We have trouble in Europe with a CAT 966K engine , in fact for any reason the 345-7645 exhaust cooler broke inside , and the coolant went into the engine and blocked the engine and the exhaust pressure blown the 417-5127 engine coolant cooler . We have another 5 machines with the same engine and coolers , we would like to know if it is a common fault on those engines because we have some D6T's , 966K's , 972K with the same engine and we would want to know how to prevent such problems
I think so. Later Bob
how many HR's was on the machine when the problem's started I have a 972k with over a 1,000 hr's on it since middle of dec we will have to keep a watch on it
We had the problem at 3300 hours
We cuted the exhaust cooler the problem is electrolysis inside the cooler how can we troubleshoot this problem
Does the machine have an aluminium or brass/copper radiator..? Do you use ELC as coolant and do you have it analyzed frequently..? If you pull a sample of the coolant can you smell ammonia in it..?
Yes we use only ELC as coolant , we did'nt analyse the coolant and cat probably didn't do it at the 1000 hour service , I don't know the material of the radiator , doesn't look like copper
Try having a sample of coolant analyzed, the results may surprise you. Also do the "nose test" in the coolant. If you smell ammonia it will pretty well confirm it - for me anyway. The key is the radiator material, there are additives out there (from Cat and others) that need to be added to ELC when used in systems containing a significant amount of aluminium components. The most recent document on the subject was published less than 10 days ago. Here is the text ........ if you would like a copy of the document REHS7296 referred to below, please PM me with your e-mail address. Cat coolant conditioner is now being added at the factory on certain medium wheel loaders. The coolant conditioner helps to maintain the proper color, odor, and engine protection properties of the Extended Life Coolant (ELC). The required dose that is being added for all medium wheel loaders is 44 mL (1.5 oz). Reference Special Instruction, REHS7296, "Instructions for Use of Cat Coolant Conditioner for Aluminum Components" for more information on how and when to use this coolant conditioner. Adaptable To: The addition of coolant conditioner is adaptable to the following machines: •966K (S/N: TFS1-1094; PBG1-1097) •966K XE (S/N: NGX1-348) The addition of coolant conditioner is effective with the following machines: •966K (S/N: TFS1095-UP; PBG1098-UP) •966K XE (S/N: NGX349-UP) If the Cat dealer serviced it at 1000 hours I would be amazed if they had not taken a coolant sample for analysis, it's in the list of things to do for the 1000hr PM. Apart from that, the issue of ELC when in contact with aluminium is well known.
Thank you for your advice Nige , I we will put CAT coolant additiv and wire the cooler to the chassis. And do more coolant analysis on our K series , we have H series loaders with just ELC for 13000 hours with no problem at all
The H machines were not covered under the terms of the publication above. It was just K series. Must be something to do with the new emissions rating for the engines and DPF/regeneration, etc. Maybe the radiators are different in that the K contains more aluminium than the H..?
OK but i still not understand why they not fill the new machines with the right coolant at the factory , i don't believe cat does it to sell analysis and additiv
As usual the first machines got out into the field before the issue came up (customers doing Cat's development work AGAIN, why am I not surprised?). That's why the document says that the additive was already put into the cooling system at the factory from a certain Serial Number onwards, and all machines prior to that Serial Number can have it added in the field. Personally I would have the coolant analyzed for condition before putting the additive in the radiator. IMHO you need to know the condition of the coolant that's in there now, and change it if need be, before putting in the additive.
G'Day Paul Six The "K"s are just turning up here in Aus, how are your machines going all in all, as good as the mighty "H"s or better? We have had a great run out of the "H"s from 950 up to 980 in our area, the 980Hs going over 20,000 on original components. Hope the "K"s will follow this through.... cheers
Hi Fred , No other issues with our K series , we wait an answer from CAT to know how to troubleshoot this problem . Something sure you must analyse the coolant every 1000 hours , we use H series machines too , they are great. cheers
I'd pull coolant samples every 500 hours if it was me. That's what we do as a policy. ...........
G’Day Paul Six How did the 966K go performance wise compared to the 966H? reading the spec sheets it seems a bit confusing with FTSTL, how tippy do the “K” series seem compared to the Hs with similar size buckets. Did the operators pick up the stick steer pretty quick, how did they like it compared to the command control? The 966K that I looked at sure looked nice & was super quite to be around, but it was only on show at the dealer yard, what is this like in the real world. Sorry for all the questions but it is better to find out first-hand the advertising blurb. Cheers
Hi Fred The CAT 966K is as stable as the H , we use the same bucket as the H and there is no diffrence on stability , about the operators of course some were quicker to handle it and some little slower , but in a very short time everybody was very pleased with the joystick system , it is a super machine in the real world . About our issue about corrosion , only make sure the sub radiator is allways as full as possible , don't hesitate to analyse your coolant frequently . cat is now putting a valve between the sub radiator and the EGR cooler and the should be no more problem with the cooling system Cheers
The additional line Paul is talking about is arrowed in the attached illustration.