GROUP 2 OPERATIONAL CHECKS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

1. OPERATIONAL CHECKS
This procedure is designed so the service man can make a quick check of the steering system using
a minimum amount of diagnostic equipment. If you need additional information, prefer to structure
and function in group 1.
A location will be required which is level and has adequate space to complete the checks.
The engine and all other major components must be at operating temperature for some checks.
Locate system check in the left column and read completely, following this sequence from left to right.
Read each check completely before performing.
At the end of each check, if no problem is found (OK), that check is complete or an additional check
is needed. If problem is indicated (NOT OK), you will be give repair required and group location. If
verification is needed, you will be give next best source of information :

·Chapter 2 : Troubleshooting
·Group 3 : Tests and adjustments

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※Hydraulic oil must be at operating temperature for these checks (refer to page 6-87).
Item Description Service action
Steering unit check Run engine at low idle. OK
Check completed.
Turn steering wheel until frames are
at maximum right and then left posi- NOT OK
tions. Go to next check.
L O O K : Fra m e s mu s t m ove
smoothly in both directions.
When steering wheel is stopped,
frames must stop.
FEEL : Excessive effort must not be
required to turn steering wheel.
NOTE : It is normal for steering to
drift from stops when steering
wheel is released.
Steering system leakage Turn steering wheel rapidly until OK
check Left Right frames are against stop. Check completed.
Heat hydraulic oil to
Hold approximately 2kg on steering NOT OK
operating temperature.
wheel. Do steering system leakage
Run engine at high idle.
test in group 3 to isolate the
Count steering wheel revolutions
leakage.
for 1 minute.
Repeat test in opposite direction.
LOOK : Steering wheel should
rotate less than 7rpm.
NOTE : Use good judgment;
Excessive steering wheel rpm does
not mean steering will be affected.
Priority valve (in main Park machine on a hard surface. OK
pump) low pressure Check completed.
Hold brake pedal down.
check
NOT OK
Run engine at high idle.
Do priority valve pressure
Steer machine to the right and left test in group 3.
as far as possible.
LOOK : Machine must turn at least
half way to the right and left stops.
Priority valve (in main Steer to steering stop and release OK
Mechanical
pump valve) high pres- steering wheel. Check completed.
sure check
Roll bucket back and hold over NOT OK
relief and observe engine rpm. Priority pressure is set too
Run engine at high idle.
high. Do priority valve pres-
Turn steering wheel to steering
sure test in group 3.
Pilot stop and hold, observe engine rpm.
LOOK : Steering stall engine rpm
must be higher than hydraulic stall
rpm.

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2. TROUBLESHOOTING
※ Diagnose malfunction charts are arranged from most probable and simplest to verify, to least
likely, more difficult to verify. Remember the following steps when troubleshooting a problem :
Step 1. Operational check out procedure (see group 3 in section 1)
Step 2. Operational checks (in this group)
Step 3. Troubleshooting
Step 4. Tests and adjustments (see group 3)
Problem Cause
No steering Low oil level.
Failed main pump (P1).
Failed main pump drive.
Stuck priority valve spool.
Broken priority valve spring.
Relief valve in steering unit stuck open.
No hydraulic functions Stuck open system relief valve.
steering normal
Pressed safety switch
Plugged pilot line filter.
Failed hydraulic pump.
Low secondary pressure of RCV.
Steering wheel difficult to Tires not inflated to correct pressure.
turn.
Insufficient hydraulic fluid.
Leaks in the relevant hoses or compo- Check hoses and connections for leaks.
nent connections.
Air in the hydraulic system.
Low pump flow.
Steer relief valve set incorrectly.
Worn or damaged parts in the steer con- Remove and inspect.
trol valve.
Priority valve not operating correctly.
Mechanical failure.
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Remedy
Add recommended oil.
Remove and inspect return filter for
metal pump particles.
Do main pump flow test.
Remove and inspect priority valve spool
in main pump.
Remove and inspect spring.
Do relief cartridge leakage test.
Replace relief valve.
Release safety switch.
Inspect and replace.
Remove and inspect the pump.
Check the pressure and replace if nec-
essary.
Inflate tire to correct pressure.
Check for leaks and fill up the hydraulic
tank as required.
Bleed system - bleed the load sense line.
Check pump flow, if required service or
replace pump.
Check pressure setting of steer unit relief
valve, adjust as required.
Check if priority valve is sticking, repair
as required.
Check the load sense line from the
steering unit to the priority valve in main
pump for signs of leaking or poor con-
nection.
Check for damaged axle components,
such as rams, trackrods, linkages etc.
 Problem
Machine will not tur n Insufficient hydraulic fluid.
when the steering wheel
turned
Leaks in the relevant hoses or compo- Check hoses and connections for leaks.
nent connections.
Slow or hard steering
C o n s t a n t s t e e r i n g t o Air in system.
maintain straight travel
Cause Remedy
Check for leaks and fill up the hydraulic
tank as required.
Air in the hydraulic system. Bleed system - bleed the load sense line.
Low pump flow. Check pump flow, if required service or
replace pump.
Steer relief valve set incorrectly. Check pressure setting of steer unit relief
valve, adjust as required.
Worn or damaged parts in the steering Remove and inspect.
unit
Priority valve in main pump not operating Check if the priority valve is sticking,
correctly. repair as required.
Check the load sense line from the steer-
ring unit to the priority valve for signs of
leaking or poor connection.
Mechanical failure. Check for damaged axle components,
such as rams, trackrods, linkages etc.
Steer column splined shaft not fully Check shaft engagement.
engaged in steering unit.
Power track rod failure. Check power track rod for signs of dam-
age, leaks etc.
Too much friction in the mechanical parts of Lubricate bearings and joints of steering
the machine. column or repair if necessary.
Check steering column installation.
Cold oil. Warm the hydraulic oil.
Low priority valve pressure setting. Do priority valve pressure test.
Clean or replace cartridge in steering unit.
Worn hydraulic pump. Do hydraulic pump performance check .
Sticking priority valve spool. Remove and inspect.
Broken priority valve spring. Remove and inspect.
Check for foamy oil.
Leakage in steering system. Do steering system leakage check.
Worn steering unit. Do steering system leakage check.
Do steering unit neutral leakage test in
group 3.
Leaf spring without spring force or broken. Replace leaf springs.
Spring in double shock valve broken. Replace shock valve.
Gear wheel set worn. Replace gear wheel set.
Cylinder seized or piston seals worn. Replace defects parts.
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 Problem Cause Remedy
S l o w s t e e r i n g w h e e l Leakage in steering unit gerotor. Do steering system leakage check.
movement will not cause
Worn steering unit gerotor. Do steering leakage check.
any frame movement

Steering wheel can be Leakage in steering system. Do steering system leakage check.
turned against steering
stop

Steering wheel turns with Broken steering column or splined cou- Remove and inspect.
no resistance pling.
Lack of oil in steering unit. Start engine and check steering operation.
Leakage in steering system. Do steering system leakage test in group 3.

Erratic steering Air in oil. Check for foamy oil.

Low oil level. Add recommended oil.
Sticking priority valve spool. Remove and inspect spool.
Loose cylinder piston. Remove rod to inspect piston.
Damaged steering unit. Remove and inspect.

Spongy or soft steering Air in oil. Check for foamy oil.

Low oil level. Add recommended oil.

Free play at steer ing Loose steering wheel nut. Tighten.

wheel
Worn or damaged splines on steering col- Inspect.
umn or unit.

Steering unit binding or Binding in steering column or misalignment Inspect.

steering wheel does not of column.
immediately retur n to
High return pressure. Check for a pinched or damaged return
neutral when released
line.
Contamination in steering unit. Inspect hydraulic filter for contamination.
Repair cause of contamination. Flush
hydraulic system.
Large particles of contamination in steering Inspect hydraulic filter for contamination.
unit. Repair cause of contamination. Flush
hydraulic system.

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 Problem Cause Remedy
Steering unit locks up Large particles of contamination in steering Inspect hydraulic filter for contamination.
unit. Repair cause of contamination. Flush
hydraulic system.
★ Thermal shock Do priority valve LS port flow test in
group 3. This oil flow provides a warm-
up flow to steering unit when not using
the steering.
Worn or damaged steering unit. Repair or replace steering unit.
Abrupt steering wheel Improperly timed gerotor gear in steering Time gerotor gear.
oscillation unit.
Steering wheel turns by Lines connected to wrong port. Reconnect lines.
itself
Vibration in steering sys- High priority valve setting. Do priority valve pressure test.
tem or hoses jump
Neutral position of steer- Steering column and steering unit out of Align the steering column with steering unit.
ing wheel cannot be line.
obtained, i.e. there is a
Too little or no play between steering col- Adjust the play and, if necessary, shorten
tendency towards
umn and steering unit input shaft. the splines journal.
"motoring"
Pinching between inner and outer spools. Contact the nearest service shop.
"Motoring" effect. Leaf springs are stuck or broken and have Replace leaf springs.
The steering wheel can therefore reduced spring force.
turn on its own.
Inner and outer spools pinch, possibly due Clean steering unit or contact the nearest
to dirt. service shop.
Return pressure in connection with the Reduce return pressure.
reaction between differential cylinder and
steering unit too high.
Oil is needed in the tank. Fill with clean oil and bleed the system.
Steering cylinder worn. Replace or repair cylinder.
Gear wheel set worn. Replace gear wheel set.
Spacer across cardan shaft forgotten. Install spacer.
★ Thermal shock is caused by a large temperature differential (Approx 30˚C, 50˚F) between the
steering unit and hydraulic oil. If the steering is not operated for a long period of time and the orifice
in the bottom of the priority valve spool is plugged, the steering unit may bind up when the steering is
operated if the hydraulic oil is hot enough.

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 Problem Cause Remedy
Backlash Cardan shaft fork worn or broken. Replace cardan shaft.
Leaf springs without spring force or broken. Replace leaf springs.
Worn splines on the steering column. Replace steering column.
"Shimmy" effect. The Air in the steering cylinder. Bleed cylinder.
steered wheels vibrate. Find and remove the reason for air collec-
(Rough tread on tires tion.
gives vibrations)
Mechanical connections or wheel bearings Replace worn parts.
worn.
High priority valve setting pressure. Set pressure as regular value.
Steering wheel can be One or both shock valves are leaky or are Clean or replace defective of missing
turned slowly in one or missing in steering valve. valves.
both directions without
the steered wheels turn-
ing.
Steering is too slow and Insufficient oil supply to steering unit, pump Replace pump or increase number of revo-
heavy when trying to turn defective or number of revolutions too low. lutions.
quickly.
Relief valve setting too low. Adjust valve to correct setting.
Relief valve sticking owing to dirt. Clean the valve.
Spool in priority valve sticking owing to dirt. Clean the valve, check that spool moves
easily without spring.
Too weak spring in priority valve. Replace spring by a stronger.
"Kick back" in steering Fault in the system. Contact authorized man or shop.
wheel from system. Kicks
from wheels.
Heavy kick-back in steer- Wrong setting of cardan shaft and gear- Correct setting as shown in service manu-
ing wheel in both direc- wheel set. al.
tions.
urning the steering wheel Hydraulic hoses for the steering cylinders Connect lines to correct ports.
activates the steered have been switched around.
wheels opposite.
Hard point when starting Spring force in priority valve too weak. Replace spring by a stronger.
to turn the steering wheel
Oil is too thick (cold). Let motor run until oil is warm.
Too little steering force Pump pressure too low. Correct pump pressure.
(possibly to one side
Too little steering cylinder. Fit a larger cylinder.
only).
Piston rod area of the differential cylinder Fit cylinder with thinner piston rod or 2 dif-
too large compared with piston diameter. ferential cylinders.
Leakage at either input Shaft defective. Replace shaft seal.
shaft, end cover, gear-
Screws loose. Tighten screws.
wheel set, housing or top
part. Washers or O-rings defective. Replace.

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