thetool
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 516
This is long, but I thought I'd share because there are problems here that seem to repeat themselves, and some confusion on the issue. I think this will help DIYers with actuator issues.
This can be tricky, and there are a few things that can go wrong, so over the years I have developed a procedure that reduces the dice-rolling and chances that you replace an expensive component only to have the problem recur.
The machine displays a fault code that you find to be either a lift or tilt actuator short to ground, failure to neutral, whatever. Is it constant or intermittent? Can you work for a while and then it fails, or does it fail as soon as you push the green button? Make a mental note for later. Keep track of the codes. They clear every time you shut the machine off.
When you push the green button, the machine does a very quick self-test. If it fails then, try bouncing the machine after pushing the yellow button which allows it to drive, then try the green button again. What you're looking for is shorted harness, and getting the short away from it's point of contact inside the machine. This is an especially good test if it's an intermittent failure. A constant failure, that is, a failure every time you push the green button, points away from harness, but dosen't discount it because maybe the short is hard on the point of contact.
Do not go out and buy an actuator right away, unless you're pretty sure that's what's wrong or you have to because the machine is 1000 miles away. But if you do get the actuator first, go ahead and buy the adaptor that you may also need depending on the age of the actuator you're replacing.
I always somehow get the boom up and locked, remove the steering panel and go into it from the top. All the salties will tell you that's unnecessary, you can go in from the motor cover, it's easier and takes less time. You do it your way, and I'll do it mine, but I never had a re-work for an actuator code, and I never sold an unnecessary component after I adopted this procedure.
It's hard to get the boom up if the hydraulics are dead, I know. Get another machine and disconnect your hoses at one lift cylinder if you have to, but get the boom up and locked. If it's an intermittent failure raise the boom and lock it before it fails. If it's a tilt failure, sometimes it won't code until you stroke the tilt handle, depending on the type of failure, so you can still raise the boom.
Remove the steering panel. You cannot inspect your harness sufficiently with the panel in place. I have had a lot of actuator codes that were exposed and shorted power wires on the harness, missed because the actuator was replaced through the motor cover by the customer's genius master mechanic who now curses Bobcat.
So the boom is up and locked, and your steering panel is out, inspect your ACS harness. If you also have foot pedals like most, the harness goes down into the pedal area, and rubs hidden behing the side panels can also give codes like "Tilt handle/pedal short to ground", but that's aside from actuator codes.
Since version 50-something software, swapping the actuator plugs as a test does not work. The stroke programming for lift and tilt is different and it will code if you swap them, so it's worthless as a test.
I aquired a 1/4" drive, short 3/16" hex driver specifically for removing and installing actuator bolts. I use it with a 1/4" drive ratchet and extentions to slide past all the hoses, wires and tubing, down along the actuator, and remove the bolts.
There are two different-looking type of actuators. The old ones are thinner with plastic-cap-looking motor-ends, and the new ones look sturdier, with machine-screw attached motor caps, larger diameter motor cans, and a black anodized overall finish.
Work top down. If you have a lift actuator fault, remove the top(tilt) actuator first.
Remove the actuator bolts, pull it out and remove the detent pin. When you pull the actuator, the screw should extend smoothly and you should hear a nice smooth gear whine as you pull it out while the screw is attached to the spool. Any grabbing or grinding points to a bad actuator.
With the actuator out, you should be able to rotate the spool, and you should be able to move it in and out against the centering spring. You may need to use some kind of tool in the spool hole becaue the spring is stiff, but it should move smoothly forward and backward and return to a solid center. Any failure here indicates debris in the valve, but that could have also burned up the associated actuator. Even a little piece of o-ring can do this. This means pulling the rear cap on the spool and sliding the spool out of the valve to repair. If it's steel debris and a stuck spool-well-that's a separate issue.
If everything looks good so far, there is one more thing you can do to try and eliminate the controller without throwing parts at it. Reinstall the actuators, but put them back in opposite, that is, swap the actuators, not the plugs. On the harness, there is a tag that says "Top Actuator". So plug it in correctly, lay the steering panel back in and connect all plugs and start it and see what happens. For example, if you had a lift actuator code, and you swapped the top actuator down into the lift spool, and the valve was working correctly, and the harness seemed okay, and you get the same codes, this points to the controller. Not to say run out and buy a controller, but keep it in mind if you run into problems later.
So now you're ready to replace the actuator. Look at the end of the actuator, compared to your new one. The old actuator has an o-ring on the face that goes into the adapter, the new style has an o-ring on the O.D, which requires a new adapter. The actuator will code without the correct adapter, and may even burn up, because the stroke and center will not match.
When you install the detent pin into the spool eye, make sure and get it centered. If it's sticking out one side or the other, it will hang up and code.
When you intall the actuator, you have to be gentle with the bolts. You can't cinch one side down then the other. It will bind the actuator and it will code. Start them both, get them close, then alternatley snug them up. Snug the first side, then reach in and rotate the actuator, then sung the other. You want them evenly just snug enough to where the actuator won't rotate by hand or bumps.
If it's a new actuator with a yellow label, your software needs to be updated, if not already, to version 63.0 or higher. I see no reason why any decent dealer wouldn't update your machine on the trailer during a drive-by, for free. It's also important to do a calibration. It can be done on the computer by pushing a button, or you can do it from the cab without a computer, but unless your software is updated, it's worthless to calibrate a new actuator.
If you don't update and calibrate after actuator replacement, your machine may work, but you risk burning up your new actuator.
So this was long, but to recap:
Get the boom up, remove the steering panel, and inspect your harness.
Work from the top, not through the motor cover.
Check your valve spools.
Be careful when intalling the new actuator-corect adapter, detent pin postition and evenly snugging the bolts to prevent binding. You just can't do this through the motor cover without depending on luck or if you've done it and screwed it up so many times that you now have the "feel" for it.
Software update and calibration.
Hope this helps.
This can be tricky, and there are a few things that can go wrong, so over the years I have developed a procedure that reduces the dice-rolling and chances that you replace an expensive component only to have the problem recur.
The machine displays a fault code that you find to be either a lift or tilt actuator short to ground, failure to neutral, whatever. Is it constant or intermittent? Can you work for a while and then it fails, or does it fail as soon as you push the green button? Make a mental note for later. Keep track of the codes. They clear every time you shut the machine off.
When you push the green button, the machine does a very quick self-test. If it fails then, try bouncing the machine after pushing the yellow button which allows it to drive, then try the green button again. What you're looking for is shorted harness, and getting the short away from it's point of contact inside the machine. This is an especially good test if it's an intermittent failure. A constant failure, that is, a failure every time you push the green button, points away from harness, but dosen't discount it because maybe the short is hard on the point of contact.
Do not go out and buy an actuator right away, unless you're pretty sure that's what's wrong or you have to because the machine is 1000 miles away. But if you do get the actuator first, go ahead and buy the adaptor that you may also need depending on the age of the actuator you're replacing.
I always somehow get the boom up and locked, remove the steering panel and go into it from the top. All the salties will tell you that's unnecessary, you can go in from the motor cover, it's easier and takes less time. You do it your way, and I'll do it mine, but I never had a re-work for an actuator code, and I never sold an unnecessary component after I adopted this procedure.
It's hard to get the boom up if the hydraulics are dead, I know. Get another machine and disconnect your hoses at one lift cylinder if you have to, but get the boom up and locked. If it's an intermittent failure raise the boom and lock it before it fails. If it's a tilt failure, sometimes it won't code until you stroke the tilt handle, depending on the type of failure, so you can still raise the boom.
Remove the steering panel. You cannot inspect your harness sufficiently with the panel in place. I have had a lot of actuator codes that were exposed and shorted power wires on the harness, missed because the actuator was replaced through the motor cover by the customer's genius master mechanic who now curses Bobcat.
So the boom is up and locked, and your steering panel is out, inspect your ACS harness. If you also have foot pedals like most, the harness goes down into the pedal area, and rubs hidden behing the side panels can also give codes like "Tilt handle/pedal short to ground", but that's aside from actuator codes.
Since version 50-something software, swapping the actuator plugs as a test does not work. The stroke programming for lift and tilt is different and it will code if you swap them, so it's worthless as a test.
I aquired a 1/4" drive, short 3/16" hex driver specifically for removing and installing actuator bolts. I use it with a 1/4" drive ratchet and extentions to slide past all the hoses, wires and tubing, down along the actuator, and remove the bolts.
There are two different-looking type of actuators. The old ones are thinner with plastic-cap-looking motor-ends, and the new ones look sturdier, with machine-screw attached motor caps, larger diameter motor cans, and a black anodized overall finish.
Work top down. If you have a lift actuator fault, remove the top(tilt) actuator first.
Remove the actuator bolts, pull it out and remove the detent pin. When you pull the actuator, the screw should extend smoothly and you should hear a nice smooth gear whine as you pull it out while the screw is attached to the spool. Any grabbing or grinding points to a bad actuator.
With the actuator out, you should be able to rotate the spool, and you should be able to move it in and out against the centering spring. You may need to use some kind of tool in the spool hole becaue the spring is stiff, but it should move smoothly forward and backward and return to a solid center. Any failure here indicates debris in the valve, but that could have also burned up the associated actuator. Even a little piece of o-ring can do this. This means pulling the rear cap on the spool and sliding the spool out of the valve to repair. If it's steel debris and a stuck spool-well-that's a separate issue.
If everything looks good so far, there is one more thing you can do to try and eliminate the controller without throwing parts at it. Reinstall the actuators, but put them back in opposite, that is, swap the actuators, not the plugs. On the harness, there is a tag that says "Top Actuator". So plug it in correctly, lay the steering panel back in and connect all plugs and start it and see what happens. For example, if you had a lift actuator code, and you swapped the top actuator down into the lift spool, and the valve was working correctly, and the harness seemed okay, and you get the same codes, this points to the controller. Not to say run out and buy a controller, but keep it in mind if you run into problems later.
So now you're ready to replace the actuator. Look at the end of the actuator, compared to your new one. The old actuator has an o-ring on the face that goes into the adapter, the new style has an o-ring on the O.D, which requires a new adapter. The actuator will code without the correct adapter, and may even burn up, because the stroke and center will not match.
When you install the detent pin into the spool eye, make sure and get it centered. If it's sticking out one side or the other, it will hang up and code.
When you intall the actuator, you have to be gentle with the bolts. You can't cinch one side down then the other. It will bind the actuator and it will code. Start them both, get them close, then alternatley snug them up. Snug the first side, then reach in and rotate the actuator, then sung the other. You want them evenly just snug enough to where the actuator won't rotate by hand or bumps.
If it's a new actuator with a yellow label, your software needs to be updated, if not already, to version 63.0 or higher. I see no reason why any decent dealer wouldn't update your machine on the trailer during a drive-by, for free. It's also important to do a calibration. It can be done on the computer by pushing a button, or you can do it from the cab without a computer, but unless your software is updated, it's worthless to calibrate a new actuator.
If you don't update and calibrate after actuator replacement, your machine may work, but you risk burning up your new actuator.
So this was long, but to recap:
Get the boom up, remove the steering panel, and inspect your harness.
Work from the top, not through the motor cover.
Check your valve spools.
Be careful when intalling the new actuator-corect adapter, detent pin postition and evenly snugging the bolts to prevent binding. You just can't do this through the motor cover without depending on luck or if you've done it and screwed it up so many times that you now have the "feel" for it.
Software update and calibration.
Hope this helps.
