Anyone here have a problem with a Cat 320 overheating? Its not the radiator or waterpump thats all new. I was wondering if it was a consistent problem with anyone?
air in the system ?:beatsme
Our Kobelco 70SR's overheat alarm kept going off and the light would come on. The machine never actually was overheating, just a stupid little $40 sensor needed replacement. Any chance yours could be so simple? hope so, good luck
i know its not the sensor because the first time it happened i said "oh maybe thats what it is." But it wasn't. I bought the machine brand new from Cat. I had them out a million times to figure it out they did the radiator, water pump, airfilters are clean and then when it went out of warranty and it still wasn't fixed it was my problem. I was thinking about trading it in, but it heats up so fast. I have a weird feeling its the head gasket and I don't like that feeling at all.
may sound dumb but check all the feul line make sure there not kinked. make sure the return line is following free.
The problem pre-dated your warranty expiry and wasn't adequatley adressed therefore Cat must fix it....if the dealer gives you the brush off then go over their heads.
Does you machine have mesh screens infront of the raidator? check to see if they are clean. My John Deere 160Clc has to be cleaned everytime a do a demo because it clogs up.
With the engine running, remove the radiator cap. If it's a head gasket problem you will get bubbles in the water. How many hours are on the machine? A weak hydraulic pump will create heat and this can cause engine overheating.(The hydraulic cooler is in front of the radiator, thus transfering the heat to the engine) Many excavators have check valves in the cooler circuit lines, if one of these sticks you will get overheating. I've found that many heating problems in excavators are caused by hydraulic problems.
you have an air restriction? clogged filter? rubber hose where inner ply has sucked shut? if that doesn't work, trade it in for a 210 hyundai or kobelco. no more problems
Sounds like someone hates CATS
i don't hate cat equipment, i've just run them all....and in my opinion, cat equipment doesn't dollar out in ownership value, or production. were you to take a new 320 cat, 210 kobelco, hitachi, 200 deere, 210 hyundai, all set at factory specs. consider initial purchase price, overall maintenance costs, production rates, resale value after 10k hours, cat will lose. cat, no longer in the excavator market, can say they have it cornered.
mflah87, In my experience a head gasket will get progressively worse until the problem is obvious with severe coolant overpressurization, coolant loss etc. so hopefully it could be something less serious and here's a few comments and suggestions in no specific order... An infra-red heat gun is great for checking for hot spots confirming overheat condition (when the warning is operating shoot the heat soaked metal around the sensor) and they are very affordable now. You can pin point surface temperatures in the upper and lower tank and thermostat housing very easily. There should be a distinct difference in temp between the coolant going in and the coolant being recirculated back into the engine at the bottom hose - Cat can tell you what the differential should be. Check the routing of the heater hoses and bypasses to ensure that they are routed and connected properly. Is the overheating related to local ambient temperature - overheats in Summer, Ok in Winter? Does it overheat when under heavier load cycles, heavy digging and baling etc or just under normal load? How fast does it cool down when overheat occurs by removing the load and running at fast idle? Does the hydraulic system get hot as well - the hyd pump inlet oil temperature should be around 55 to 60 degrees celsius when checked with the heat gun. If you can elaborate more on the history of the machine, which type of 320 is it, is it modified in any way, how many hours, exactly when it started and hours today. In the past I've known a couple of machines that will mysteriously run cool or overheat, on excavators, airflow is critical, hopefully the fan is the right one and is facing the right way - pushing or pulling as designed. There are rubber and foam strips that will control airflow to move the air to the right places, some will be attached to the hood maybe and can fall off - overlook none of them because they can cause trouble. Hopefully coolant is no more than 50% glycol, don't overlook this as too high a concentration can result in overheating. Another rogue for engines heating up is fuel timing, hopefully your dealer will have spill timed the engine to ensure its set up properly. Hydraulic pump settings will cause problems too. Over relief or in compound operations, the engine will lug down (droop) to a specified speed, Cat should have checked this to ensure that the hydraulic system is absorbing as much as the HP and torque as the engine is designed to produce in that excavator. If the engine pulls down towards stall, it may be trying to overload the engine. Try and let us know more and you may trigger a cause of failure or maybe someone here really does know a thing or two about Cat's
It overheated this winter at 15 degrees. I bought the machine 7 years ago and I parked it and used it strictly for demo which I don't do to much. But I had a demo job this winter to use it on and I got so aggravated with it. I know all the screens are clean and everything so I'm thinking its the hydraulic cooler. I might trade it in for a John Deere 240. I can't make any money with the machin ebecause I have to stop, shut it off let it cool down then start working again. Such a pain in the neck. Its a 320 BL with 6000 hours on it. I havent done anything, but install a grapple. I have a mechanic coming out to look at it tomorrow I'll let you know.
What series 320? The Cat C's and D's use a stacked cooler design so the hydraulic oil cooler, charge air cooler and radiator are actually three deep. As air moves through the coolers, it gets progressively hotter. In addition, there's two screens to remove to clean the coolers. I would venture a guess that if you've eliminated everything else, those coolers are clogged. The C-series should have a swing-out oil cooler to get access to the secondary screen and radiator. It is not odd to find a bunch of debris lodged behind the swing-out oil cooler and radiator. GOOD LUCK!
Sorry. Missed that you said it was a B-Series:Banghead
you've totally eliminated the possibility of a combustion air intake restriction? filters, screens, intake tubes, collapsed inner plies on hoses, etc etc.
Could the radiator be clogged inside? Hard water deposits will do that. One trick I've used for years is adding some liquid Calgon water softener to the cooling system. It is a water softener which breaks up hard water deposits without harming any of the gaskets, o rings or aluminum cores and pumps. One or two bottles in the system and run it for a week or two. Calgon wont harm anything so you could go longer if needed. After a few days, you will notice the coolant looking dirty. Thats OK. The Calgon is doing what its supposed to to.... break up all the crud inside the core and block. When you cant stand it anymore, drain the system, flush, refill, run, drain again, change thermostat(s) and fill with fresh coolant. Your heating problems should be fixed and your radiator will now smell nice and fresh.
The mechanic came out with baddddd news. The hydraulic cooler needs to be replaced AND when we overheated it we blew the headgasket. So I'm going to fix it up use it for another year and trade it in. I have a big building to tear down in a few months. Once I'm done with that if I have no more demo I'll trade itin for John Deere and give them a try. Anyone run a John Deere 240? And thanks for all your help to bad it wasn't sometihng stupid.
My friend i have Cat 320D its overheating ,Hydraulic and Coolant system i have been checked Radiator,and Fan belt all are OK but machine still overheating any one please with experienced same problem can assist me .our weather is about 42C temperature
Replace the variable speed fan Later Bob
320D Excavator Thanks for quick responding . Bob you mean Fan clutch assemble? together with Fan sensor ...or what
Please Give last result Was problem solved and actual what was an issue i have same issue in same machine i want use your experience
The clutch assem with solenoid. Later Bob
I took out clutch ass locked manual send machine for work after three hour overheat to 70 % our area temperature is about 55-65 Degrees and machine work as lock breaker . now i want take out Hydraulic oil cooler check strainer if clogs,i have removed water regulator but still overheating,last month was replaced Fuel nose injector
How did you lock the clutch up? Later Bob
Why did you remove the water temperature regulator? It needs to be installed, otherwise the water will go the easiest way and that through the bypass and NOT the radiator.
Its was for testing but after that replaced back no improvements still overheat hydraulic go to 80 and water cooling temperature go to 70. I get news that overheating problem start immediately after replacing Fuel injector can you think about it.
hi all problem was solved after removing Hydraulic oil cooler found two relief valve was clogged cleaned and replace back to machine.now working good.
I have a b series 320 another common problem with overheating is if any of the foam inserts between coolers between counter weight and the piece on engine hood...if any is missing you will loose airflow through coolers
Hi, Please assist me i have an issues with three excavator Fixed with C6.4 Engine not starting before we have fixed new injectors due to fuel contamination on site,but after that we manage run smoothly only 2 weeks ,after that starting become an issues .when stop engine not starting again we have checked fuel system all is fine we replace new filter,clean fuel system,test injectors selonide or click ok,Test cylinder cut out all show ok but have hard start. Please assist me with you technical. Model 320D S/N MGG01080 Engine C6.4 Regards Eddy If you'd like to unsubscribe and stop receiving these emails
check how much fuel leak off you have from the injectors, if I remember correctly it should be no more than 38cc during 30 seconds cranking.
As long as the engine runs fine during operation but it's hard to start it's always a good idea to check the timing sensors on the fuel injection pump and on the engine flywheel using ET, just double check the speed timing during cranking, if it's reading "0" while cranking that's your problem... also pay attention to fuel pressure ratings while cranking as well...
320C : (s/n#: SBN01650), Previous Problem: Overheating: Repairs made: Changed head gasket, one broke valve spring and readjusted valve clearance (Please note repairs were carried out due to supervisor's instructions, he didn't bother to get head tested, new set valve springs, had radiator checked, had blocked checked, lots of engine oil were already in cooling system from previous overheating, had us just cycled some de-greaser to help flush, ) it was a one day job to get the excavator out since they were desperate for it to work... Present Problem: Coolant throws out from radiator after engine idle for only 10 mins. Rear Head reads 104 degrees Celsius, Front head reads 95 degrees, radiator reads 100 degrees at top hose, 90 degrees below hose, injectors good, timing good, hydraulics good, before the radiator boiled over coolant level dropped quickly, but no leaks were seen any where around all coolant hoses and radiator. Just posting to pick your thoughts...