Hello all, new to the forum. I have a Hitachi ZX200LC that will run fantastic up until anywhere from 45 min to an hourish perfectly but will randomly act like it's under an extreme load or bog down with any hydraulic movement. It'll chug, spit, sputter along with sounding like it's missing and some white/blue smoke at times also. If I stop it'll sometimes clear out, repeat the issue, slowly die, or even clear out enough to finish a small dig. Tracking around it'll die also once it starts acting up. No warning lights or anything come on in the dash. I've changed all the rubber fuel lines/filters including the small inline filter before the mechanical low pressure fuel pump (that was replaced aslo with an oem zexel one). I did find the pump feed line coming apart plugging the low pressure feed, but no difference in the long run with all new lines. If the machine gets left off overnight it'll normally give me an hour of run time the next day before doing the same thing. I'm at a loss what to do next, filters are changed, new fuel hose along with the low pressure pump, fuel tank is almost full also at all times. It's a great machine until it acts up. Thank you for and help with this
Check the bottom of the fuel tank for debris which could be floating around and restricting the fuel outlet. More than once I have found a small screw that had fallen out from the bottom of a fuel filler cap being the issue.
I will do that. When I had the fuel line off I did open the shut off valve for the feed off the tank and had full flow though. When you go to restart the machine (if it does restart right away) it'll blow a little black smoke then clear out or die right away. The three different colors of smoke are throwing me off on whats going on with it, and like I said when it's not throwing a fit it runs perfectly fine. I'll look down in the tank with a light to see if any sediment or junk can be seen, thank you
Check the codes
Dumb question, but can there be a stored code without an engine/warning light present?
Is there a strainer in the inlet of the pump on those? The dash 3's with the common rail pump had it in a banjo bolt on the pump itself. Not too familiar with those older Zexel injection pumps.
Yes, mine had the small inline screen filter in the banjo bolt. I took it out and added a larger 100 micron canister filter pre low pressure mechanical lift pump instead for ease of replacement in the future. I believe it's a 2005 model if that helps. Mechanical fuel injection not common rail
Does it have one of those little electric pumps on it? There's a strainer inside those as well.