Hey guys I'm looking for a Cat ET for calibrating Cat engines and transmissions in a D5G dozer. Does anyone have a source for these.
You can buy it and the comm adapter from your dealer but it’s pricey
That's if your dealer will even sell it to you. Some dealers refuse to sell diagnostic software to "independents" as they are perceived to be "The Competition". IMHO that is a short-sighted policy but it is what it is. A lot depends on how well-respected one is at the local dealer. YMMV .........
That is very true about not wanting to share the diagnostic software, and I agree with you about their policies.
My local cat dealer would only let me have one if they could look at my books and sign a do not compete waiver. Diesel laptop has ET and comm adapter. You can also get cat sis through them as well.
Sorry if I broke the rules by indorsing another company. It just pisses me off that these dealers think they own the market. In my opinion a owner can have anyone he chooses to work on their equipment.
I found a connector setup on ebay for about 500 for industrial engines and I'm considering getting one. The truck and industrial engines are different as far as calibrations, serial numbers don't even match up between the two categories.
I bought a genuine one from ebay. Dont buy anything that is "new" for less than the $950 or what not they cost now. You can buy the end adapters from your cat dealer. Look up online, cat engine tools, and the pdf will com eup
CAT Comm Adapter III (part # 538-5051) now dealer cost $828.02 Includes Adapter 538-5051 CD for installing the drivers USB Cable (From device to your computer) J1939/J1708 Cable (from device to your truck) Hard Shell Case with foam inserts Works with other OEMs like Cummins Insite. License? Calibrations (flashing) require full dealer authority; your Cat dealer won't give you full-dealer-authority unless your spending $millions per year. Find a bootleg forever license source. @Mike , is Ted L still selling software via Facebook? Website loads, then nothing. Happens when people become to public.
Yes I believe he is. Probably doesnt need more backlog Pretty sure the cable that comes with the comm adapter isn't for trucks, you need the on highway 9 pin. That and the old school 6 pin adapter are about $200 when I bought them
I don’t need for truck engines.
They can have anyone who they want to work on their equipment ? Who is stopping them ? It’s just who is set up and equipped properly to do the job. People complain about dealer costs but do you think they get ET for free from Cat ? I get it’s pricy but again dealer or independent aren’t getting it for free.
Sorry I looked at the "cat engines"
I don’t expect anything for free. And I don’t have to tell you how much business I’m doing or who my customers are to use software that is not even owned by the dealer. If you’re afraid of the competition then be more competitive and hire someone who knows how to fix without the help of a laptop. I get a lot of business because they spent a lot of money with the dealers and their equipment still isn’t up and running.
I get that a true Cat mechanic only needs a 9/16”, 16mm and 18mm wrench to fix anything but times change. Let’s take a 980M with 8 plus computers on board. Or even a 10 year old 980H with 5 ECMs. These laptops that only inept dealer mechanics need are actually your best friend. This is why people come online looking for them. As long as the mind set of some mechanics doesn’t keep up with technology dealers shops will continue to be booked up.
I don’t have a problem with the technology. I have a problem with a dealer who thinks they own the market and the software. And most generally I use a laptop to see values upload files and to do calibrations. I don’t need one to tell me that the alternator is bad and how to remove it.
The worst is when the software itself is the source of the problem. And it takes countless inconvenient breakdowns and out-of-service time waiting for the dealer man to reflash it yet again. All with no hard parts changed.