Good evening, thank you in advance any assistance! I have 140blc Volvo excavator here that was working great. Then it just stopped and the code 187 SID 231 9 came up. I checked the fuses for the computers they are all good, does anyone have a place for me to start.
This is the serial number,
That's a comms error. Usually an indicator that the VECU has left the chat. In this case, the VECU is the one saying no one wants to talk. Check all the fuses first. I beat this to death. Above the battery box is a plastic cover with 4 bolts, 18mm. Once you remove that there should be a plastic housing with a bunch of 10mm screws. Place a tray beneath the cover. Take the cover off and catch the guts. Reassemble everything, it's easy to figure out. Switch relays ems & data with horn and travel. See if that changes things. If not follow the cabling down to the connectors, I think EMR or something. Separate the connections and inspect for corrosion. They are notorious for trapping water and rotting the connections there. If after all this, the problem remains, remove the instrument panel from the wall. There's a plastic cover and two 12 or 13 mm screws. This will take it off the wall. Remove the back cover of the display. See if the data ribbon is corroded apart at the bottom of the PCBs. If it is, you can try and clean it. I've never had success with this. If you've still got the problem, one of us will post the passive and active measuring for your machine. It's no fun.
Thank you very much, I will start with that. Hopefully it’s just something corroded. I’ve a little job to finish up in the morning, then I’ll go tear into that. I really appreciate the starting point. I’ll let you know how I make out. Thank you again!
Everything is pretty pristine in there.
Pulled the plugs apart underneath they all look nice and clean, no corrosion.
Checked the fuses in the battery box as well. They were good. Where would a fella get a manual for one of these things?
I didn’t see anything in there that said ems or data
Here is the ribbon tape.
I’ve run through those things, still coming up with the same code unfortunately.
Before you put that cover on the back, drill a couple tiny holes to let trapped water escape. Yours looks like new. You only have to have the windscreen open in the rain once to ruin the display
I'll be home in a few hours, see if I can't post up the next steps
That’s a good idea. I’ll do that. The machine only has 5900 hrs on it
Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.
See attached schematics
My apologies for sending you down a rabbit hole. I keep forgetting that the 140 is a unique machine that has a lot of exclusive features.
That’s no problem, I appreciate any help, I’m sure you’ve much better stuff to do than write advice on here. I’m grateful.
I think up there, Strongco is the "go to"
I checked the fuses all the stuff on the side where the battery box is. Tore it all off. Cleaned the ground, etc.
They told me they couldn’t get me one, I called them today.
In the schematics, pay close attention to sw2701 or 2704. It's in the left armrest. It should give you the option to bypass the VECU allowing you to start and run at less than optimized . Unfortunately, I don't know of it ever working. Very often that switch is the root of the problem.
So, looking at the drawing the icu is the display and the vecu is behind the seat.and they arent talking to one another .
If memory serves, the complete service manual all 3 binders was over 700USD. I would think it available on CD or thumb drive. Wish I still had contacts.
I did flip that switch yesterday and try to start it but no dice,
You got it.
I’d pay that much for it that less than a days pay for a call out.
I’m not the best with the computer stuff, I learned on mechanical diesels. When I was doing excavation with my dad in the early 2000’s. I’ve been back at excavation for about 4 or 5 years now. So I’m the repair guy.
I will check that switch tomorrow. Thank you again for the assistance.
So, I’ve checked the switch and the fuse for the switch, the fuse is fine. When you flip the switch, it shuts the code off on the screen. On the iecu. It won’t start. I pulled the vecu lifted the top off nothing obvious in there. Do you have a pin out for the plugs?so I can check that?
Hope this helps. Good luck
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I called Strongco they don’t sell manuals anymore. That really makes me angry. But thank you very much for help I’m very grateful. If anyone has a manual for sale I’d buy it.
I can only do what I can do as long as the subscription holds out. Best of luck .
What’s the subscription?
Subscription to prosis. It's a customer version. It covers all products Volvo has to offer, unfortunately it doesn't include older products like the Samsung, Ackerman, VME, Champion, Blaw-Knox, I-R etc.... It is a tremendous resource though.
Can anybody subscribe to it?
I don't see why not, especially as an owner.
Do you have to purchase it through the dealer?
Yes
Ok, thank you very much
I checked the vecu plug I have power and ground in the places I should. So there is that.
Well, I bought a aftermarket v-ecu still have the same code 187 SID 231-9
I have power and grounds where I should I’ve ohmed the data wires I get .3 ohms I’m at a loss, the fuses are fine the power is good. What am I missing?
187-231-9 indicates loss of comms. The thing is, 187 is reporting. Look at E-ECU & I-ECU. Did you check connections EM01-EM04 beneath the relay box? Did you check that problematic bypass switch in the left armrest? You said your CAN measures .3ohms, is that lead to lead or end to end. Resistance should be 120 ohms with V-ECU unplugged and 60 plugged in. End to end .3 ohms would be great. When you measure the CAN lines, neasure each against ground as well. Make sure you don't have outside interference.
I did check those connections when I first started they were clean. The ohms were end to end I had unplugged everything to check for continuity on the data wires. I didn’t check against the grounds. I will have to do that. It’s got to be something stupid, it was running working just fine, then nothing.
I did check the bypass on the armrest, I checked for continuity on the terminals then switched it and checked the ones it’s supposed to switch to. Can I bypass that to eliminate it from the equation. If I switch the bypass switch the machine still doesn’t start. I did pull the back off the iecu to check the ribbon that you suggested earlier. That all looked good.
So 187 is reporting, is that the VECU? Is that what you mean by that? Please excuse my ignorance, this is my first deep dive into this kind of diagnostic. Most of the repairs to my gear are mechanical, which I can handle. But the electrical diagnostic stuff is a bit of a struggle. I appreciate the help.
128 is engine, 140 is information/ display 187 is vehicle. So when you see 187 on the display, odds are it's the one talking.
If you reference sch 2 you should be able to bypass the bypass switch. You stated you bought an aftermarket V-ECU? Correct? Is it specifically for the 140. As I mentioned earlier, the 140 is an entirely different animal to the entire product line. You can swap out ECUs from 160 up to 700, they're pretty much the same, except the 140. It has that unique little engine that is what is so different. While I have not experienced it, I'm wondering if the throttle control motor on the engine is acting as "an electronic device" and therefore causing this error. Perhaps Ben Witter or SFRS4 can confirm or deny or maybe even shed some light here. Hate to keep dragging down the wrong path.
it is an aftermarket ecu, they asked me what machine it was for. So I assume they programmed it correctly. I’ll try bypassing the switch Tomorrow. See if that makes a difference. I know when you roll it over it doesn’t even try to start. Can a guy disable that to rule it out?
Well, I think I’ve finally figured it out. The resistor for the j1939 network is bad. I’ve one on order should be here tomorrow. I’ll update tomorrow. Pretty sure that’s the culprit. It has too much resistance.
Is that in the right armrest? What resistance does it show?
And what was the connector number? There's a blocking diode in there for hammer shear function as well. Ones blue, ones black, I don't remember which is which. Should be either symbol on the side.
That is in the green and yellow communication wire rack by the eecu. It ohms at 136.9
im pretty sure this is it in the wiring diagram.
137 is a bit high, but I wouldn't call it failed. It is outside if 10% +/- so you're definitely justified in replacing it. I don't think that's the end of it though. What measurement when you probe the harness connector. Should be around d 120 as well.
I will check that, probably can’t tell from picture but the case is deformed and cracked on the top.
Fun with fuel, you were right the resistor wasn’t the problem turned out my multimeter was giving bad readings. So I went and bought a new meter. Ohmed everything again. Tested the ohms on the can bus. That checked out. Had the dealer tech out yesterday. He did everything I did. (I was hooking he would find something I missed) couldn’t find anything wrong. But he just happened to have an engine ECU with him in the truck from another machine they brought in for a couple years ago. Plugged it in and away she went. Just wanted to post the conclusion so other folks might get some use of it.
It's hard to "pull the trigger" on an ECU. When I was a dealer tech, I had a stack of Volvo ECUs for just that reason. They had their problems (noted on the case) but we're great for testing. Glad you found a good tech with his head straight.
I agree, I had done that with vecu. So I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. The tech was top drawer he was and older guy, did a good job. It makes me feel a bit better that he was just as stumped as I was.
But luckily he had that one with him.
Thanks again for your help with this. I really appreciate it. I also learned a lot about how the machine works.
And so did those of us who tagged along...good work both of you.