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Help with my Takeuchi 153 fr (2006) Out of ideas

Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Messages
7
Location
Vancouver Island Canada
Hey Guys, I have an old machine, a 2006 153 fr Takeuchi. I have fixed many things on it now, as you do, but recently I have run into an issue I cannot solve. I called a mechanic to help, and after a few visits, multiple replaced parts, and a few thousand dollars, he gave up and is ghosting me. My goal here is to generate some ideas on what could be going on to help the next mechanic troubleshoot, or fix it myself if it seems feasible.

I first started noticing an issue where the machine shuts down on uneven ground, so I assumed it was a fuel supply issue. The mechanic replaced the fuel supply solenoid as it failed a few times in testing; this did not solve the issue. Now no matter what ground it is on, it shuts off, so it might not even be a fuel supply issue.

When starting cold, it runs for approximately 10 minutes before shutting off, and after that, it shuts off in like 2-3 minutes; no warning lights turn on during this run period.

I'm sort of in the middle of nowhere, and experience is a rare thing to come by. I was hoping I could consult the grey beard council for any ideas on where to start with this issue so I can fix it myself, or at the very least give the next mechanic some ideas where to start.

Here is a video of the issue and the same explanation:

Thank you for your time!
 

ozarkag

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2018
Messages
666
Location
ozarks
Also, I see a fuel lift pump #11. one more item to check.

I suspect an electronic component failing as it heats up. Not as familiar with the excavotor, but dash appears similar to a ctl. So, fuel solenoid is controlled by dash, via a relay, possibly with a safety interlock relay as well. Oil pressure and low water sensors feed into dash, but should trigger a light 30 seconds before shut down. Couldn't tell in the video, does oil/ water light come on in self test at key on?
can you tell, is the solenoid off after it shuts down? ( does it click off when key is turned off)
 

Universal Parts

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2025
Messages
274
Location
china
Occupation
Small-scale engineering parts distributor
There are generally three reasons why the excavator automatically shuts down. 1. Circuit and electrical appliances 2. Diesel oil circuit 3. Hydraulic system. You can use simple judgment to check what faults are. If there is no alarm before the engine shuts down and the engine does not stall, it shuts down like a sudden power outage. It is a circuit fault and you need to check the relay fuse wire. If the engine shuts down with a rapid drop in speed and there is no black smoke or the black smoke is very small, it is judged to be an oil circuit problem. Check the filter element and the oil-water separator. You also need to remove the oil circuit to see if there are impurities. If there is a lot of black smoke before the engine shuts down, it is most likely a hydraulic system problem. The hydraulic pressure does not match the engine power. Check the pressure sensor and the proportional solenoid valve to adjust the output power of the hydraulic pump to match the engine. Please check which type your machine belongs to. I hope this method will work for you.
 

Universal Parts

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2025
Messages
274
Location
china
Occupation
Small-scale engineering parts distributor
I don't know if you also have a video. Judging from the video, it seems to be a circuit problem. Do you have this situation that you can't start immediately after turning off the engine? Wait for a while to start it, and turn off the engine repeatedly. It is recommended to check the circuit problem first and check whether the voltage of the common rail sensor is normal. For example, after idling start, the common rail pressure suddenly turns off at about 1.7 volts and then rises and then falls, which proves that there is no problem with the diesel system, which directly leads to the power outage of the fuel injector. The common rail pressure is no problem, and then replace the crankshaft sensor. The feedback of the crankshaft sensor is the fuel injection time, and the mismatch between the fuel injection time and compression also leads to the shutdown.
 

heymccall

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
6,134
Location
Western Pennsylvania
I had 4 TB180FR and a TB53FR. Debris would accumulate in the separator inlet elbow of the fuel water separator. Most of the time, it was a performance issue, ie...a miss under load. But, on one of my common rail TB180FR, the debris would occasionally cause a shutoff. Sometimes it would restart that day, and you could start it and run it the next day. Then, it would maybe go a week. This went on for months.
The solution, after the dealer spent $2300 in lift pump and diagnostics, I drove there, removed the separator and cleared the debris from the inlet, and installed a Napa 3972 inline screen prior to the separator. The problem never came back.

This same blockage occurred on all of my TL150, TB53FR, TB180FR, SVL75, SVL75-2, and Cat 248B

Searching "3972" on here should yield pictures and testimonials.
 

heymccall

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
6,134
Location
Western Pennsylvania
Try this thread
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Messages
7
Location
Vancouver Island Canada
Hey Guys, I have an old machine, a 2006 153 fr Takeuchi. I have fixed many things on it now, as you do, but recently I have run into an issue I cannot solve. I called a mechanic to help, and after a few visits, multiple replaced parts, and a few thousand dollars, he gave up and is ghosting me. My goal here is to generate some ideas on what could be going on to help the next mechanic troubleshoot, or fix it myself if it seems feasible.

I first started noticing an issue where the machine shuts down on uneven ground, so I assumed it was a fuel supply issue. The mechanic replaced the fuel supply solenoid as it failed a few times in testing; this did not solve the issue. Now no matter what ground it is on, it shuts off, so it might not even be a fuel supply issue.

When starting cold, it runs for approximately 10 minutes before shutting off, and after that, it shuts off in like 2-3 minutes; no warning lights turn on during this run period.

I'm sort of in the middle of nowhere, and experience is a rare thing to come by. I was hoping I could consult the grey beard council for any ideas on where to start with this issue so I can fix it myself, or at the very least give the next mechanic some ideas where to start.

Here is a video of the issue and the same explanation:

Thank you for your time!
Problem solved! Inlet to the water separator was clogged with debris, it's running great now.

Thank you everyone for helping this issue, I'm glad it turned out to be something simple, and also embarrassed.

I hope I can pass some advice to someone else with a similar issue one day.

Thank you all!
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Messages
7
Location
Vancouver Island Canada
Try this thread
I had 4 TB180FR and a TB53FR. Debris would accumulate in the separator inlet elbow of the fuel water separator. Most of the time, it was a performance issue, ie...a miss under load. But, on one of my common rail TB180FR, the debris would occasionally cause a shutoff. Sometimes it would restart that day, and you could start it and run it the next day. Then, it would maybe go a week. This went on for months.
The solution, after the dealer spent $2300 in lift pump and diagnostics, I drove there, removed the separator and cleared the debris from the inlet, and installed a Napa 3972 inline screen prior to the separator. The problem never came back.

This same blockage occurred on all of my TL150, TB53FR, TB180FR, SVL75, SVL75-2, and Cat 248B

Searching "3972" on here should yield pictures and testimonials.
Problem solved!! You were absolutely right.

My mechanic did clean this when he worked on it, but I guess I have more debris in tank and it clogged right away again at the inlet.

I added an in line filter as you recommended, and it's running great.

Thank you so much for pushing me in the right direction and getting me to take a second look at that.
I really appreciate it!
 

Hwg

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2026
Messages
16
Location
USA
Hey Guys, I have an old machine, a 2006 153 fr Takeuchi. I have fixed many things on it now, as you do, but recently I have run into an issue I cannot solve. I called a mechanic to help, and after a few visits, multiple replaced parts, and a few thousand dollars, he gave up and is ghosting me. My goal here is to generate some ideas on what could be going on to help the next mechanic troubleshoot, or fix it myself if it seems feasible.

I first started noticing an issue where the machine shuts down on uneven ground, so I assumed it was a fuel supply issue. The mechanic replaced the fuel supply solenoid as it failed a few times in testing; this did not solve the issue. Now no matter what ground it is on, it shuts off, so it might not even be a fuel supply issue.

When starting cold, it runs for approximately 10 minutes before shutting off, and after that, it shuts off in like 2-3 minutes; no warning lights turn on during this run period.

I'm sort of in the middle of nowhere, and experience is a rare thing to come by. I was hoping I could consult the grey beard council for any ideas on where to start with this issue so I can fix it myself, or at the very least give the next mechanic some ideas where to start.

Here is a video of the issue and the same explanation:

Thank you for your time!
Didn’t read everything but a couple of our Takeuchi’s from that era had coolant level sensor issues, this shuts off the fuel as a safety. Some we adjusted and some we grounded and deleted.
 
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