cant figure out exactly what to do to fix the problem tho. The engine temp has stayed in the same range as when I first got it so makes me think that it could just be a sensor going bad. Anyone have any advice on what to try next?
How many hours on it? There is a belt driven fan drive behind the cab that has issue's with either failure due to low oil or the pulley/ bearings rear out there is an accesses panel on the left hand side under the boom behind the cab(arm pit)
Doesnt the s series have hydraulic fan motors ? Does the machine actually get hot or is the unit just telling you its got a code. Id let it run and once you code comes on hit it with a temp gun and see what your actual temp is in a few places. Id lean more towards a sensor myself or faulty connection at the sensor.
Just for reference, my S250 with about 1200 hrs, stays about halfway to the left on the temp gauge. In other words, after it gets into the green, I've never seen it point straight up, it's always to the left pointing at about 10:00 (clock reference). BTW - my S250 has a hydraulic motor on the fan, no belt.
Personally id start suspecting the sensor. Sounds like once a certain range is reached the sensor data does not align with what the ecu is expecting to see. Its not telling you your over heating its just telling you somewhere during the communication it received invalid data. A sensor is cheap enough to take an educated guess on and see if it resolves the issue.
If your skid steer has the keypad to start instead of a key, I think one of the screens will give you the coolant temperature in degrees. You can then use a temp gun on one of the hoses to compare the two readings. If both the temp gun and the machine are running hot, I would check the fan blades to make sure they look alright and haven't somehow got bent enough to contact the outer fan housing. You said you cleaned the radiator - if your machine has air conditioning, you have that coil, then the oil cooler coil, and then the radiator. They all have to be clean to get the most airflow through the system. If all that looks good, I'd flush the radiator out and add new fluid.