Hi all, please be nice as this is my first post on this site. I'm new to operating a CAT 279C with 5k current hours. Regardless which of the two speeds used, my machine slows down tremendously after only moving 10 to 20 yards. Engine RPM remains at the level set. Speed is set to max 10 MPH. I'm running a CID brushcutter that continues to run at operating RPM when this slowdown happens. Once I return the left joystick to the center neutral position and reapply forward or rearward direction, the machine appears to return to the speed desired only for another 10 to 20 yards before the slowdown in groundspeed begins until it comes to a halt/ creep. checked all fluid levels and all are maxed. filters appear newly serviced but could not tell you of the exact date or hour level changed. doesnt take long before the coolant and hyd temp starts to run in the upper one-third range. just spent $2500 on the AC with no good cooling results. speed sensor harnesses were replaced due to being frayed. first 5 to 6 hours of running on the job with these repairs done by the dealership were flawless. i hope i have not confused. Thanks again as im just looking for some hope. Greg (37-year Army Aviator Veteran recently retired)
sounds like hydro filter is plugged
Thanks Mark. I will take a new one to the field.
Can you check to see if the demand fan slows down at the same time as the machine speed slows down ? this will give a rough idea if the charge pressure is ok As well as changing the filter, carefully cut the filter open and remove a section of the filter material. squeeze the oil out in a vice and open the cleats and see if there is any debris between the filter cleats. let us know what you find
oddly enough, the dealership agreed to give a courtesy troubleshoot of my pro lem. i will let you guys know how that turns out. Shop Manager did offer that since this machine is an electric over hydraulic pertaining to the left joystick which he fills is the source of the problem i.e. losing connection for some unknown reason. reference the demand fan, is it a slowdown that i need to try and witness? As far as the hydraulic system as a whole, when the slowdown of travel occurs i see no noticeable drop in the speed of the lift cylinders or the curling of the same. If the filter is clogged, shouldnt i see a complete degradation of hydraulic movement of all attachments and cylinders as well? I appreciate you guys willingness help. Thanks Again, Greg
Hi the left hand joystick was known to cause problems have changed out a few under warranty Cat ET is really the only way to check the current going to the pump solonoids and the sigals coming from the joystick The fan hydraulic circuit runs off the hydrostatic charge pump and gives a quick and dirty check of charge pressure this can and will effect the drive system if incorrect The work tool pump is a seprate system from drive circuit ( lift ,tilt etc ) Its good to see that your dealer will support you Let us know how it turns out
Hey Timmonsg, did they ever figure out what it was? My Cat262c is doing the exact same thing...
Whether he did or not, as Mark250 pointed out above, Cat ET is pretty much the only way of diagnosing the performance of the LH joystick.
I've seen wonky drive speed sensors cause similar symptoms. ET will be your friend on this one.
Field Tech was out today again with Cat ET scanner, machine isn't throwing any codes or showing any events... LH joystick showed it was slightly out of calibration. Best guess was that it was LH joystick related...? Is there anywhere to purchase a used joystick to confirm? Cat price is $660
A used joystick may be in no better condition than your present one - just saying ..... Unfortunately there are no repair parts sold by Caterpillar for them.
Thats not a bad price
hi did the tech calibrate the throttle sensor or has any work been done on the throttle cable and linkage as that also can cause issues and not log a code Mark
Paid $700 for new joystick, installed this am(10/25/2018). Still having the issue... Mark250 - Don't know that he calibrated anything on the throttle sensor,(he did say the LH joystick was 'out of calibration") nothing has been done to my knowledge with throttle cable or linkage. When i rev it up and drive it stays throttled up and just slows down.
Would i hear it throttle down if it had anything to do with the throttle cable or linkage?
Hi, it is not a matter of throttling down. The ECM uses the throttle position sensor as part of the under speed (Anti stalling) strategy. If the sensor is not calibrated it will get conflicting signals and can derate the transmission to the point where it will only crawl along If the tech had ET connected he should of been monitoring the input signals to the drive solenoids and the under speed parameters in the status groups
Hey Buddy Did you figure out your problem sounds like my new issue Thank you !
check the speed sensor on the drive units
ckeck the fuel pressure on the Eletric pump had the same problem with my 297C pump was only making 2 psi and it should be 10 psi
Hi anyone figure out the problem with the cat skidsteer motion slowing down to a creep? Im having the same issue with my 262C
Please post a Serial Number and do you have any way of retrieving Diagnostic Codes.? If you don't know please post a photo of your RH instrumet panel.
Hi, here is the serial CAT0262CCMST00261 Thanks for your Help.
Thanks for that. Unfortunately your machine has the "basic" panel that cannot be used for retreiving Diagnostic Codes. TBH you really need Cat ET hooked up to the machine to find what Active Diagnostic Codes and/or Events it has. The only other way is by loading the parts cannon and that could get really expensive very quickly.
Hi, here is the serial CAT0262CCMST00261 Thanks for your Help Thanks for taking the time and info, all other functions work normally, Little frustrating that I cant get Diagnostic codes without having to pay a lot for cat to hook up thier ET code reader.
What you need is the (optional) RH panel that has more functions including on-board diagnostics. See this THREAD where Part Numbers were discussed. The OP on that one has the same problem regarding a lack of diagnostic capability that you have. The fact is that back in the day a lot of these machines were bought by either corporate customers or were on dealer rental fleets. Both types of organization would have techs with the requisite diagnostic tooling, so they were not interested in having on-board bells & whistles". Now a lot of the machines of that generation are in the hands of "owner operators" who really need on-board diagnostics rather than rely on a dealer with the associated cost. Your machine can be retro-fitted with the optional panel. It may be a cost-effective option for you but will not be cheap initially. With dealer labour @ over $150/hr you could recoup your investment quite quickly.
Hi Did you figure out the problem with your Cat279C motion slows down to a creep? Im having the same problem on my 262C
Hi, my 279c is doing the exact thing, wondering if you found the problem. Help would be greatly appreciated
I haven't worked out the problem yet if you have any info let me know.. thanks
Cat 262c2 have the same problem and my friend has a bigger track machine with same problem. Anyone have better suggestion then loading up and hauling 2 hours to Cat dealer and waiting for them to diagnose? A side note that may or may not be related, I have a battery drain that could be a sticky relay or something.
Start with Serial Number(s) and photos of the upper RH panel. See Post #23 above. You may have access to diagnostics that you were unaware of. It#s not mandatory to take it to a dealer. Also if you can find a local independent mechanic with ET that would work just as well.
Again need a Serial Number to look up a schematic and the drain could be anything. It's simply a case of disconnecting power to various parts of the machine in turn until the drain disappears.
Has there been an answer to this problem? 277C JWF2285
For a start kudos for posting a Serial Number. This thread has covered all sorts of things in more than 6 years since it was originally created. Exactly what problem are you having and what diagnostic Codes, if any, do you have.?
When going forward after a few feet it will being to slow, I don't think it ever stops, letting the joystick return to center and reapplying will reset the speed. This happens in both forward speeds. It does not seem that speed slows when going backwards. It does not seem to have any codes showing.
Do you have the LCD Advanced Display panel fitted to your machine.?
I don't think so. I am saying no codes because a cat repair found a bad end on wire for the forward synoloid he found no other codes. The bad connection was causing it to stop at times. He did not seem to know why I was getting the slowing problem.
You mean a Cat dealer guy or an independent mechanic that repairs Cat machines.? if it was a Cat dealer guy did he give you a copy of the machine Product Status Report (PSR) that he downloaded from your machine.? If not he should have done. Post a photo of the instrument panel in the upper RH corner of your cab please.
It was a cat dealer and he did not give me a printed copy. I will make sure I get one next time.
He should have given you an electronic copy in Adobe pdf format. You could still ask for it even now after the event because it will be stored on the dealer guy's laptop. However.......... praise be...!! You have the optional Monitor Panel that allows you to access Diagnostic Codes and Events, both Active and Logged. Please study the attachment carefully, then 2 steps. Note that when you put the Monitor from Operation Mode (Mode 0) into Service Mode it will automatically enter into Mode 1, you don't have to scroll to it. 1. Access Service Mode 1 (Active Diagnostic Codes) and Mode 2 (Logged Diagnostic Codes) 2. Access Service Mode 3 (Active Events) and Mode 4 (Logged Events). Report back with a list of what you have registered in each of those 4 Service Modes.
How do i get to service mode? Is there a pdf of how to use this Monitor panel?
It was attached to the post I made last night. Did you miss it.?
No I got it but how do I get into "service mode"
Did you read the paragraph that is titled "Enter the Service Mode" about half way down page 1.?
I missed those pages but I have it now. Thanks
I have not gotten in touch with the repair man at Griggs Cat yet but he should call me back this morning. These are the numbers that I am getting? 2471-3 E 0-0 E 0-0 3613092 then i have 01 60 02 37 03 0 34 0 Do these make since to you?
When he does please ask him to email you an Adobe pdf copy of the Product Status Report that (by protocol) he should have downloaded when he worked on your machine. TBH he should have downloaded 2 copies, one pre-repair, and the second post-repair. 2471-3 is the key. Did it pop up on the screen immediately when you entered Service Mode.?
Another question. When you put the monitor into Service Mode did you leave it alone for a few seconds to see what else might pop up apart from the 2471-3.? If not you really need to do that otherwise it could set us off on a wild goose chase.
Yes it was first and no I did not let it set for any length of time. I will go and do that.
I let to be on that screen for about 5 minutes and the number did not change.
I got in touch with Riggs and says he will send the PSR to me.
OK, that seems to confirm that you only have one Active Diagnostic Code, for the implement lockout switch. See attached the troubleshooting procedure. Before you start that though, here is a quick thing you can do as a test......... If you kneel on the seat facing towards the rear of the machine and look down the back of the seat to the floor then on the LH side of the machine you should find a 6-pin wiring harness connector (marked as CONN 19 in the illustration below) with another half a connector zip-tied to it. If you unplug the two halves of the connector and install the zip-tied half a connector what happens to the problem.?
here is the PSR from the Cat repair.
Sorry that's not it. That is the technician's Service Report and the invoice. What I was asking for (if it is available) is a pdf of the electronic file that he downloaded from your machine using cat Electronic Technician (ET) software. The correct name for it is the Product Status Report, we often refer to it as the PSR. Click this LINK for a short video explaining what it is, then when you call Riggs again you will be able to explain what you are looking for.
I am trying to get it now.
Meantime try that quick hack with the electrical connector behind the seat and see how you get on.
This is the last I got, are these the correct files?
Yessiree Bob. Let me take a look at them. I'll get back to you.
OK, so as I mentioned earlier they are pre and post-repair, as expected. Various Codes present pre-repair, the most prominent of which was a fault in the Left side drive pump control solenoid which according to you the dealer guy fixed by repairing a broken wire. Post-repair the report shows that the Diagnostic Code/Event memory has been wiped clean. So anything present now has occured since Jan 13th @ 4:23PM. This is helpful because the only thing that has come back per what you posted earlier is the 2471-3 for the implement lockout. So basically it is back either to the hack in Post #52 regarding the electrical connector on the floor behind the seat or carry out the troubleshooting procedure contained in the pdf document attached to the same post. Your choice.
I have been out looking this morning and I find the plug but I cannot find a "zip-tied half a connector"
if the zip-tie breaks it's not unusual for the "half connector" to get lost. In that case you are stuck with carrying out the troubleshooting procedure I mentioned above. But before you do that............ I have been reading again the procedure for accessing the Diagnostic Codes again and I'm not sure it explains everything in a clear and unequivocal fashion. Please can you try this method and report your results. 1. Key ON. Simultaneously press and hold the Function Select button (5) and the Scroll Up button (3) for 3 seconds, then release both buttons. 2. The first Code (2471-3 will appear on the screen. 3. Press the Down Arrow button (4) once for about one second then release. What happens.?
At first there is nothing on the screen. Puah the Function one time and 2471-3 appears pressing the down button and screen is blank.
What I was looking at was text from the procedure - "The Service Mode has the following seven screens, several of which contain lower-level screens.To scroll one by one through the items within any of the screens use either the Scroll Up button (3) or the Scroll Down button (4)." OK, that clarifies it. Apparently there is nothing else apart from the 2471-3, so troubleshooting that is what you need to focus on.
I'm going to ask you to try another test, just to see if anything goes Active when the machine starts moving. 1. With the engine running simultaneously press the Function Select button (5) and the Scroll Up button (3) for 3 seconds, then release both buttons. 2. You should see a blank screen. 3. Start moving the machine forward slowly until it starts to slow down without any command from the joystick. 4. Press the Down Arrow button (4) for about one second then release. Does anything else appear or do you still have a blank screen.? Then a second test with similar conditions to the above. 1. With the engine running simultaneously press the Function Select button (5) and the Scroll Up button (3) for 3 seconds, then release both buttons. 2. The first Code (2471-3 will appear on the screen. 3. Press the Function Select button (5) once and release, until the screen shows the first "E 0-0". 3. Start moving the machine forward slowly until it slows down without any command from the joystick. 4. Does the screen still show E 0-0 or something else.? Report your results.
just for fun go back to the first page of this section and read the posts ,the symptoms are very similar to that problem
Mark makes a very good point. I was somewhat fixated on the possibility of the problem being a drive motor speed sensor or the LH joystick, and at the same time struggling to understand where there were no Diagnostic Codes or Events for same. In the course of that I lost sight of the fact that the problem could be something that does not generate a Code or Event. Go back to Page 1 and read down the page starting from Post #4 by @Mark250 very carefully.
I tried both of these ways and nothing changes.
In that case please go back to my post just above your last one pointing you to Page 1 of the thread and a raft of things you need to check. First on the list should be to check if the hydraulically-driven fan also slows down at the same time that the machine travel speed does. Come back when you have some results.
Is there a way to show the MPH instead of RPM? How do I know if the fan speed is slowing?
Not as far as I know. You will need an assistant observing the fan rotation.
Thanks
Question: When this happens what does the engine RPM do during the same time.?
RPM does not change.
has anyone found problem with cat skidsteer slowing down Hi did anyone figure out what the problem is with the skiddsteer slowing down? seems like a common problem.
Are you experiencing that problem.? Have you tried accessing Diagnostic Codes on your machine.? That would be a good starting point.
So I'm having the same issue with my Cat 262C2. Since I purchased it last year it always did this thing where it would slow down while driving and if you would stop driving and start again it went back up to speed. Never dealt with it because it worked fine otherwise. Changed fuel filter, oil filter, air filter and hydraulic filter last November. Used it for 30+hours since. Last week the machine started behaving oddly then shut down. Once hot, it would all of a sudden drive faster for 20ft, slow down (like before), stop and shut down. It would start right back up, do the same behavior and shut down after 10 feet. Once cold it behaves normally again(remember, my normal) until warm then does the dying thing again. It does not have the fancy digital display to display codes. Serial number is TMW01652. 2013 Cat 262C2. What tests should I run? Thank you in advance. Dan
It may not have the digital display but could you post a photo of what you have. There still might be a way of pulling Codes from it. Without Codes it is a case of firing the Parts Cannnon and that can be VERY expensive for little or not result.
Ok, I'll send it over the weekend. The machine is an hour away on a site. It's pretty plain, only left corner where the key goes has the pictorial display, and the right upper cab corner has just a blank panel.
That tells me what I need to know. No need for a photo. Sorry but there is no alternative other than to get ET hooked up to it and download a Product Status Report. That will give an initial direction to troubleshooting. There are no tests you can run until you have some information regarding what Active Diagnostic Codes are present in the machine.
Ok Thank you, heading out to see the machine in the morning. I just remembered that AW32 was added to the hydraulic system recently when it was low. From other boards that seemed to be the right fluid to add. A coincidence I assume.
Without some direction in the form of Diagnostic Codes you will have to resort to firing the Parts Cannon which could get very expensive very quickly. Probably far in excess of what the diagnostic work would cost.
Want to say thanks, my 236d was losing speed; calibrated tps in et and away it goes. Commanded vs actual was different