is it possible to turn up the injection pump on my pc50? Is it worth while to turn it up afew turns for more engine power?
Why do you want to do this, is it bogging down in heavy digging?
yeah it seems like it should have alittle bit more power, some bogging down. Which screw should i turn?
NONE. If you are bogging down you have a problem. "Turning up the injection pump" is masking a problem. You may need a hydraulic tune up to make sure the hydraulic pump is operating the way it is suppose too. Such as unloading the pump to prevent bogging down. If you could define when it is bogging down? One function, two function operation. Is there any smoke when it bogs down. Not trying to be a smart arse but "turning the screw" may not give you the results you are looking for. How many hours on your machine? How long has it been doing this? There are some very wise people on here that will help you out with a little more info.
Generally 'turning the screw' won't work on a Diesel engine that is designed to produce X amount of horsepower, it will work on an engine that has been detuned to produce less power but give better economy. For example I used to drive a truck with a 855 big cam Cummins which was rated at 230hp but those engines go all the way up to 400 or thereabouts. Whereas you may well have a 2 liter engine that is designed to produce a specific amount of horsepower. You can get a few more rpm out of it but that may well produce problems. I take it you have done the simple things like a new fuel and air filter, including any strainers that may be in the fuel tank.
You need to define which machine series you have also. A PC 50 dash 3 is a lot different than a Dash 7. The older units used gear pumps so some engine draw down was normal. Newer models got the piston pumps which were load sensing. You should check fuel strainer, fuel filter and air filter before ever thinking about turning up the rack. In my experience there are few operators that can handle and be productive with a real hot excavator anyway. The extra horsepower gained just goes out the stack instead of into productive work.
its a PC50uu-1 older model, it has 5274 hours, i just got it and have only a few days on it. Ive checked the normal things ie air filter, strainer. It dosen't blow black smoke when it boggs down, thats y i thought it was de-tuned some.
There are two hydro filters on the machine (EX50URG) i have, one on top of the tank (cartridge type) and one on the bottom (washable) i replaced the cartridge one already but i have to drain the tank to get at the one on the bottom. Looks like a winter project to me.
There should be a cover on the top of the tank you can pull and you will see what looks like a pipe with a spring in the center. Grab onto that pipe and the strainer basket is attached. The whole thing will come up out of the tank without draining the oil. That's how most Komatsu excavators are anyway. I don't recall the minis being any different.
do you think the hrs have a bit to do with the lack of power ? i had a pc40 -7 and it was very under powered ,with 5000 hrs ish, compared to my newer cats . the mini diggers keep geting better with each new model . the old ones run hot too. dose your one get hot and drop power?
I have noticed it getting hot, i'll keep looking for the filters and checking
It wouldn't surprise me if the engine has lost power due to its age e.t.c. As you say the engine starts ok and runs fine and doesn't smoke. If the engine struggled every time you moved a ram with no load e.g raised the boom then you may have a problem but if it's only doing it during harder digging then it may just be natural power loss.
yes its just durning hard digging, the large bucket adds strain and the the larger rocks in the ground dosen't help. I just thought add alittle more fuel for more power, i know i won't get much more power but every little bit helps.
Yeah I forgot about you running the larger buckets aswell!! not only are the buckets heavier than usual when empty therefore adding load to the machine before you do anything but obviously when loaded you could be lifting 25%+ more weight than the machine was designed/setup for. It shouldn't damage the machine and hopefully the extra bucket capacity outweighs any loss of speed when excavating therefore increasing overall productivity for you.
If im in loose soil i can get close to a 1/2 yd heaped in the bucket, just when trenching and i hit large rock it really slows, i have yet to try any other buckets. But i thought under stress it would blow black smoke with it isn't.
Sounds like the engine is burning efficiently hence no black smoke e.t.c if the machine has gear pumps then any resistance will be passed on to the engine causing slowing down but if it really slows then that is unusual. If possible post a movie with sound for the pros to look at showing the machine in action - they may know what is going on!!