Cat 215 weak hdyraulics

[Dgreen4298]

i have a cat 215 that has been giving me some trouble. I am not sure if I have an engine power issue or a hydraulic issue. The problem I am having is the hydraulics are pretty weak. I had a couple of fuel problems that have been straightened out, rebuilt fuel transfer pump and new fuel lines and pick up tube in tank. Engine starts and runs well, no more missing and primer pump works as it should. Fuel pressure at injection pump is around 30-40 psi. When trying to dig with bucket or swinging with a load it just won't go like it should. I installed a pressure gauge in the top of the injection pump as advised and after about 20 minute I notice fuel leaking and found that the gauge had filled with fuel and blew the vent cap off, this happened twice. Gauge was a 60 psi gauge. So now I am wondering if I might have a fuel injection pump issue where it is pressurizing the feed line somehow.i am going to try a 160 psi gauge.
One thing that I noticed is a slight hissing sound coming from somewhere in side the left door where all the valves are. I can't tell which one it is coming from and I am not sure if it is normal or not. Also when I move the levers and machine won't go I can hear hissing in the hydraulics like it bypassing or something.

Machine serial number is 95z00480

 

[rmllarue91]

Get a video of exhaust I can hear pumps loading but I want to hear if engine rpms are falling how far and how quickly does it rev back up. I like to test pilot pressure and relief pressures when I get a performance issue first. Does machine seem to operate when slowly digging in loose material or walking on level ground?

 

[Dgreen4298]

I think yes it operates fine in loose soil and tracking straight. I’ll get video soon

 

[Dgreen4298]

I think yes

 

[Dgreen4298]

 

[Dgreen4298]

First video shows exhaust when trying to swing with very small load on system
Second video is the hissing sound in the valve compartment. The sound might be normal, I don’t know.

 

[rmllarue91]

It seems like pumps aren't destroking but I was expecting to see some black smoke when rpms dropped off. Does it die right out when you relief each function. When walking machine up incline does travel speed slow some or does engine die out.

 

[TVA]

Even flapper on the exhaust points out to engine performance. Engine doesn’t sounds like it’s struggling, just flat falls on its face! I think it is fuel problem!

 

[Dgreen4298]

As long as the ground is flat and I am not in thick mud it travels fine. If by relief you mean holding lever in one position while not moving , yes it will drop rpms and would probably die if I didn’t let up, it does not drop fast , it drops slowly. I have checked engine high rpm with a digital tach and got about 2120 rpm and 720 rpm low idle. There is no smoke from engine at any time.

 

[Nige]

If the hydraulic system was requiring more power than the engine was capable of producing then when the RPM lugs down the engine ought to be black-smoking like a sonofabitch. It's not - ergo, look at the fuel system and definitively eliminate it as a possibility before proceeding further. Another box to tick would be the turbo, but that comes after.

 

[One guy construction]

If the hydraulic system was requiring more power than the engine was capable of producing then when the RPM lugs down the engine ought to be black-smoking like a sonofabitch. It's not - ergo, look at the fuel system and definitively eliminate it as a possibility before proceeding further. Another box to tick would be the turbo, but that comes after.

my 314 was doing kinda the same thing. All worked fine until under a full load then no power. loose dirt and tracking it was fine, but it would blow black smoke when losing power. Bad turbo

 

[Dgreen4298]

One construction guy, was your turbo loose or anything? Mine spins free any has no end play in it.

 

[One guy construction]

One construction guy, was your turbo loose or anything? Mine spins free any has no end play in it.

mine did not spin easy

 

[Nige]

One construction guy, was your turbo loose or anything? Mine spins free any has no end play in it.

if I was you I’d be initially focusing more on the fuel system than the turbo. See my post above, the lack of black smoke when the engine is asked to produce power by the hydraulic system is the biggest clue.

 

[TVA]

Any problem with turbo will produce smoke ! Either air starvation or leaking bushing will produce black or grey smoke
As far as I see yours is purely mechanical engine - so there’s no ECM to cut down on fuel on account of air starvation!
Nige exactly right: first stop - fuel system!!!

 

[kshansen]

Any problem with turbo will produce smoke ! Either air starvation or leaking bushing will produce black or grey smoke
As far as I see yours is purely mechanical engine - so there’s no ECM to cut down on fuel on account of air starvation!
Nige exactly right: first stop - fuel system!!!

That's what I as one totally unfamiliar with the excavator would think. Bad turbo or loss of boost do to leaking would starve for air and cause lots of black smoke.

Low power and no smoke would have me thinking not enough fuel getting to the engine.

 

[TVA]

That's what I as one totally unfamiliar with the excavator would think. Bad turbo or loss of boost do to leaking would starve for air and cause lots of black smoke.

Low power and no smoke would have me thinking not enough fuel getting to the engine.

Your exactly right IMHO! The computerized controls is different though, ECM can “see” the amount of air and adjust fuel delivery accordingly.

 

[Dgreen4298]

I am going to try and check out the governor. Does anyone know if I can remove just the governor part from the injection pump without removing the entire injection pump from the engine?

 

[TVA]

I wouldn’t! You talking about injection pump governor, like the counterweight and all enchilada? Or throttle governor?!
Before messing with injection pump first you need to be 200% sure that your fuel and air delivery is sufficient, and compression timing and other stuff also!
Well timing is partly within the injection pump but with absence of smoke I don’t think it is your problem!

 

[Nige]

Second that. Don't go messing with an FIP governor unless you REALLY know what you're doing.
Do you actually KNOW what High Idle RPM your engine is making.? Do you know what the spec is.? If the answer to both is no, you need info before you even think of opening a toolbox.
These are the questions that IMHO you should be asking yourself before you go interfering with an FIP.