LS Tractor Shuttle shift problem

shawnmav · Mar 31, 2016

I have an LS 5065CPS tractor with about 245 hours and it started abruptly shifting in to gear when you shift the shuttle shift from Neutral to forward or reverse. The higher the gear the more abruptly it feels when it engages and takes off. I normally work in 2nd range and 4th or 3rd gear most of the time and it has no smooth transition from neutral to forward or reverse even when you use the clutch. As I let the clutch out as slow as possible it will just kind of lunge in to gear, regardless of if being in reverse or forward, at about the last inch or so of pedal travel. The dealer i got it from frist replaced a sensor on the transmission behind the fuel tank and it worked for about 30 minutes or less after I got it home so I took it back. Then he stated that he just had to tune it a bit via the programming and when I tested it at dealer it seemed to be shift in to gear smooth again. Then the very next time I used it a couple of days later at home it was engaging abruptly again. So back to the dealer it went and he stated that he would again adjust or tune it again through the programming and also check all of the grounds as he stated that could also cause this condition. I left it there a week and tested it out for about 20 minutes after he had completed his work one afternoon and it seemed to work well again. I then took it home and was cleaning out an alley way in my arena and after about 35 or 40 minutes it began to engage abruptly again. To clarify what I mean by abruptly, when I shift the shuttle shift in to either direction as well as if I use the clutch, the tractor will do nothing for approximately 2 seconds and then just engage and take off in which ever direction I have selected. The selector switch on the dash is set to road mode but the condition exits regardless of the position that switch is in. I bought the tractor brand new so this is all warranty work. I have not been able to find any issues like this or otherwise that anyone has published on the internet so if anyone has seen this problem or maybe have a direction to go in I would appreciate and will pass it on to the dealership. I am beginning to wonder if there isn't some trash in the hydraulics, (from an o-ring or something else that may have failed or during manufacturing), a pilot that is not operating correctly, a bypass that is faulty or something like that and is temporary corrected by programming but then fails when the trash or sticking pilot or bypass frees and works. Anyway I have not idea at this point and would appreciate any thoughts anyone may have.......Thanks

UPDATE: One other note on this is that since the dealer last modified or tuned the programming the tractor will transition in to gear as designed for about the first 35-45 minutes of operation and then after that it will begin to engage abruptly. I ran it the past two days after allowing it to warm up idling at ~1300rpm and the outside temp was around 45 degrees. The only work that has been done to this tractor other than regular scheduled oil changes was the dealer changed out a module that he stated was a known issue and caused the tractor to occasionally shut down randomly. That was changed out at around 50 hours.

ProdaddyTX · Apr 1, 2016

Crickets chirpin'....
Sorry to hear this Shawnmav. The PS's have been really reliable for us, but I was going to suggest a hydraulic, trash, o-ring situation like you already mentioned. Sounds like your dealer is doing their level best, and I'd have to assume that by this point they've been in contact with LS tech support, who are excellent. We're working on one now with a hydraulic issue and will chime in here again if we learn anything that might be helpful.

shawnmav · Apr 1, 2016

Thankd ProdaddyTX. I kind of figured it would probably be a quiet one on this problem they don't have a long history like the ford Xn models and such but figured I would put it out there just in case, better to ask and get nothing than not and to wonder.....thanks again for the reply

shawnmav · Apr 3, 2016

One more update: I noticed while running the tractor this weekend that the problem may be more related to the actual number of times you shift the tractor from forward to reverse and so on. When the problem has been present it has so far always been when I have been using the tractor for moving manure/dirt or bales, situations where you are traveling in one directions for a time and then need to shift back and forth as would be the case in such work. This weekend I probably used it for about an hour or more where I was manually shoveling dirt in to the bucket that I was digging out by hand and then dumping the bucket when it was full. So unlike the times before where I was driving down a long alley and scooping up dirt with the bucket and backing out to dump it repeatedly the only difference was really the number of times I ran the tractor and the rest of the time it was just stopped and idling while I loaded the bucket.

shawnmav · May 4, 2016

NEW UPDATE: Yesterday I was using my tractor and it was shifting smoothly as designed. At about dusk I turned on the forward facing lights and it immediately began to engage or transition in to forward and reverse abruptly. I then turned off all of the lights and it resumed shifting or engaging smoothly again. So I took the time to test this theory out thoroughly and repeatedly got the same results. With lights on or the blower and air conditioner on it would engaged in to forward and reverse very abruptly. When you turn them off it resumed transitioning smoothly. If I turned on only, say the top lights, there was no real noticeable difference but it seemed the more auxiliary electrical load you added the sooner it would occur along with severity would seem to increase.

lostcreekranch · May 4, 2016

Can you put a meter on your battery, with tractor running, and repeat your experiment? My LS is HST but, I would suspect your shuttle shift is electrically operated? If voltage at battery keeps going lower, as you add aux. loads, you might be at point where voltage is too low to smoothly shift?

Worth a try?

shawnmav · May 5, 2016

That would be interesting to see how much current it pulls with that stuff on as well as see if I am experiencing a voltage drop. What I would really like is to get a look at an electrical schematic and also a hydraulic one as well. I asked the dealer about seeing or getting those but he kind of disregarded my requests. I am pretty certain I would be able to track down the issue if I had those available but my dealer/mechanic said he would get it resolved. I think he will but I could probably get there faster with my knowledge and experience in controls and hydraulics.

lostcreekranch · May 5, 2016

So ..... did you put meter on battery and see what voltage does as you add aux. load? Obviously, current draw increases as you add load but, will not be an issue if you have good battery and alternator.

Or, since you only have 245 hours, let dealer figure it out?

Trying to help.

abears3 · Nov 12, 2016

Did you get this fixed? I'm having the same problem with my XU6168CPS. Towards the end of the day it was whip lash going forward and reverse. I'll check tomorrow if the lights played a role in my problem but the A/C was on. I'll check the battery voltage too.

Any other ideas other that bring to the dealer 3 hours away?

BlessedMess · Nov 13, 2016

Dealer replaced inoperable poweshuttle control module (right of seat, underneath 3PH lever) on XU5065CPS, and programmed it to "factory" default setting. Resolved operation but engagement was extremely aggressive regardless of the switch setting (travel/work). A handheld computer was used to drop the setting from ~80 to 8 and it restored the smooth engagements. My theory is that that PS module is somehow defaulting back to the aggressive "factory" tune but why: temp? wiring? electrical/module issue? FYI: the module is about $400 and requires the whole right side of cab interior to be pulled apart to be replaced. Also there is some PS wiring that runs between the fuel tank and frame. The connectors are prone to inadvertent disconnection when running thru tall grass and brush when cutting. If you ever pull the tank, good opportunity to examine and tape/zip tie as a preventive measure. Best of luck with your PS issues.