Hello, I just purchased a 2015 259D. What’s the most affordable scan tool or software and data cable? I want to be able to read error codes, check DPF soot level and maybe force regen if I need. My machine doesn’t have the digital display screen.
You have one option and that is cat et form the dealer or otherwise there's not a scan tool like for automobiles that I've ever found
Maybe a retrofit of the digital RH panel might be the most cost-effective option. Did you realise that you can look at Codes & Events even if you only have the standard panel.?
I did not know that I can read codes with the standard panel. What is the process? Also I need to force a regen. The DPF light is on, red exclamation, yellow exclamation, and alarm. I believe I can only regen with cat ET at this point now that the alarm is on? Is this correct? Thank you for the help. Edit: is the upgraded panel retrofit more cost effective than purchasing CAT ET? Where is the best place to purchase cat ET?
I may be wrong but I believe that a Cat dealer version of ET (as opposed to the customer version) is required to force a regen because the process requires factory passwords that only a dealer tech has access to.
Thank you for the help. Do you know if I will need them to do a force regen once the alarm and lights come on or will it regen itself? I read online that once the alarm buzzer is on, the dealer needs to regen but not sure if that’s correct. The problem is I wasn’t letting the Machiene get hot enough and it wasn’t going through a regen. My fan solenoid went bad and the Machiene was running really hot. I just unplugged the solenoid to finish the last few days of what I needed to get done. The fan was on full speed and the engine wasn’t getting up to temp and never went through a regen once the light came on. I just replaced the solenoid.
That question needs someone with more experience than me on TIER 4 machines to answer. Hopefully someone will chime in. Attached is the process for getting into Diagnostic Codes & Events, both Active & Logged. Get in there ans see what you have in each of Modes 0 thru 3. Post back with your results, it will help answer the question above about what is needed as regards attention to the DPF and/or regen. It sounds as though you do not have and Operation & Maintenance Manual. It would pay you to get one, they are not that expensive. If you post a machine Serial Number I can give you the Publication Number and/or try to find one for you.
If you know someone with ET you can run the service regeneration thru it. If you have a associated DTC or ⚠️, then more than likely it will need a parked regen thru ET
Have you checked the thermostat to make sure it’s not stuck open? Fan should be able to run wide open and not over cool the engine as the regulators job is to maintain minimum coolant temperature and the fan controls the maximum temperature.
I have not but the machine would not go past 140 no matter how hard I operated it. Now that I replaces the solenoid it gets up to 180 or so. I’m taking this reading with an automotive style gauge I installed. The temp sensor is in a plug right next to the thermostat. There was no factory temp gauge on this Machiene
I will post the serial number shortly. My machine has a different style panel. It has different bottoms. Just buttons to enter the code to run the machine. Much different than the one in the PDF
I purchased the Machiene badly overheated and engine half disassembled. I had to deck the head and block, bore it i believe 20 thousands over and put oversized pistons that I purchased from my local cat dealer. I believe it overheated because of the fan speed solenoid. It had that code active
To answer your original question you can get a dealer version et with factory password generator through mek tools for a pretty cheap price. You will need to do a forced regen with cat et if it’s that bad. If you had an overheat and needed to rebuild it the dpf will likely have to be manually cleaned from all the oil consumption and smoke that would have generated.
Is this your panel.? This was the "half way house" between the one in the procedure above and the full-on digital gauges version. I'm not sure if there is a way to use the keys on that panel to get into the diagnostic system.
Yes, this is the panel that I have. I just brought the Machiene to the dealer and they performed the forced regen but it wouldent go into regen. It was throwing a code for EGR, coolant temp sensor, and fan speed sensor. The DPF spot load was at 100%. I think my next step is to replace coolant temp sensor, clean EGR and valve, pull DPF and sent it out to be cleaned. I will see where this gets me. The serial is:CAT0259DTFTL05791
How many hours on the machine.?
About 3950. The engine was rebuilt maybe 20 hours ago when I purchased it. Not sure when the DPF was last serviced or replaced if ever.
Anecdotal evidence on this forum suggests that a DPF that gets much past 3000 hours before requiring maintenance is living on borrowed time. I’ll pull the troubleshooting procedures for the Codes and send them to you. Replacing a sensor might not necessarily fix anything. You could just as easily have a wiring fault.