First let me say I am no mechanic and don't know what the proper terms for parts so please forgive me in advance. I just bought a 2008 287c with 1900 hours a few days ago, when i was test driving it in 2nd gear you could smell something like rubber burning, coming from the AC vents. It was also slowing down as i drove it and it would come to a stop. Then when i would turn the left track would make a popping sound and the track would bounce. This seems like the drive cage was slipping or jumping over the knobs in the track. I researched these item but only found something on the slowing down issue. It seems that i did not have the unit at full RPMs and that's what was causing that. The left track was loose so I had them tighten the tension bar and then it seemed to work ok under the short test drive at their place so i thought that was that. They had a person from Holt Cat come check out the unit about the burning rubber smell and they said nothing was wrong with it, i dont know how they could miss it but, I went ahead and bought it because a professional said there was nothing wrong. So i get it out today the first time with my shredder and i am still smelling the burning smell and it started doing that popping sound again. I really feel like the drive cage is slipping inside the track but the track is tight now so i don't see how. When i parked it because i did not want to tear anything up i could hear a bubbling sound coming from the right drive cage. The center part of the cage was really hot. It sounded kind of like boiling water, the left side did not make the noise. If anyone has any advise where to start looking and if these are normal/common issue It would be much appreciated.
I'm no expert, but it sounds like their might be a problem with the sprocket sleeves on the drive motor/ final. There's some good info at this link including checking the sleeves. https://safety.cat.com/cda/files/2419775/7/SEBU8020-06%20M.pdf From the link... "Sleeves that do not meet the minimum thickness or sleeves that do not turn freely may cause unnecessary wear on the drive lugs on the rubber track." Along with a bunch of other info there's also a section on checking your final drive fluid. That's the "center" that you said felt pretty hot.
Thank you for that information, i will go look over all of it. I looked over it this morning and its seems the track that is popping or jumping the lugs is getting loose. I tighten it to match the right track before i started using it yesterday so something is allowing it loosen up. Oh and you can still smell that burning smell. Thanks for you help.
in ready through the information given by JNB there is something called mis-feed, could this be what i am experiencing? it said its normal under aggressive operations and it only happens when i am turning hard. It gives instructions on how to properly adjust the tracks so i will start there. thanks
JNB do you know what the recommended oil for the final drive is? the unit did not come with a owners manual so i will be getting one.
The recommended oil for final drives is a synthetic 75W-140 gear oil meeting API GL-5 specification. I assume your machine Serial Number prefix is SSB. If that is the case the manual you need is Caterpillar publication reference SEBU8753. If you bought this machine used from a Cat dealer then it should have been supplied with an Operation & Maintenance Manual (OMM), even if there was not one in the cab when you inspected it.
If it were mine, I'd start by making sure that all of the sprocket sleeves were able to turn freely. If one or more is bound up I think it could heat everything up pretty fast. If any of the lugs are damaged there are replacement lugs for sale. That way you don't have to replace the track.
Thank you Nige. I did not buy from a cat dealer. I got it from a auction house. thank again.
The sleeves seem fine, none are bound up. What i did was change the final drive oil and tighten the tracks using the guide giving. Now i have a new issue. When i start it i am getting a flashing exclamation point with a alarm. This is weird as it was not doing this the last time in it, i change the the gear oil and tighten the tracks get back in it and now the flashing exclamation point before i even move it. Any idea about this? is there a sensor on the tracks if they are to tight or is there a sensor in the final drives about proper levels of gear oil, I would not think so but its worth asking. Thanks!
It certainly sounds like there is something off with your undercarriage. It almost sounds like it has the wrong tracks and they are binding on the squirrel cage due to the lugs not lining up properly. As far as the exclamation point, are all your fluids full? And as far as I know there is no warning for improper track tension, I hope you get her figured out but it sounds like you may be seeing the reasons it was at the auction...
No to both your questions. If there is an alarm up it's there for a reason. The exclamation point is the "Alert Indicator", if it starts flashing then usually another one of the 15 indicators in the panel should also be flashing. Is that happening to you..?
no other warnings or alarms. is there a way to see the codes? or do you have to take it to a Cat dealer and pay the big bucks? thanks
yes to the fluids as far as i can tell. Being at a auction house was the reason i made them have a certified Cat person check it out before i bought it, even though it was not actually in the auction.
is there a way they could have turned the alarm off long enough for it to go unnoticed by a buyer? Just seems weird that after two hours of use it doing it.
Again - no. Does your machine have Machine Security System installed..? Does it have a standard Cat (black) ignition key or an electronic (grey or yellow) key..? It may be that the MSS settings are what's preventing it firing up. If it was an ex-rental machine it may well have been prorammed not to come out to play outside "normal working hours". Even though you have the Action Alarm sounding does the machine start up and will the drive system and the hydraulics all move..?
it has a black key. It starts, drives operates fine, other than the other items i spoke of earlier in this thread, it just has the flashing exclamation.
OK, so it doesn't have MSS, or at least it doesnt appear to have. Is the flashing indicator accompanied by a beeping sound..? PM me your e-mail address. I can send you the procedure to identify any Diagnostic Codes using the Monitor Panel on the RH side of the cab.
Yes it beeps if i move the cat, as long as i'm sitting still it does not beep. Sorry new to this, how do you PM?
the code are 2685 - 8 and 2686 - 8. I read how to get to the codes and these two are all that came up when i scrolled down.
I'll dig into it when I get to work tomorrow and let you know. Received your pm BTW, so I have your email address to send the procedures to.
Sounds great. here is what i found, Left Drive Motor Sensor #1: & #2 Abnormal Frequency, Pulse Width, or Period. I wonder if changing the gear oil could be causing this. the oil that I removed was pretty thin almost runny compared to the new oil. Also, this is the side where I am getting the cage jumping the lugs. Thank for you help and i will wait to see what you come up with.
You have mail.