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CAT 953D Track Loader Transmission

montanastate33 ยท 2010-03-31 09:44

We have a CAT 953D Track Loader. Yesterday a guy was running it and backed into a stump. It must have triggered something in the transmission, because now the machine won't move. The track acts like it is about to go forward then stops. We unplugged the battery hoping it would reset something in there, but it did not. (I have done that before in a John Deere tractor) I called the CAT dealer yesterday, and they said it is most likely the transmission got out of calibration. So they would have to come out and recalibrate (reset) the transmission. (pretty pricey) Has anyone else ever had a problem like this? Has anyone been able to fix it on their own? Thanks.

Replies18
  1. #1ih1002010-03-31 10:47

    Bit difficult to diagnose, this one, but before spending money with the Cat Main Stealers, have a quick look under the cab and make sure there's nothing obvious, like a connector dropped out of either of the hystat pumps or the drive motors - there are electrical connections to both motors. Has the underbody guard been knocked up and chopped the wiring? It's very unlikely that an impact has knocked the hystat out of cal, and if it is out of cal it would result in not tracking straight or poor response rather than outright lack of drive. I don't know what you've been quoted for recalibration, but it's a 15-minute job with the tracks off the floor and a laptop, so don't get robbed.

  2. #2Burnout2010-03-31 14:48

    You'd have to hit something pretty effin hard to mess up the hydrostat on a 53. How's the stump pan look underneath. Oh and my final question...... buddy still have a job? For resetting the hystat, I don't know if it resets the entire system or not, but I have done it on my 73 plenty of times. PM me and I can give you the in the field run down on it.

  3. #3Lee-online2010-03-31 17:20

    If the ecm is stopping the machine from moving then there will be an active code. Do you have the serv code on the dash? Does the bucket work? I assume the park brake is off and the operator present switch is off when in the seat and the arm rest is down. Is it making any noise.

  4. #4montanastate332010-03-31 22:48

    THanks all for your replies. The active code is 02-258 The bucket does work. It makes an alert noise whenever we try to move forward.

  5. #5montanastate332010-03-31 22:54

    We are pulling the belly pan off tomorrow. It is banged up pretty good. I will tell you what we find under there & we will go from there. My guess is there is some chopped wires or something (like ih100 was saying).

  6. #6Lee-online2010-04-01 22:14

    Code, 02 means that the ECM has determined that the data is erratic, intermittent, or incorrect. 258 is not listed as a code for this machine. If the pans are bent up they still should not hit the harness. The speed sensors and solenoids on the drive motors are toward the top and should be protected. If you don't see anything obvious when you drop the pans then recheck the code. This will pinpoint the problem.

  7. #7jawly2010-04-03 06:28

    is the stump ok

  8. #8tctractors2010-04-06 15:21

    Is there a Brake Pipe to damage within the Stump Bump??? tctractors

  9. #9Lee-online2010-04-09 22:23

    Did you ever get this fixed? I am working on a 963D, it has a drive issue.

  10. #10ih1002010-04-10 07:08

    Did you take the cab right off, or did it tip far enough? I changed the implement pump on one a bit back and did it through the cab floor. Bit smaller lump, I know. What problem were you having with the drive?

  11. #11Lee-online2010-04-10 08:20

    It is really easy to tilt the cab and only a matter of removing the pins, ground strap, heater and AC hoses to remove it. I removed it because i have the hyd tank, main valve and cylinders all off. A drive motor failed and contaminated the whole system with metal so its getting everything repaired and cleaned. The bottom pic it standing under the loader arms looking through where the tank and valve should be.

  12. #12ih1002010-04-10 09:25

    How many hours did the failure occur at? And have you any idea why? Certainly you've got your hands full with that one. Out of curiosity, could you have removed the whole pump group with the cab tilted? I guess it would have meant parting the fan and implement pumps from the hystat pumps.

  13. #13Lee-online2010-04-10 13:30

    3000hrs, The pivot pin ball chipped and wore in the right side drive motor. this made metal that wiped out the bearings that sent metal through the system into the tank. The tank only has 70 micron suction screens so metal went everywhere. As for the cab, tilting it to 45deg is simple and allows room to get in there to do minor work. flipping it 90deg like the B models only requires disconnecting the AC and heater hoses. Normally i would do this but i wanted room to work up front in the tank and main valve and didn't want to flip it up and down all the time so it is just a matter of removing the two front pins and lifting the cab off. Removing the cab only take 30 minutes so it is a no brainer to remove it. Removing the pump stack can be done with the cab tipped 90 but the fan pump needs to come off because the main valve gets in the way. Since i need to go through the valve that came out first along with the tank. The fan pump is under the valve and makes the stack just a little too long to clear it. In fact it would be easier to remove the fan and imp pump together.

  14. #14ih1002010-04-11 04:18

    Thanks for that - I may be facing this one myself.

  15. #15ih1002010-05-04 16:22

    Montana - we never did hear if you resolved this one. How's the repair going?

  16. #16BCOWANWHEELS2015-01-17 18:36

    seems like theres a ton of 953 D,S for sale about 1/2 as many c,s and hardly any b,s. is this a sign that the D,s arnt panning out for cat to there customer base ?

  17. #17Dickjr.2015-01-18 00:26

    I've noticed there are some D's for sale at what compared to cost new is relatively cheap. I seen one with 2500 hrs for about 140 grand , which is more than I could afford but still about half of new. I always thought the earlier C models were pretty dependable up till I guess the D came out. Is the D that much different?

  18. #18BCOWANWHEELS2015-01-18 16:46

    IMO the d is totally electric/hydrolicly controled plus its tier3 which means alot of epa stuff at a tremendous cost to machine owner.