Recently picked up an s130 from auction, did the service and everything is looking good. used it today to move some dirt around for ~45mins, then out of nowhere the thing just came to an abrupt stop, like the wheels locked up and engine stalled too. This happened twice more today before i parked it fearing that i would do some damage to the drivetrain. Sometimes when i lower the seat bar i hear the relay click a few times, and often when i'm going to move it, i'll hit the green button once, go to move it, and then look up and all the BICS lights are off again, so hit the button once more and i'm good to go.. i'm thinking its the seat bar sensor, but would that make the machine just stop the way it did? any other thoughts or things I can check? Cheers!!! Chris
i would start by removing and checking/cleaning the battery cable clamps and grounds. when it locks up, does the machine beep? (assuming the buzzer is working) when it locks up, do NOT turn off the ign, press and hold the light button down, and see if a 4 digit fault code is displayed on the LH panel. :drinkup
awesome, will try and report back. how do you get to the main controller/ECU on these? When i pull down the seat bar, the relay click doesn't come from the fuse box, but i would describe it as next to my right foot pedal inside the chassis somewhere..?
mechanical foot controls? AHC ? (selectable hand and foot control) joystick control? :drinkup
mech foot controls on this beast
when the seat bar is down, you may be able to hear the spool locks unlocking if there isnt much ambient noise. once you hit the green button you should hear a loud clunk from under the seat, thats the brake pull coil pulling the brake up. i believe on the s130 the bobcat controller is under the seat near the LH side of the frame, or it could be located behind the panel next to your left foot. i dont see that many s130's to tell you definitely before you ask, no....... theres really nothing as far as "diagnostics" with the controller that the average person can do. getting the fault codes before shutting the key off is the fastest/easiest way for any of us here, on the forum, to help :drinkup
thanks crewcheif, i'll certainly report back with those codes and check the battery/earth points like you suggested. chris
alright, so started it up and ran it for a few minutes, pull the seat bar down and the seatbar LED just flicks ON, OFF, ON, OFF at random intervals and the relay keeps clicking (spool lock noise?) view the error codes and it just says NONE same thing happens with the seat bar LED if the key is "ON" but engine stopped. So sitting perfectly still (no vibration, etc) the seat bar light just flicks on and off randomly. question is: will that cause the machine to stop abruptly and engine completely die while i'm driving it? second question: invest in new seat bar sensor now? or continue diagnostics to see if the sensor or wiring is the issue? Cheeeeeeers!!!
ok i think i found the issue. I popped the cab up to take a look at the wiring underneath. Turned on the ignition (engine off) and pulled down the seat bar and started moving wires to try make the seat bar light go off. Couldn't find any lose connections so i moved the wires more vigorously and then then CAB wiring harness where it connects to the MAIN wiring harness disconnected without much effort. Plugged it back in and wobbled that connector in different directions and THAT makes the ignition and seat bar light go on/off randomly. I took a look inside that connector plug and there's one or two pins that are blackened, probably from arcing out all the time.. I'll put on some contact cleaner, put it together nice and tight and see how that goes.
i'm willing to bet you found the problem :notworthy :drinkup
:iagree Us Bobcat mechanics have learned to eyeball that connector as one of the possibilities whenever we see electrical problems in the cab. :yup Oh, and sometimes it's useful to get mad, say a few swear words, and give a harness a good yank, never know just what will happen.
haha noted! thanks guys for the suggestions, the issue hasn't come back yet. For the record, i used 2 zip ties to hold that connector firmly together, so hopefully I'll never have to think about it again.
Well, that will work just fine, but that connector should have a machine screw in the center to draw the two halves together and secure it, reckon what's up with that?
ahh next time i have the cab up i'll check it out, cheers!