Hitachi ex100-3 computer problem

[JDirt]

I've been lurking here for a while, this is my first post.

I bought my gray market Hitachi about a year and a half ago to clean up my farm and do some for hire work locally. My first excavator, so nothing to compare it to, but overall I am pleased with the machine and I'm getting a lot better with it than when I started.

So then, it went into slow mode, at first intermittently, then more and more. So I downloaded a manual, bought a scan tool, and tried to track it down. My Dr.zx kept telling me it couldn’t communicate. I ran out of ideas and took the machine to the local Deere/Hitachi dealer.

When they finally got around to my machine, their diagnostic tool wouldn’t communicate with the computer (sounds familiar). They found that the PVC wasn’t sending outputs to various sensors/solenoids or the diagnostic plug, so the PVC must be bad. The PVC is obsolete, at least Deere doesn’t offer it.

After paying $1500 for diagnostics, or lack thereof, I quickly loaded my slow machine on the tilt deck and left before I was charged for something else. I was reminded of why I try to repair my own equipment. So I guess I’ll try again.

The PVC on Ebay is around $500. It comes from China. Does anyone have experience, good or bad, with this Chinese stuff? Or is there a better source for this kind of part; can they be repaired?

There is also a kit made by sinocmp for $700 that is supposed to eliminate computer control and make the machine completely hydraulic. Has anyone ever tried this route?

Any advice would be appreciated, and I hope I will someday be able to offer some as well.

 

[wilko]

Got a Chinese angle sensor a few years back, it came in a Hitachi box. Need to order a wiring harness, hope it is decent quality. Wish I had better advice for you.

 

[JDirt]

Wilko, thanks for the reply, so your sensor and one from the dealer are the same? Was it an eBay seller or where did it come from?

I thought there might be more folks out there with some experience in this area. Am I posting in the right place?

 

[wilko]

It's been years ago, but the part was in a Hitachi box, looked like the real thing. Got it off ebay, don't remember who seller was.

The problem with your thread is Hitachi fatigue. Everybody has the same problem with these damn machines, nobody ever seems to figure out the solution. I answered not because I had a good answer, but because I felt sorry for you because nobody else was saying anything. I really wish I knew an answer to your problem, heck, I really wish I didn't have a similar problem with my machine.

It does seem that wiring harnesses are an issue with these things, that's my next move. One guy here, Spitzair I think, fixed his with a harness. I would have ordered one months ago, but I can't stand the thought of buying a harness and that not fixing the problem.

Does your machine show signs of an exhaust leak? Corrosive fumes really contribute to the electrical problems on these machines.

 

[GrandpaScott]

The PVC on Ebay is around $500. It comes from China. Does anyone have experience, good or bad, with this Chinese stuff? Or is there a better source for this kind of part; can they be repaired?

I'm not sure about Chinese being a good, or bad, thing, but when on eBay, I look at the seller ratings. Both numbers matter; rating, and number of raters. I got a motherboard for a laptop from China, for $100 one time, that got the laptop running again.

Good luck!

 

[spitzair]

I think Wilko is spot on with his thoughts on the wiring being the problem. My machine was indeed fixed with a new wiring harness, I tried all kinds of things to fix it but it just didn't work, so finally after many hours of frustration and dollars in parts that didn't do anything I finally ripped all the old wiring out and installed a new harness. Would have saved me lots of time, aggravation and money to have done it right from the start. Being that your machine went into "slow mode" intermittently then more and more frequently leads me to believe it isn't your computer as when my computer was dead, the machine would move at full speed all the time, and you would kill the engine if you tried to feather your controls. It would also belch black smoke because the pumps were always loading the engine. To me it sounds like some kind of signal isn't making it to your PVC and it doesn't know to stroke up the pumps. Now we need to figure out why. It could be a sensor or more than likely the wiring. I don't know how similar the -3 is to a -2 but I do have manuals for the -2 series up here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/d6lbevr1c8dk6ao/EX100-2_Technical_Manual.pdf http://www.mediafire.com/file/m24bvw2wyhkf0v5/EX100-2_Operators_Manual.pdf Hope this helps.

 

[JDirt]

The only piece of Information I got from the dealer (for $1500) was that the diagnostic plug coming from the computer wouldn't communicate with the scan tool. I bought a scan tool and I got the same thing. The said plug only has 4 wires and they seem to have good continuity all the way back to the PVC, so they told me that in order to retrieve any codes or go any further, I would have to have a PVC. I would like to rule out the PVC, is there anybody that can test it, good or bad, so as to rule it out?

 

[spitzair]

You could always try to find another machine and see if the owner is willing to let you stick your computer in it to see how it works. Of course you would need to make sure that machine is working correctly first, otherwise you could just end up getting a false diagnosis... Now if your computer runs that machine correctly then your computer is not the cause of the problem, and likewise if it now has the same symptoms as yours then the problem is almost definitely your computer.

 

[JDirt]

Hey, good idea, can't say I've seen one like mine around here. Anybody know of an ex100-3 in southern Missouri?

 

[Brad threlfall]

Hi i brought an manual conversion kit for hitachi ex120-2 from sinocmp, it didn't come with any instructions and the supplers didn't wanna help at all and the ad said it would come with English instructions, the parts in the kit look well made, just no instructions

 

[mac mclaren]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/EX1...draulic-pump-regulator-parts/32810028089.html

this kit is available for aprox $1000.00 from aliexpress

 

[Mr.sheng]

1500$ so expensive ,right ?