Hi, looking for some advice on our EX75UR... We started it up this afternoon, just to move it about 100m, so that we could refuel it, grease it up, etc., and it started up ok, but after about 20 seconds it just cut out. Tried a few times to restart it, and the engine would turn over, fire up, and then cut out after 1 or 2 seconds. It sounded like everything was ok, until it cut out. Was a bit smokey too. After trying to start it 5 or 6 times, I noted a warning light was coming on when it was cutting out, but didn't know what it meant, so we left the excavator to do something else, and came back to it about an hour later. I did look up the warning light in the meantime, and found that it was the air filter warning light. So when we came back to the excavator, we tried starting again, but it was doing the same cutting out after 1 or 2 seconds. So we took the housing for the air filter off to have a look at the filter, which didn't look too bad, and decided to try starting without the filter, and it fired up no problem, sounded great. We didn't want to run it long like this, so put the filter back in, and it fired up ok again. The air filter light was off, but noticed that if we increased the revs to about mid-way, the light would come back on again, but the engine would continue to run, and driving the excavator to the spot for refuelling, noticed on a bit of an incline it seemed to struggle a little bit (but not much), when the light was on. However, it ran fine, seemed strong when we got to the spot. We let it run, and I noticed that there is a rubber device on the air filter housing (I've attached a photo of the part), and it looks like the air gets sucked in through this, and the "lips" of the rubber device were closed tight when the engine was running. We found that taking the rubber device off, and we no longer have the air filter light coming on at any rev position, so think this might be the cause of our woes. I think it's purpose is to stop any large particles from entering he filter housing, so can we leave it off? I poked my finger through it to change the shape of the "lips", and when put back on, it was no longer closing fully, and the light doesn't come on at any rev position, but the rubber will probably go back to the closed position if left on. Any insight would be appreciated, on what to do with this rubber device, and can we be certain that this was the cause of our initial woes?
That's not your problem clean out the air intake into the air filter. Bob
The purpose of that rubber valve (aka the dust valve) is actually to dump larger dust particles that are sucked into the air filter housing or the precleaner back out again. When the engine is pulling hard and there is a good vacuum in the intake the lips should pull closed. When the vacuum in the intake drops (when the engine stops) the lips open and the accumulated particles should fall out, that's the theory anyway. It's not unusual to see a warning in the manual that engine damage might result from operating a machine with the dust valve permanently removed. Just a thought, but if your weather in Ireland has been anything like ours in the IOM over the past few weeks, is there any chance the air filter element could be damp..? Try removing the filter, take it in the house and put it somewhere warm and dry overnight. Then refit it the next morning and see how you go.
Thanks for the replies guys, I thought the intake was through the rubber valve. Need to see where the intake actually is, in the morning, and have a good look at it, clean it out if necessary. Yes, it had been fairly wet here last week (NW coast), though the filter didn't seem to be damp, and the inside of the filter housing is dry and clean. A few small dirty spots on the filter, but it doesn't look compromised. I'll let ye know how I get on. Thanks again.
Try drying the air filter out anyway. What do you have to lose..? The air intake will probably be through a slot in the end cover of the filter housing. TBH all the symptoms you mentioned in your OP suggest a air filter element plugged with either dirt or moisture.