Good afternoon, first time ever posting, so thank you!
I am having an issue with my skid steer, so looking for a little advice before I start replacing parts.
CAT, 246B Tire skid steer. 2005 model I do believe.
I started running my skid steer in the morning. Started right up like always.
Shut it down to get out and do some shoveling.
Got back into it and it would not start. Not only would it not start, all the cab power was out. No lights, nothing, everything totally dead.
Immediately I thought that a battery cable might have come off the terminal or something similar as I had absolutely no power.
Opened the back and started checking connections. The Battery connections to the battery posts were solid and looked good.
Pulled on the 2/0 cable that goes from the positive of the battery post up to the starter post. Cable immediately came off the post at the starter and hit something to ground and shorted briefly. This very much surprised me, as I certainly was not expecting that. (good lesson to expect if you pull on something, it might actually be loose) The 2/0, ½ round crimp connector had broken in half at the starter post.
I figured that for sure this must be the issue as the positive cable from the battery, goes up to the starter post, and then parallels up to the 105 amp circuit breaker that is on the side machine. This starter post connection was not solid and it probably dropped power to the entire machine since the starter post is the parallel point it appears. For the heck of it, I wedged and bolted the half terminal connector back into the starter post (It had a washer and a hex nut so I could get it somewhat tight) . I got back into the machine, and turned on the key… It was completely dead, but after about 15 seconds of waiting with the key on, a relay must have closed, and suddenly I had cab had power again.
After the power was restored, and this is the weird part, I tried to turn the skid steer over to start it. Immediately, once trying to turn the key over to start, the machine lost all power again. Everything was dead in the cab. From this, I figured I needed to replace the 2/0 cable from the battery to the starter.
Today, I replaced the bad 2/0 cable.
Went into the cab, and the lights came on, and I figured I had it. Went to turn the key over to start, and the machine lost all power once again.
Stopped what I was doing, and did some quick voltage checks. Had good voltage at the starter and had good voltage on both sides of the 105amp main fuse.
I went back into the cab, turned the key on, and after 15 seconds or so, again, the cab power came back on.
Lights worked, heater blower worked, everything seemed to power up.
However, when trying to start the machine again, when turning it over to start, all power drops back out.
My thought is that maybe the starter is bad, and shorted, and it is dropping power to the machine?
What I do not understand is what is going on if it is shorting out at the starter?
One would think that it would blow some sort of fuse and not reset.
What circuit is activating again once you wait 15 seconds or so, and will deliver power back to the cab? Is this some sort of over current sensing relay that latches in and then unlatches?
I am not sure where to go from here, except start looking into the starter, and maybe pulling it out and bench testing it.
Any advice to help point in the right direction would be great.
Also, the 105-circuit breaker, it presents a trip button you that you can push it in and out.
How do you know when it is tripped? Does it pop out further than where it resided currently? (It appears that when its normal, it sits slighly proud and can be pushed in and out).
Thanks so much, and sorry for the long post.. Felt like I needed to be thorough after reading some of the other post when trying to do some research on my particular issue.
I am having an issue with my skid steer, so looking for a little advice before I start replacing parts.
CAT, 246B Tire skid steer. 2005 model I do believe.
I started running my skid steer in the morning. Started right up like always.
Shut it down to get out and do some shoveling.
Got back into it and it would not start. Not only would it not start, all the cab power was out. No lights, nothing, everything totally dead.
Immediately I thought that a battery cable might have come off the terminal or something similar as I had absolutely no power.
Opened the back and started checking connections. The Battery connections to the battery posts were solid and looked good.
Pulled on the 2/0 cable that goes from the positive of the battery post up to the starter post. Cable immediately came off the post at the starter and hit something to ground and shorted briefly. This very much surprised me, as I certainly was not expecting that. (good lesson to expect if you pull on something, it might actually be loose) The 2/0, ½ round crimp connector had broken in half at the starter post.
I figured that for sure this must be the issue as the positive cable from the battery, goes up to the starter post, and then parallels up to the 105 amp circuit breaker that is on the side machine. This starter post connection was not solid and it probably dropped power to the entire machine since the starter post is the parallel point it appears. For the heck of it, I wedged and bolted the half terminal connector back into the starter post (It had a washer and a hex nut so I could get it somewhat tight) . I got back into the machine, and turned on the key… It was completely dead, but after about 15 seconds of waiting with the key on, a relay must have closed, and suddenly I had cab had power again.
After the power was restored, and this is the weird part, I tried to turn the skid steer over to start it. Immediately, once trying to turn the key over to start, the machine lost all power again. Everything was dead in the cab. From this, I figured I needed to replace the 2/0 cable from the battery to the starter.
Today, I replaced the bad 2/0 cable.
Went into the cab, and the lights came on, and I figured I had it. Went to turn the key over to start, and the machine lost all power once again.
Stopped what I was doing, and did some quick voltage checks. Had good voltage at the starter and had good voltage on both sides of the 105amp main fuse.
I went back into the cab, turned the key on, and after 15 seconds or so, again, the cab power came back on.
Lights worked, heater blower worked, everything seemed to power up.
However, when trying to start the machine again, when turning it over to start, all power drops back out.
My thought is that maybe the starter is bad, and shorted, and it is dropping power to the machine?
What I do not understand is what is going on if it is shorting out at the starter?
One would think that it would blow some sort of fuse and not reset.
What circuit is activating again once you wait 15 seconds or so, and will deliver power back to the cab? Is this some sort of over current sensing relay that latches in and then unlatches?
I am not sure where to go from here, except start looking into the starter, and maybe pulling it out and bench testing it.
Any advice to help point in the right direction would be great.
Also, the 105-circuit breaker, it presents a trip button you that you can push it in and out.
How do you know when it is tripped? Does it pop out further than where it resided currently? (It appears that when its normal, it sits slighly proud and can be pushed in and out).
Thanks so much, and sorry for the long post.. Felt like I needed to be thorough after reading some of the other post when trying to do some research on my particular issue.
)
