since repairing the charging problem, and tracing most of the wiring to inspect for general condition and connection quality (which, other than one wire cut due to wear which i repaired, all seemed fine), i now have an alarm behind console that won't stop screaming at me. wiring is in great condition on machine in general. no warning lights come on console. machine runs great. Bowen.... i disconnected the sensor wire as you said, cleaned contacts, and checked guage on console, it did drop to low end with sensor wire removed. i also tested this sensor wire for continuity, and it is unbroken. when i put the wire back on the sensor again the needle on the guage stayed at the bottom which seems better now, but the alarm won't stop. when starting first thing in morning the alarm comes on when ignition is turned ON, and goes off immediately once machine is running. it's only after operating that the alarm starts screaming again. i get maybe a minute of no alarm, and then it won't stop. doesn't seem to matter what operation is being done after that the alarm won't stop until machine is stopped, and presumably cooled that it goes off again. i tested the sensor's resistance as per Bowen's suggestion, and on a totally cold machine it read 47.2 on multimeter (my multimeter has only one resistance setting which is 400 ohms). not sure what 47.2 means, but that's the reading. Bowen you said if it read 5000 it should be fine. not sure what i've got going on, but those are the numbers. i'm very nervous about operating machine while alarm is going, besides it's very annoying... it really does it's job!! the sensor i found (there are about five or six obvious ones under machine in middle section) is in-line of cooling hose that runs from rear transaxel to radiator. i assume this is the one for the oil temp. besides when i disconnected it the guage needle dropped to low end from being rammed all the way to the top before. i checked the dip stick under the floor mat in cab between foot pedals for hoe swing, it's full for sure, the oil looks a bit dirty. what do i do? thanks
There should be 2 engine temp sensors located at the front of the cylinder head, near where the top radiator hose is attatached. One has screw on terminal (temp gauge) other a push on terminal (alarm switch). Hopefully the push on terminal is still attached - disconnect it & see what happens - 5 will get you 10......
okay, thanks alrman. there are plug in and screw termials all over the place on that machine!! so much to learn...it's great... at least to me... my wife would likely disagree, haha!? any chance you'd have a photo or schematic of these temp sensor locations so i can narrow down which two you refer to? would it be advisable or safe to run machine with alarm screaming away, and go around disconnecting plug in wires around engine area to see if one makes alarm stop? i'm totally stoked to get back to work with machine, but am very reluctant to run it too much with some undiagnosed problem which may make things worse leading to some very expensive problem that would have been avoidable had i not run the machine. at the same time it's crazy to not work if the problem is a small one that won't lead to a more major break down, but how to know!? as i was checking general wiring condition i noted no obvious connections that were missing, unplugged, damaged or whatever. it is easy to see what is there and obvious, but really hard to know what is missing unless one knows what should and should not be there.... which, as of now, i do not!! i did notice one wire in a bundle that got completely cut due to friction (vibration wear) which i repaired no problem (didn't change behavious of alarm before or after repair so seems unrelated). the broken wire (repaired now) connected to a disc-like object on the LHS of the engine near the top with two wires on it (it seemed to me to be some kind of air sensor if i had to guess). if it were a car, i'd say the disc like thing was on the rock-arm cover, and i assume the sensor was picking up some condition of the 'air' inside? like a pcv valve almost?
You need to find the correct parts diagram for your machine. You will need the model and serial number. This will show all the sensors. Some info will be in the electrical section and some in other areas. Looking for the parts is not totally easy unless you know the name to search for, but it's all there someplace in the parts pages. To see an actual wiring diagram you need a service manual. Sounds like you may also need a better multimeter. You may have to look not only for a broken wire, but also a "shorted" wire. Several sensors work to simply "short" or "ground" the single connection to the frame. I did send you a private message with a link. And whatever alrman advises to do,.... DO IT!
haha, thanks bowen, alrman is a beauty isn't he, i'll take his advise without fail!! i got your private message, thanks. i will definately get a service manual soon. probably some sort of copy from the state-side somewhere. my multimeter is for residential wiring really. it's a good one, but maybe not calibrated for use on 12V circuitry? is there one that you'd recommend for the hoe? i'll check in an electronics shop today and see what they say. keep firing alrman, and since i can't buy you a beer except a virtual one which doesn't quench thirst too well... you should at least know your support is very much appreciated indeed!! it's a good bit of fun too, isn't it. sounds like i need to keep removing sensor leads until i notice something happen with the alram. do i do this with machine running? i must have to or alarm won't be in alert mode to hear if it changes. i wondered if something might be harmed if things are disconnected while running. the alarm must relate to only a few particular sensors i would guess, and they must be related to the warning lights on console. i wonder why console lights don't light when alarm is going off. seems odd doesn't it or is that how it is? i have a naive hope it means something relatively minor. if nothing happens after removing the sensor leads as alrman suggests and possibly a couple of others is it possible there is something wrong with the alarm itself, like maybe it's shorted or some such? is there such thing as a mobile fluids and filter change service whereby a guy will come around and take old fluid with him after changing all on site for some fee? the volume of fluid in these things is huge caroline, huge!
I don't know what alarms were available on yours. I THINK you have a 580K. On the 580SE you could get a PARKING BRAKE alarm, plus a REVERSE alarm. Could it be either of these? Also could you have a bad warning lamp?
i do have a 580K, and i've ordered a service manual which is on the way from the US somewhere. can't wait to get it. hope the learning curve to use it isn't too steep. i wondered if the alarm could be related to the parking brake because i never use it!! i was warned by the guy i bought it from that the parking brake was not a good idea to use because he was told it wraps around the drive and can get locked onto it which is a big deal to fix. that sounds odd to me, and i'm not sure i believe it. i have been very reluctant to use the parking brake because of this. the parking break would be a kind of friction disc set up wouldn't it? is there really a risk of it locking in the parked position? if no, then i can more easily test it to see if it's the source of the alarm. the lamps in the console were all tested and are good. no alarm sounds when reversing, but it may have been disabled before i owned it? not sure where that alarm would be located. sounds like this alarm thing may be hard to trace. i'll fiddle around following alrman and bowen's advise and see what i can figure.
I'm not sure this is the correct parts diagram, but if so the alarm switch shows as item #20 up on the top lever. You got any wires up there? The parking brake was optional on the 580K.
looks the same as in my 580K. haven't looked at that as the source for the alarm yet, but i will. switch looks to be accessable from the cab, under the rubber boot. or is it underneath? the lever is always in the down position, and i've never engaged it before!! if engaged, and the machine is put in gear, the alarm would sound right? since it's always screamin at me the switch may be stuck, broken, or not connected at all. should i worry about engaging the parking break? can it cease as i was told? i've heard of cables ceasing, and springs breaking, but not internal parts ceasing. that's a weird thing to worry about isn't it? i'm going to check the sensor alrman suggested (engine temp) and this parking brake alarm. going to buy an ohm meter today to test that sensor i couldn't properly before with the multi-meter i used. is there a list of resistances for each sensor in the machine somewhere. would the service manual list them?
turns out the console alarm warns of high engine temp, low engine oil pressure, and parking brake being on when in gear. i checked both engine sensors (as per alrman's suggestion), and they seemed fine.... continuity of wire and good ground etc... then i looked into the parking brake switch. it was/is identical to the diagram posted by bowen. then i pushed the lever all the way down!!!! okay, i have to admit, as embarassing as it is..... that was the source of the alarm. the parking brake was partially enaged, not enough to actually apply the brake, but enough that the switch was activated causing the warning buzzer to sound. i was pretty busy with other things this weekend so i didn't have a chance to run the machine a lot which means the alarm could sound again if something more than the parking brake is wrong, but it seems to me the mystery has been solved. thanks to all for the help. now i'm all obsessed with getting all wiring working just as is was supposed to originally. i don't think there is a lot to do to get there, but i did notice the reverse alarm doesn't sound when backing up. maybe i'll get over that as there seem to be many other things on the 'to do' list that should take priority.
the console alarm rears it's ugly head again!!! i think the parking brake was 'on' a bit, and was part of the alarm sounding, but.... i was running the machine this weekend, and the alarm started again. i checked the parking brake and it was fine. i located the two sensors as you described alrman and pulled the plug terminal off and the alarm stopped. i cleaned it up a bit, and put it on again, and the alarm sounded again. so, it's definately the push on termial as you suggested it might be. what does this mean? either the engine is running hot, or the sensor is shot? one sounds bad, the other not so bad. what do i do from here? replacing the sensor is pretty easy probably, but if the sensor is fine... i'm afraid to ask what's next.
Was the engine temp gauge at the dash working? Was the coolant level full? Was the coolant boiling/ steaming? If all looked OK - the sensor should be replaced. Looks like I got me some more winnings
goin' out to check some things over i guess... i'll be back. thanks alrman. them winnin's is sweet as pie!
If you have narrowed it down to a water temp sensor it should be easy to troubleshoot when first cranked. You might need to flush the radiator to be sure the system is all clean with no serious crud blocking fluid flow. Then no trash in front blocking the actual air flow. Then I would wonder about the thermostat not opening properly. If the thermostat is stuck closed I do not know how long it would need to run to overheat, but I would suspect several minutes. Might depend on the ambient temp there and the working condition. Someone may correct me, but if it alarms only after 30 minutes of slight work on the engine it could be the thermostat with the sensor being OK. If this sensor is like I think it grounds the wire, With the wire disconnected and the engine COLD, check resistance from the wire connection point to frame ground. This should be an open circuit when cold. You don't need a $300 meter, but I am not a fan of $20 meters. Get one in the $40 range at least. $100 even better. I use a Fluke 77 which is not super expensive but very reliable.:cool2 They no longer offer the 77 but many other choices. Home Depot has some decent meters. http://www.myflukestore.com/g40/electrical.php?gclid=CNelpdOqpbACFcleTAodtDKtYA If the sensor is bad you may read someting strange like 200 ohms or whatever. (Not shorted but also not open) If the sensor checks good then you have to look at the actual wire to see if the partial ground condition might be in the wiring harness. But you have stated that with the wire off the alarm stops so this should mean the wiring is OK. When cold a thermostat is mostly closed with only a very small amount of water flowing thru the engine. Then as it warms up the T/S is supposed to open up to allow water flow for cooling. And I would surely NOT run the thing long without knowing the sensor is the issue. If Alrman disagrees with me, do what HE says...
alright.... i'm going to make sure the circuitry for the sensor and gauge are good. i'm pretty sure it's okay, but need to be 100%. the alarm definately stops and starts with the plugging and unplugging of the sensor wire. i took it on and off about six times to be sure. despite past threads about wiring problems the wiring is original and in good repair on the machine overall, just need to fix some small stuff done by others who don't seem to worry as much about this stuff as us here on HEF. here's the rest of the goods.... never had any kind of boiling or steaming from radiator, and no obvious signs of overheating or even running hot. before the wiring was corrected when the alarm was not connected (am i a poet?).... of course, i didn't know anything was a problem at all. i happily ran the machine like an idiot all day working it and driving around to charge the batteries that kept going dead (machine starts really strong now). nothing ever caused me to have concern about engine temp or other. it ran and worked fine other than the charging issue. interestingly, bowen, this was all this past winter (my first winter with the machine). so it was cold out. i have to plug in the block heater to start it on cold days which works great. we almost had no winter this year so it wasn't cold by normal winter standards, but it was at or below freezing most of the time, and i wasn't working the machine hard due to frozen ground. mostly driving collecting fire wood in the bucket (or scoop as my wife calls it :beatsme, we're not serving ice cream i tell her. she says what about when you're plowing snow? haha, she's hilarious eh?! she's actually a pretty good operator!!). since fixing the charging problem, and some other goofy, but not too difficult wiring problems that alarm has been going ever since. i suspect some previous owner disconnected the alarm as a solution to it's noise!! if one can believe that idea?! the reversing alarm is not working either. i suspect that was disconnected for same reason. previous owenr must have really hated alarm sounds i guess? anyway, the coolant level was good early last year (maybe 18 months ago). i've never seen coolant leaking out, steaming or anything else like that. i haven't checked it in a while, so the coolant could be low, i'll have to check again. the engine temp gauge in cab doesn't really seem to move. it sits low and stays there. i thought it was just running nice and cool, but since working on wiring i've been suspicious about whether the gauge is working properly or not. i have four guages: 1. battery, 2. fuel, 3. engine temp, 4. oil pressure. first two work normally, third and fourth don't move around too much. i've looked in the handy dandy service manual... which is full of good stuff, but without the guidance of what to look for and how etc... from all of you smart people out there it would be a huge time commitment to source probelms and even know where to start looking so.... :notworthy:notworthy:notworthy.... bow to superior knowledge!!! the temp sensor does ground to the engine. the plug in wire goes to the alram harness behind instrument cluster in cab. (how about that alrman!!! i know what a harness is now.. really well!!). this is all starting to make sense. i'll get a new ohm meter so i'll check sensor and report back what it reads. what would a good reading be for the sensor? i've been reluctant to run the machine for long other than to check operation after repairs which came at the advise of bowen. since getting the alarm to stop crying after the parking brake 'repair' (right alrman, that's what we're calling it!!) i finally worked the machine pulling some stumps last weekend. you're right, bowen, the alarm started after about, umm, it must have been just under an hour. it was hot out too, maybe 30 C. so i stopped working the hoe, and used the tractor to bush hog stuff. there's always lots to do. the service manual shows pretty clearly how to change coolant, flush system, change pump, thermostat, all kinds of good stuff. it doesn't seem too difficult with everything pretty easy to access. only a few bolts here and there to remove and replace. getting rid of the used fluid is a problem. what does one like me do with buckets full of old fluids? i know in the old days they would just be dumped on the ground to keep dust down etc..., but i'm not doing that. i guess i take the buckets to some local mechanic and beg or pay him to take the stuff or is that an eye-roller? not sure how quick i'll get this figured out, but i'll update as i know more. thanks again for advice, guidance, and all the good support HEF folks. you guys are awsome!!!
Between bowen & adolphous ......... my head hurts :dizzy Over here people can take old oil (in small quantities - 20lt) to the local rubbish tip - they have an oil collection/ recycling service.
Maybe I should stay out of this because I may offer confusion. If it's the sensor for the guage this will be a variable resistor. (Resistance varies to ground based on the temperature) Does it have 2 sensors for the water temp alrman? What about shorting one or both of the wires to ground to see if the temp gauge goes up maybe. On my 580SE the reverse alarm was optional and used a different sounding alarm. I don't have one so I don't know if it beeps or what. If then you restart it cold is the alarm then off for a bit? If so, my best guess is a stuck thermostat, but that's only a guess. Alrman knows best and has been known to advise me to shut up and read more...
Ha! good stuff bowen... don't ever stifle yourself i say:thumbsup! if i restart cold, yes the alarm is off for a while. if i stop and restart after 5 or 10 min only it keeps sounding. these are good leads i need to chase down first the easy and obvious stuff like coolant level, testing sensors etc... where should i expect the needles of the two gauges (oil press and eng temp) to sit normally? is it that they climb as machine runs to sit in middle area during normal operation? alrman said the screw terminal was for the temp gauge, and the plug for the alarm sensor. i need to check both of these for function as open circuits when cold. right? where's oil press sensor to be found? thank ye!
adolphous down here canadian tire takes waste oil and coolant .check local trucking firms the big one's usualy heat with waste oil.trevor
thanks trevor, i'll look into that. bowen, alrman.... i made an error above, saying oil pressure gauge.... wrong:duh!! they're both temp gauges for oil and water. so i should have asked where oil temp gauge is found. making alrman's head spin again!! sorry man! you love it rofessor!
Please refer to this thread, some guy in Ontario has recently asked the same question - Must be 'something' in the water there??? ....... Groundhog Day?........ :drinkup
looks like i screwed that question up for a third time.... is that a record? thanks for being so... kind... alrman. with your wicked sense of humour.... you could have slayed me much worse i know. you held back didn't you? don't worry i'm pretty thick skinned. fire away when i deserve it, others will laugh, me too. okay, so, other than having some fun at my expense.... what's the answer to the question i don't seem to be able to ask in any kind of sensible way. you can't be expected to answer a question if it isn't asked sensibly. ask a good question, get a good answer!!! ask a stupid question..... we all know the answer to that! i should have asked.... where the oil temp sender/sensor is found. duh!! the gauge is in the friggin cab. i'm doing my best here, kind of. what's going on!? i'm losing my mind or something. way too much going on. i need a break.
wow!! this is getting silly. ya, something in the water... let's go with that as it's easier than admitting to being an idiot sometimes i should start a new thread... how to ask stupid questions, over and over again. even took me a minute to figure out why you sent me to my own thread alrman!! i shouldn't admit that should i? i can't even bear putting the hammer yourself on the head icon up for this one as it seems to be having an effect in real life. my head hurts now too alrman. for some reason that last posting went through... it wasn't supposed to. i figured out how dumb i am and tried to change my reply, but it appears my computer wants you all to know what an idiot i can be. ha! the world needs people like me to make everyone else feel better about themselves cause no one is dumber than i am. my pleasure folks!!! no worries.
Adolphous, this is quoted from your other thread....... I am used to explaining things repatedly, not usually to the same person.......
service manual says, warning buzzer sounds when there is low engine oil pressure, high engine temp., or parking brake is applies and the transmission is not in neutral. low oil pressure? we know now about my parking brake embarassment, and now the engine temp (which may be as simple as topping up coolant level... oh boy!!), but low engine oil pressure could be setting alarm off too. how do i look into that? i hope i've not asked another dumb question. i'm really nervous now. the manual is vague as to exact locations of 'switches' (as it calls them). service manual says engine temp switch is on same circuit as an 'auxiliary hydraulic oil temp switch' does that mean some may have this some may not? engine oil press switch seems to be it's own circuit, and is vague as to where this switch is located on engine. i'm upgrading computer system right now so things are a bit goofy as we swap files and try to get everything working again, but as soon as it's all back to normal here in office, i'll post a scan of diagram from manual showing these circuits. this should provide good fodder for alrman to fire some more shots across my bow. well deserved shots no doubt alrman. i'm doin my best here, trying to keep up with the big boys. haha
The engine oil pressure switch is located on the LHS ( from operators seat facing forward) of the engine, just below the injector pump. If your engine has been running for extendend periods & the oil pressure light goes off when you start the machine, I seriously doubt that is your problem. If you are concerned you need to check the pressure with an actual pressure gauge that you need to fit to the engine. You earlier said that while the alarm was sounding, you disconected the water temp switch & it stopped - why is there this confusion? Check the cooling system operation. If it is all good - replace the sender. There is no need for schematics to be dragged into this - you are making a mountain out of a molehill....... The previous owner of your machine, used it for who knows how long, with the alarm disconnected & it is still running - oil pressure could not be the culprit.
LOL.... your point is well taken alrman. you're quite right about alarm, and how long it's been disconnected etc.... flawless logic! i don't think there is any confusion, more likely i think perhaps some excited exuberance on my part? think back..... first backhoe, new owner, learning lots, want it to be right, great discussion forum full of interesting people. blah, blah, blah.... i can't help myself, but perhaps i am getting a little bit too caught up in all of this fun. i shall endeavour to control myself, but no promises!!!! thank you for your sage advise.
just an update!!! no stupid questions alrman, don't worry. avert your gaze if this is unbearable for you i would understand, god knows i'm not trying to torture you, honest! checked radiator before running machine this weekend, it was full. ran machine for a short while, it got hot, alarm started again, and water temp gauge went way up, but not crazy hot as i was watching for trouble and shut down quickly. oil temp gauge didn't budge, weird?! checked radiator again, it was empty!! really weird. seemed like a good time to do a radiator flush with cleaning solution. drained radiator... tiny amount of green coolant came out, maybe a litre or two (of 17 l capacity). shut drain valve filled rad with demineralized water just to flush clean. started machine to circulate water...which immediately all came gushing out from under machine big time! wow, what the hell? a hose running along RHS of chasis to back of machine was totally severed! unreal, i have no idea when or how this happened. it's freakish, like sabotage. how was the machine running all this time without ceasing or something else horrible happening? very odd. anyway, with hose repaired, radiator filled again with water, ran machine to circulate, and all seems okay, no leaking, rad stayed full. i added cleaning solution, and ran machine for a couple of hours of normal operation (as per instruction on bottle of cleaning solution). engine water temp gauge moved up slightly into early green zone and stayed there. nice! seems normal now... except, oil temp gauge didn't budge, and alarm keeps sounding. didn't have time to run machine for long enough to clean rad properly so left cleaning solution in as per instr on bottle of cleaner. will drain and refill radiator with proper solution mix next time. will order new alarm sender and install next time too. this will hopefully kill alarm from sounding all the time and keep engine cool. we'll see. bowen, turns out i love alarms too. alarms.... alrman.... those two words are easy to confuse.... don't set off the alrman, i mean alarm...haha, he says nervously. oil temp gauge doesn't move at all so far during all of this? wouldn't the engine oil temp go way up as water temp goes way up? okay, i guess that is a question, but it's a good one isn't it? oil temp gauge does not seem to be working. oil level is good, and oil is clean.
Forgive the case intromisión.He recently acquired a 580k and has some loose wires and cables (I think) rearranged especially in the part of the ignition is possible that this cable heaters in other terminal of the key arranque.Hay a loose cable behind the ignition tube coming from a cable near the heaters and that it is not. Do not tell me you shall know how I can get a service manual with electrical diagrams please? I would be worth a photo of connection in the ignition key. You know how it works start correctly, you must first act on the heaters how long? On my machine leaves a flame of fire for admission, but can not get boots properly. I have two loose wires near the heater that I have shorted by orfor that trigger the heater and above there is a kind of temperature sensor with two loose wires will they be in there) Also I have three wires cut from the left side of the machine (one red and two black) that seemed to go to the front bucket. Thanks in advance for the help they give me podais.
alright.... boring old update...and some other stuff... water temp sender changed for new one... coolant refreshed, no leaks.... all seems good now. ran machine for a good while, no alarm!!! water temp gauge seems to be working normally now. the oil temp gauge... needle doesn't seem to move, but... since i've been fiddling around with this alarm issue i've been reluctant to run machine too hard in case something more serious was going on. this doesn't seem to be the case, and i'm feeling confident now to get back to work more aggressively with gauge cluster working more reliably. after i changed the water temp sender i disconnected the wire to the oil temp sender and grounded it. i turned ingition to on position and the needle on oil temp gauge spiked to top. i take this to mean circuit and gauge are good. so either oil hasn't got hot enough to move needle or sender is bad? not sure where the oil temp gauge would sit normally when machine is hot? can anyone say what the oil temp gauge should read with machine hot? i don't think this is much of an issue, but the air filter light in cab flickers on and off when running machine. i changed the air filters for new since they looked old and dirty, but the light still comes on sometimes (on and off). not sure where the air filter sensor is. is it that disc-like thing with two wires coming off it mounted on LHS of engine near top (I can post a photo if it helps)? if so, disconnecting one of the wires doesn't shut light off in cab which i thought it would. maybe this is the end of the console alarm issue??? we'll see.....
If the 580K is like the 580SE it takes forever to heat the transmission oil up to see this needle move. If it moves any at all after driving around for an hour, it's probably working normal. Just cranking the engine will not heat this up. Did you try shorting these wires to see if the light comes on? I think you are looking at the correct sensor for air flow. If you are sure the air flow is OK, it's likely a defective sensor. Some of these sensors have 1 wire, but you say yours has 2?
thanks bowen, you're right, driving around does nothing to move the needle. i suspect it's working normally based on your input, and especially now that the cooling sys is working well it probably keeps it nice and cool. i noticed some of the fins on my radiator are folded in. i have to straighten them out to improve air flow even more. a cool engine is a happy engine, right?!
that disc is what i think is the air flow sensor? it has two plug in wires on it, but they don't show too well in this photo. if you can zoom in a bit you can see the wires.... kind of. i didn't try to ground one (or either) of the wires. the air filter warning light is on and off again, sometime strongly lit other times kind of dim. i assume this reflects a variation is current flow as determined by flow of air past sensor... however it works to detect air flow? i assume grounding one of the wires would make the warning light show up full brightness and steady? this sensor is $30 or something... not too expensive to replace, but is it necessary if i have new air filters (other than my OCD which drives me to have everything working just as it should when machine was new). after i grounded the wire on the oil temp circuit to test gauge i put the oil temp wire back on sender post with small nut i noticed the threaded post started to turn too as the nut got tighter, is this bad? would it mean wires inside sensor have been spun and maybe broke tiny connections inside sensor which may make it inoperable. or is the sensor all "solid state" stuff inside with no wires or other to snap inside if threaded post spins freely. as soon as nut got tight and i noticed post turning too i stopped right away so it couldn't have turned more than 1/8 of a turn, very little. thoughts?
IF YOURS IS LIKE MINE... You can check resistance of the oil temp sensor to ground, but I cannot tell you a normal reading, except it should NOT be an open circuit. This is with the wire off. Cold will be some resistance and with the shuttle warmed up a bit the resistance will go down. You might use a hair dryer to warm this up for testing. Mine may be totally different to yours but I got a reading like 6000 ohms cold to 1400 ohms warm. Don't worry about the value, just be sure the resistance changes with temperature. If you have change, it's probably OK. I would recommend you NOT screw with it unless the needle is not moving at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the water temp I am amazed how well these machine cool, even covered in debris. I tried putting cardboard in front of my radiator to block most all the air flow (when flushing radiator) and even with this the water takes forever to heat up. I think they are designed to cool with a moderate amount of dirt, leaves, or whatever on the front end. Cleaning or straightening the fins is not a bad idea so long as you do not damage a tube, but may not really be necessary. The 580SE has the oil cooler mounted in front of the radiator and in between there is where the most crud accumulates. Oil cooler removal is amost necessary to really clean.
thanks for the advise bowen. i will check the resistance of the oil temp sensor, i'm not actually too worried about any of it anymore. i think everything electrical is pretty normal now, and i'm confident running the machine for long periods. your advise to proceed cautiously before knowing what was going on was the right advise even though alrman turned out to be right.... it was just the alarm sender (oh ya, and empty cooling system which was good to discover and fix). i think it got pretty hot a few times.... the rocker arm cover gaskets were hard and brittle (i'm sure they were original), and were leaking a bit of oil. i changed them for new, and tried to clean the leaked oil a bit, but it's a mess and hard to get in tight areas. i too have the double radiator, and crud is stuck in-between the two, but other than that seem to be in good shape. it seems to cool really well. why did you want to block air flow when flushing your rad? obviously to make it hotter, does this help flush out crud? can i pressure wash the engine and radiator (carefully)? i'm trying to figure all kinds of stuff like the 'return to dig' which i don't really understand (a magnetic sensor near loader arm doesn't seem to be within spec for distance from arm, but no operational difficulty, just a curiosity); and even sillier stuff like if i have a cab heater and why it doesn't pump any hot air. i think mice have nested above the ceiling panel, and i need to remove the whole thing to clean it and try to make it work. turning the fan on results in all kinds of debris blowing all over the place which breathing in a closed cab doesn't seem to be such a good idea. odd little stuff like this that i just don't like not knowing why or what, i just can't ignore it even if it's stupid.... like the tach needle sometimes sits at about 1000 rpm after turing off, but operates noramlly when running. not a big issue i don't think, but everytime i see it i wonder what's going on, and i can't stop myself from looking into it. my first big repair will be putting new o-rings in the valves for the backhoe controls. even this, i think, is mostly procedure.... take it apart, put in new seals, put it back together. it's a bit intimidating the first time. i'll start a new thread when that time comes which it will. the previous owner just said, 'oh, all of these things leak, it's normal'. is it? he said he rents machines now instead of owning, and all the rentals leak he said. nothing i've dealt with is as tough as the stuff like packrat is dealing with. i'm not sure exactly what a shuttle is that packrat and others keep talking about, but it's great reading about it. i have a general idea, but not very specific. at least if my machine ever need 'shuttle' work i'll at least have somewhere to start. haha i feel bad persisting with these endless questions about the wiring and sensors etc..., and i don't mean to be tiny about everything with the machine or to drive people nuts with endless tiny questions. i'm just having fun playing around and getting to understand this stuff, and it all helps me to understand the machine, how it works, what is normal, what to expect etc... troubleshooting, and knowing what to do comes much more easily with more knowledge about the thing. i hope too it's helpful to others who may be nervous to ask questions they may think of as too stupid or annoying. this forum has been huge in that regard. i'm very appreciative of everyone's generosity of time and knowledge. i love following other threads it's amazing how the main players are so involved in being helpful to the completely inexperienced. it's really quite something. 20 years ago this would not have been possible, and one would only have the cranky old guy at the service counter to talk to.
I used a 1 hour running chemical flush kit, which others will say to NOT USE, but when I did all sorts of crud came out of the engine. "Stop Leak" had been added to the system and I wanted all that out. So I needed to drain, fill, heat, let cool, drain, fill, heat, let cool etc about 5 times to be sure all was clean before adding the actual antifreeze. And it took all 5 flushes to get the water clear. That's when I wanted the thing to heat up the water as fast as possible to save fuel. And even when I let the thing run 30 minutes with the cardboard on, the radiator was still not really hot. You would have to stay WAY back with a pressure washer for the aluminum fins. I use a water based degreaser here called "Purple Dragon" and it's really a good product. About $10/gallon, or $35 for 5 gallon. Some buy the stuff in a 50 gallon drum. This is NOT the same as "Purple Passion" or other Purple names that Home Depot or Wal Mart sells. If you oil cooler is leaking which is likely, the dust and oil really creates a mess in the front.
it's been a long time!! sorry for absence. machine is running great since electrical work was done. progress on project is slow as working life takes priority...need money to pay for projects!! we are close now to being ready to start trenching to run power etc..., but hydraulic leak from control valve is a problem not just because of oil leaking out on ground all the time, but because hoe is harder to control when oil is leaking out while trying to control hoe. back hoe control valve is leaking quite a bit as is one of the stabilizer cylinders. I think it's time to repair the valve leaks and make hydraulic system tight again. is this a manageable task for a part timer like me? I have the service manual and can see the procedure, but am not sure how realistic it is to do myself. I thought maybe I could remove valve (it's heavy at 120 lbs) and take it into a shop to have them repair O-rings etc.. and then install again myself when ready.