I have a '17 Deere 245G that I bought new (Aug. of 2017). I know that this machine is simply a Hitachi painted yellow so I have included it in the title of the thread. I felt that the A/C was a bight weak even when new. Complained to dealer and they sent out a mechanic who reported the system was working fine. We often find ourselves working under/around trees so we often have shade. Recently we have been working on a site where we are not getting any shade and the A/C is simply not keeping up. The ambient temps have been around 100 degrees. I have replaced all the cab filters and it has not made any difference. I am hoping to find out if this is a common issue and/or if anyone has figured out how to improve the performance of the A/C system. Did Hitachi under-size the A/C system because they had to make it fit on the compact radius machine? Is my only course of action to tint the windows? In my opinion the cab does not have any more glass than the next. In fact the cab is smaller than that of a 210 so I would imagine there would be less passive solar gain and require a lesser A/C system because of the lesser cab volume.
Make sure the heater core lines are turned off coming off the engine .Because antifreeze might still be flowing causing cab to get hot .
Do you know how to get into the service menu to check to see if there are any AC codes?
I can write volumes about AC on excavators, but here are the basics. The AC only works when the cab is closed and the ducting set to recirculate cab air. There are cab air filters that need to be cleaned. The AC is run by a computer that has a diagnostics program in it. Dust will get into the ducting actuators and jam them up. R134A refrigerant will not transfer heat as well as the old R12 systems so the systems are nowhere near as good at cooling. More windows for better views of the working area meant more heat input into the cabs. The AC system capacities were not upgraded to account for this. Pilot controls also input heat into the cab. The AC systems are supposed to shut off engine coolant to the cores but many times leak by or get jammed with debris. In summary; keep the cab closed and the air on recirculate. Keep the air filters and the cabs clean and most of the issues will take care of themselves. Also remember that the systems are marginal in capacity when working in hot ambient temps in the sunshine. If you are working in 100 degree heat in the sunshine, the system might only have the ability to make the cab air 90 degrees.
As John said there can be a novel wrote about air conditioners. As with the filters make sure the condenser mounted to the radiator is clean. One thing I have noticed with checking and charging systems in the summer time is throwing a gauge set up on at idle may reveal normal levels but if you increases the rpm slightly the Freon gets compressed and the fan blows harder which cools and also drops the pressure. So it’s not always accurate and the gauges get unhooked and the no problem here statement gets made. Can’t remover if Deere uses a office tube or expansion valve. Could have a slight blockage from debris from the factory if it’s been sub par from birth
Thanks guys. I keep the doors and windows closed except for ingress and egress. The A/C ducting is set for re-circulation. As it relates to the windows the cab on the 245 has less window area than a standard excavator of the same brand and size. The back of this thing is high. It's kinda like the newer (DEF equipped) Cats so the back window is very small. The rest of the machine has glass in the same places as all other newer conventional 'hoes but the cab is smaller than a conventional so I would think it has less window area than a conventional. I just had Cat come out and check out my '03 315 CLC with the complaint of A/C not working except in the morning (same job as the 245 is on). They hooked up the gauges and found extremely high pressures during demand (among other things). There diagnosis was that the compressor is failing and debris from it is getting into the orifice and plugging. I wouldn't necessarily complain about the A/C going out on this machine as it has almost 9k hours on it so I think it within reason that i may require a little up-keep to bring it back up to snuff. That machine is now fixed and ready to run in the sun! As it relates to the 245G it only has around 1,200 hours so I would expect everything to still be working as new. I guess that I will check the condenser again (a little closer) and see if I can find, and shut off, the lines to the heater core. That may be a tall order as a major downfall to these compact radius excavators is that everything is jammed in tight. This machine doesn't even have a tool box for teeth, grease gun, etc.! If all those things check out (and I continue having issues) I guess I will have to break down and call Deere to come check the system again.
If you have an infrared thermometer you can check the louvers on the ducting to see what temp you are getting out of the system and compare that to ambient. That way when you talk to the dealer, if you need to, you can drop that little fact in their lap. What would make them happier is if you do the same on the Cat and then tell about your comparison. No Deere dealer likes an example of how an old machine is working better than their new one.
Gauges are fairly cheap compared to service call. If your unfamiliar with how to use them everyone on here would be glad to help. But if the machine is still under warranty then take full advantage of it
I'll second this. Stick a thermometer in the air vent, put the system in high fan, recirc and the coolest temp setting with the door closed. Proper systems will have an air temp of 35-45 degrees.