more problems.

ok, I just started at a new company about 6 weeks ago, a lot of cat excavators which I am familiar with, now I have 2 komatsu's, 2 Liebherr's and a Volvo 480, of which i am kinda lost on, the second unit went down is a Komatsu PC400LC-6LM, it has a E303 code for rotary solenoid, and the Volvo just blew hyd. line and sounds like hyd. is dead heading, Oh, and we do not have any service manuals for none, only parts books. any tips on where to get serv. manuals will be greatly appreciated. thanks

Not trying to be a smart ass but have you tried to contact the nearest dealer for this equipment?

Or if bought used did you ask the last owner if they had any manuals? Or ask them who they used for service work?

It might be just me but starting a company with equipment like this and not having planned for how and where to get it serviced is not the best business plan to start with, along with doing it with equipment you are not at all familiar with sounds like a recipe for problems to say the least.

If really interested in getting help I would suggest giving those here familiar with these machine a fighting chance by posting serial numbers.

I think he just started a new job, at an existing company?

mitch504 said:

I think he just started a new job, at an existing company?

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Okay might have misread that then I would tell his new boss to get his act together and supply the manuals if he wants his equipment fixed! Maybe I'm out of order but I don't think an employee should be expected to supply the manuals. Now if this guy is a subcontractor who claims to be a "service" working on these machines then the story might be different.

Maybe things are different in various places so if I'm out of line feel free to correct me. I just can't see a company hiring a new guy and expecting him to have a complete set of manuals for equipment that he has never see before. Things might have been a bit different 40-50 years ago when a wiring or hydraulic diagram could be drawn an single sheet of paper in the back of the parts book. Today most excavators or front end loaders are more complex than the Apollo Landers of the 1970's

https://www.heavyequipments.org/s/hydraulic-excavators-manuals

i think those are general spec manuals, but there may be links to get real service manuals (didn’t look)

I bought a lot of manuals on Tradebit.com and Emanualonline.com, cheap and instant download. Saved me a couple times

kshansen said:

Okay might have misread that then I would tell his new boss to get his act together and supply the manuals if he wants his equipment fixed! Maybe I'm out of order but I don't think an employee should be expected to supply the manuals. Now if this guy is a subcontractor who claims to be a "service" working on these machines then the story might be different.

Maybe things are different in various places so if I'm out of line feel free to correct me. I just can't see a company hiring a new guy and expecting him to have a complete set of manuals for equipment that he has never see before. Things might have been a bit different 40-50 years ago when a wiring or hydraulic diagram could be drawn an single sheet of paper in the back of the parts book. Today most excavators or front end loaders are more complex than the Apollo Landers of the 1970's

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thanks for the reply, the boss keeps telling me we have '' books'', they are parts books and im trying to get the repair manuals from local dealer but $600-$800 each is a tough one to swallow.

Jerry J. said:

thanks for the reply, the boss keeps telling me we have '' books'', they are parts books and im trying to get the repair manuals from local dealer but $600-$800 each is a tough one to swallow.

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Personally I would be very nervous working for an outfit these days with a management having that kind of understanding or lack of understanding of the complicated nature of the machines their company is depending on day in and day out!

Like I have said if you are a private contractor claiming to work on this type of equipment as a business I can see them expecting you to have your own books or access to the information in some fashion. But if you were hired as an employee of the company I would think that they should be supplying the books.

Does the person in the office have to supply the software the company books are run on?

And if you were to buy that $800 manual on the excavator what happens when a week latter they decide to sell it on an IronPlanet auction and replace it with a completely different machine? Sure a book could be looked at as a "tool" but at least 90% of the tools in your toolbox will probably work just as good if the next machine is a Cat, Komatsu or what ever the guy in the main office buys because someone took him to dinner at a fancy restaurant or what ever the salesman tempted him with!

I'd like others to jump in on this as what I'm writing may not be what others consider the way things should work in the business these days, would like to know other peoples thoughts on this subject.

I agree... Their machine their service manual. let's look at it from this perspective. If you are there employee and working on their equipment. And you are dealing with a complicated component with a issue and the answer could be solved with service information manual. Then how much money is the company saving by having you throw parts at it until it works. And if that doesn't work then the dealer has to come out (armed with the same service information) and charge you roughly what that manual cost just to show up. And if that dealer is like any other, then they could be a week behind service calls. Now you spent more money in labor, parts,and down time than the manual cost. If you are independent then the ball is in your court and it's up to you to have access to this information or to someone who can get you this information. If you are a company man and they expect for you to supply service information and specialty tooling then they should be paying you contractor wages. I personally wouldn't stay long in a place that will cheap out on the very equipment that makes them money.

Could not agree more!

I never managed to get the company I retired from to get the manuals for the new 773G haul truck but at least I did have SIS access so it was not too bad and in someways better as I could print out a page or two as needed and not need a fork-truck to haul the service manual around!

But I'm not sure how good some of the smaller companies handle access to information online. I know we had a Sterling truck for watering the roads in the plant and that was a pain to deal with for information. The worst part was as we didn't use it during the winter we seldom had need for information on it during that time. But the dealer for it had this policy that if you didn't access their site for over a few months you had to reapply for access the next time you needed information. so just about every-time there was a problem you would have to wait while you applied for access before you could see if the information was even available, which often it was not or not helpful!

I totally agree, this is the first outfit I have worked for that did not have some kind of literature for their equipment, after telling them this morning that a dealer will have to come look at it some time this week, they agreed to let me buy service manuals for the equip. for the last several years there has only been changing hoses and other light work, they would call dealers to diagnose and the mech. here(2 of them) would replace parts. I am the first guy hired to get equipment in shape and start a PM program so they do not have to call dealer so much, I guess they looked at $ spent on outside mech. vs in-house. anyway thanks for the replies. I am glad I am not the only one that saw this as a problem.

Try ebay I get a lot from there

Well if you have need for information on any Cat equipment while waiting on books I might be able to help there. But don't see any of those listed.

kshansen said:

Well if you have need for information on any Cat equipment while waiting on books I might be able to help there. But don't see any of those listed.

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I appreciate that, we do have several cat's ranging from 316 to 3037, all material handlers.

kshansen said:

Well if you have need for information on any Cat equipment while waiting on books I might be able to help there. But don't see any of those listed.

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i could use the factory code to the monitor on a 950M FTR1147 to access the service side, getting a E2180(1), have checked both turbos and they are dry, next step would be using ET which I dont have, and also a code E1045(2) for intake manifold press low, we replaced wastegate couple weeks ago but code still pops up, if the .039 of an inch is not set right would that cause the code, I had one of the older mech. install