My father in law passed away suddenly last fall and I’m helping deal with the small farm property that he had. One machine that he had was a Bobcat E42 Compact (mini) Excavator (serial number B2VW12485). Last fall it was operating correctly (we tested it), and we didn’t run it at all in the last 9 months, other than to turn it on for a few minutes every month or so to make sure the fluids didn’t just sit there. (Not sure if this is necessary, but it seemed like a good idea.) Also, we kept it on a battery maintainer. Yesterday when I started it up it gave an error code M1706, which I’ve looked up as Hydraulic Lock Valve Short To Ground. It does start up fine, but nothing on it moves at all. Attached is a screenshot of the control panel, if that helps. I’ve searched around and tried to figure out what that means, but I’m not sure. Basically I don’t know what the Hydraulic Lock Valve is, and how/where it would be shorted. I don’t have a manual for the E42, but was able to find a PDF manual for a similar bobcat excavator online, but I can’t find anything in there related to this. I’m fairly mechanically inclined (and willing to learn), but I’ve never done any work on an excavator before. Any guidance you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Note, it’s also showing error code E000097-31 (Water in fuel detected). I’m assuming this is unrelated and something different I need to deal with - drain the water from the fuel filter, pump out the old fuel from the tank (which has been in there for almost 12 months) and put some fresh diesel in there.
I found some info that said: I'm not sure what the main control valve is, and I don't know where the BICS lock solenoid would be. Do you know if the "main control valve" is the same thing as the Hydraulic Control Valve shown here: Hydraulic Control Valve (9 Section Assembly) (W/O Angle Blade) - Excavators Bobcat E42 (B2VW11001 & Above) | 777parts.com For the BICS lock solenoid, do you know if I should be looking for something that looks like this: Solenoid Valve Coil For Bobcat® | Replaces OEM # 6309311 I'm also trying to determine if this E42 excavator has a BICS controller. I've found other references to a BICS controller for a bobcat skid steer, like this: https://f01.justanswer.com/Fieldtec...-9568-5e02dddc1e4e_Bobcat_BICS_Controller.png Do you know if the E42 excavator has something similar that I could investigate? Thanks for any assistance.
hyd lock solenoid should in the manifold located below the control valve you need to pull the RH sheet metal cover to see it the coil you linked to looks like it's for an older skidsteer, harness connector is going to be different. if the machine has been sitting for a while, critters may have gotten to the wiring
OK, I inspected the Bobcat on Sunday and on the bottom of what I believe is the Hydraulic Control Valve (also referred to as the main control valve), I found two solenoids. See photos. Note all the posts I found elsewhere about this error all referred to there being one solenoid, so I’m not sure if these two are what I should be investigating. I don’t see any markings or labels on them, other than “DEUTSCH DT04-2P” on the plugs, but that appears to just be the model of the plastic plug, not the solenoid. I pulled off the two solenoids and tested each with my multi meter. They both read about 7.2 ohm. This is different from the 9.8 ohm that I’ve read elsewhere. I also checked if they were shorted by checking for continuity, and they both seemed OK. Is there a chance that both of these went bad at the exact same time, and that their resistance is now 7.2 instead of 9.8 ohm? Or am I looking at the wrong part? Or is 7.2 ohm an OK value and the issue is probably somewhere else? Also, we removed the battery terminals and cleaned everything completely, just to rule that out. We also examined all the wires that we could find and didn't see any indication of damage (rubbing, crimping, mice, etc.)
I am not familiar with your machine but might help with some tips. You cannot test coils reliably with a multi meter as the inductance of the coil messes with the meters sample rate and you only get an approximate reading. The most reliable is to activate the coil and measure the current draw. There is probably nothing wrong with your coils so if you reassemble them and power them with a separate 12v power source and you hear them click they are fine. I you leave the wires off the coils and the display says there is shorted coils then problem is not the coils. Your display panel cannot really test for shorts but more of a guide for faults with the codes. There (might) be wiring issues but the first place i would be looking is that display panel. Has water entered the panel, are the plugs clean and not corroded, has the panel and all of the earth straps on the machine clean. A bad earth connection will manifest itself as all sorts of weird codes as the panel is getting back feeds. Is the fuse box tip top, no corrosion visible. Pull all the fuses and inspect. The coils wont fail sitting long periods but the panel might have but you don't just assume such things until you have eliminated all the obvious.
Thank you for all your helpful guidance. I agree that the coils both seem to be in good condition so I don't think they are the issue. I'm not able to get back to the machine for the next two weeks, but I will inspect and test as you recommend when I'm back. I can say that I don't think there would be an issue with water or other contaminants in the panel - the excavator has been in a garage since last summer. I only started out and pulled out and put back in the garage every month or so, so it hasn't been in the elements. I did inspect the fuse box, pulled each fuse and checked it, and they all were good and clean. I've read in some other places that it could be a short or other issue with something related to the BICS system. Specifically, there were suggestions to test if maybe there is a problem with the safety mechanism on the lockout arm (that you have to lower to use the machine) in the cab. I had looked into this the last time I was up there, and visually it seemed fine, but I'm going to see if there's some way to test it to ensure that it isn't causing the problem.