I have a Cat 215B s/n 2XC432IY that runs great immediately after start-up then after about 10 minutes of operation, the hydraulics progressivly lose power until it slows to a crawl. If I let it rest for a couple of hours it runs ok again for another 10-15 minutes then craps out again. So far I have replaced all the filters and hydraulic oil, checked the pump pressures and serviced the engine. Anyone out there experience a similar problem?
The first thing I would suspect is pilot pump flow. How did the pilot filter look? This machine uses pilot flow to sense engine lug and cuts the pumps back if pilot flow drops. Does the oil seem to be getting hot too quick?
Thanks for the reply, The pilot filter looked ok and yes, the oil does seem to heat up pretty quick. I haven't checked pilot pump pressure, just the main pumps. Maybe I should start there?
A good tip when troubleshooting a hydraulic system is to always follow the same route as the oil starting from the tank right round the system and back to the tank again. As the pilot system is supplied before the main system you really ought to be looking at that before the main system, even if it's only to tick the box.
Thanks for the tip, my serial# is 2XC4321Y
Hello Mobiltech, The owner of the machine said he changed the pilot filter and that the old one looked ok but I have no way of verifying that because he threw it out. Would you know what the acceptable pressure readings would be for the pilot pump? Also, the hydraulic oil takes abou 6 - 8 minutes to get hot and that's when everything slows down.