A few weeks ago I start the machine up and pull it out to warm up and shortly after I smell electrical smoke, I get in the machine and there is some smoke in the cab. I shut it off but it still smoking, hurry up and undo the bolts holding the cab down to disconnect the battery. After everything settles I see that the starter relay broke off from its location and had fallen on the starter and had chafed thru the hot wire and shorted out causing the smoke. Being that the machine is dirty and oily I wash everything but nothing on the back of the cab where all the electrical connections are. I look at what all is involved to get to the wiring and repair it and go for it, drain the hydraulic oil and pull the tank to have enough space to get to the harness and repair it. I repair the starter relay harness and reconnect the battery and have sparks, after more investigation I find that the main hot wire from the battery to the starter had rubbed thru and was shorting out on the pump, I’m shocked that I didn’t have any previous issues! Order the cable from CAT, wait a few days and install it and decide to also put a master switch on the ground (not sure why the factory doesn’t install them since the battery is in a bad spot in case of an emergency). I get everything connected and everything is fine, turn on the machine and let it idle and warm up and it acts like it use to. Get in and test-drive it and after about 10 minutes the machine just dies. I try to start it back up but nothing, its completely dead and I have 6 side ways “T”s on the hour meter. Get out and lift cab up and disconnect battery and bypass newly installed master switch (tested switch and it works fine) and machine starts up and runs fine at idle. Get in and lower the armrest and suddenly the fuel gauge starts to act up, reads correctly than falls to empty and the orange “!” (first icon next to battery light) turns on, then it goes back to normal and keeps changing randomly. Shortly the red “!” Under the seat belt light comes on and starts beeping. I stop and as soon as the armrest are up everything stops and goes back to normal. Reading the owners manual the red “!” can be for coolant temp, and oil pressure. I look at the diagram on the cat website according to the VIN and it show the location for the oil pressure switch and coolant temp sensor, I have neither on my machine! I decide to get back in the machine and run it and see what it will do when being used, When stopped and armrest down the lights come on with the beeping, as soon as you start to drive and dig with the bucket the lights/beeping go out but the fuel gauge still randomly does its own thing. Sitting idle with armrest up no issues at all. I have a feeling its electrical related but have no idea what to look for since I don’t understand how the lights can come on for coolant temp/oil pressure if they aren’t on the machine? I only have the main screen and no 2nd screen to be able to look up codes. Any help would be appreciated. Machine info 297C GCP00819
Post a photo of what you have please. There may be a way to read Codes.
Unfortunately you have the only type of panel out of three options that it is impossible to read Codes from. Honestly your best bet at this point is to find someone with Cat ET (doesn't necessarily have to be a dealer) to hook up to the machine and read all the Active Codes. What you need is known as the Product Status Report. This is a pdf document with a full machine health report on it.
That's what I figured, any idea on why there isn't a coolant temp or oil pressure sensor on the engine per what the cat website shows? I don't understand how the light can be on for those warnings if there is no sensors on the engine, or am I missing something? I'm use to having sensors that can be unplugged and shorted out to confirm its the sensor or manual gauges to show the info, but I still don't see how the computer could read something if there is no sensor.
You are missing something. There are methods of detection for both engine oil pressure and also coolant temperature. The engine oil pressure is monitored by a Normally Open switch that closes with rising pressure. The switch is located on the cylinder block just above and to the left of the engine oil filter when viewed from that side of the engine. The coolant temp sensor #2 is located right next to the water temperature regulator housing.
That is the same location I saw on the cat website and didn't find anything for the oil pressure switch. I have a bolt in the same area where the switch should be? According to what I was looking at on the cat website there should be a temp sensor in the front of the head? I saw the 14-2 one and unplugged it and no change.
Do you have a branch of the engine wiring harness flopping around somewhere in that area.? It should be a single white wire. Look for something that has been grounded to the engine block or to the machine frame. That would provide the signal the electrical system is looking for to turn off the low oil pressure light. That is a bit different to saying that you couldn't find it on the machine. By the way the 2nd switch in your illustration above is nothing to do with the monitor panel. It is a coolant temperature switch that activates the cold start mode in the fuel injection system. The sensor ref #2 in Post #6 is the coolant temp sensor that provides a signal for the monitoring system. Do you want an electrical schematic.?
No wiring flopping around but if I remember correctly there are two individual wires that go somewhere around the fuel pump (white and red if I remember correctly). If by cold start mode you are referring to glow plugs, they work fine but I dont have that switch on the machine so not sure how that would work. I saw and was confused by 14-2 because on the cat website they call it "Low Temperature Sensor" that is why I was looking at the other switch that you mentioned that is for cold start mode. Either way it would be a lot simpler if cat just called it "coolant temp sensor" that would help a lot and not "Low Temperature Sensor". Yes an electrical schematic would be great.
Nope. I was talking about the the temperature-dependent switch that controls the operation of the advance mechanism on the fuel injection pump. Check your message inbox.
Thank you for the schematic and help. Will do more investigating and post back how things go. Is it possible to swap to a newer or different screen panel with more info since the one I have doesn't show much or can't read codes? If possible and going with a used one from another machine, would it require programing to set everything up and to correct the hours? Reason I ask is because I see all kinds of used panels for sale online all different part numbers some from "C" machines and many from "D" machines but not sure if it would be plug and play.
Let me have a look around and get back to you. From memory the Advanced Display panel retrofit for C and D models use different Part Numbers of panel but I need to confirm. Actually thinking about it you could possibly also upgrade to the intermediate type panel that allows Codes to be accessed but withot the all-singing all-dancing capability of the Advanced Display. I'm talking about something like this..........
Another question. Can you confirm that the monitor panel shown in Post #3 is on the LH side of the machine and that the same area on the RH side is simply a blank panel.? Another thought regarding the AWOL engine oil pressure switch. In addition to going looking for the wire that someone must have re-routed and connected to machine frame ground in order to simulate a "good oil pressure" signal to the monitor I think it might be an idea to remove that bolt/plug you mentioned, confirm that it is actually a main oil gallery, then temporarily plumb in a known good pressure gauge to that point and actually make sure the engine is developing adequate oil pressure. When I hear of warning systems being bypassed like that it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Correct, panel in post 3 is on LH side and RH side is blank. I was going to do that with a manual gauge to confirm pressure. I agree with you 100% when is comes to bypassing sensors, they are there for a reason.
I assume the part #'s dont matter for the intermediate type panel?
The intermediate type panel shown in the illustration in Post #12 even has a set of installation instructions. See attached. The panel itself is Part Number 264-8861. There is also an updated Part Number of 346-6336. After installation the panel will require activating using Cat ET.
Ok, I will be on the lookout for those part #'s. Naturally there are a lot of newer ones that I find online for sale. Can't ever be that easy, just my luck I guess.
It might pay you to enquire about the price of the kit from Cat (the P/N is in the title) and while you’re there ask them if they can look in the used parts system to see if there is anything available. You never know.
Glanced over everything again today, and couldn't find the wire for the oil pressure switch anywhere. I did see a red and yellowish wire that has a inline fuse going to the fuel pump. Those 2 wires are not in the "factory" type wire loom so that makes me belive that somebody did something. Have to pull the air filter assembly go get more room to trace the harness. On a side note, the hours came back but on ocasion the hour glass that flashes was missing. I don't ever remember not seeing the hour glass when the machine is running, any idea what would cause that?
Well after removing the air filter assembly to get more acess to search for the possibly rerouted Wire for the oil pressure switch, I came up with nothing. Decide to look at the driver side with the starter and would you know it, the oil pressure switch is right there. From what I can see it looks to be the factory harness. Unplug it and no warning light comes on, makes no sense to me. My question is how does cat show it by the oil filter housing and this is on the opposite side? Maybe somebody changed the motor and harness? Either way its connected and the wire isnt just grounded. Need to test the sensor with an ohmmeter and see if its bad or maybe its a computer issue.
In the trade it’s known as a Cat design feature -designed to **** you up. Remember that according to the schematic it is a switch, not a sensor. Try disconnecting it with the engine running.