New M100GX yesterday, broke down 1 hour later

[Rudevette]

Hello all,
I got a brand new Kubota M100GX yesterday. Started it up and ran 1 hour doing some petty little things around the yard. Parked it by the fuel tank and put a half a tank of fuel in it. Went out a little bit ago to start it up and put it in the shed and it started and idles but the dash says E-ECU and the little screen on the right hand console says CAN ERROR. It idles and the loader works but it doesn't shift, none of the controls work, the throttle doesn't work.

Now I need to decide if it goes back to the dealer to stay and I go get a Case or John Deere, or if we start the whole warranty repair thing after 1 hour of use.


-Justin

 

[George2615]

Are there any clues in the owners manual for trouble codes and steps to take to correct?

Maybe disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds will reset.

 

[Rudevette]

No. The owners manual has a bunch of trouble codes for the transmission but nothing like what I'm experiencing. I thought about disconnecting the battery but for 70k I should be able to start the **** thing up and use it. I'm going to decide tonight if I'm going to have the dealer fix it or make them take it back.

 

[Farmer495]

Do you have to arm DPF or something stupid like that?

 

[Grandad4]

Understand the frustration, however most reasonable people would give a dealer a chance to make things right on an expensive piece of equipment like that. After all, it's a complex piece of machinery, and while it should be perfect, things can go wrong. They should be falling all over themselves to keep you happy, if that's possible.

 

[Code54]

Wouldn't panic yet as it maybe a very minor issue. Very nice machine, sorry to see you had a glitch.

 

[Grateful11]

New tractors, especially larger ones, are loaded with electronics. Friend of mine was pulling a JD No-Till drill last Thurs. and and his JD 5115M when it went into low power mode and was throwing warnings on the dash. He called and the Tech. he bet his last dollar it was water in his fuel. He told the Tech. I'm running the same fuel in my older tractors and not a problem. He said there's a small sensor right in the fuel line that if it even detects the smallest hint of water it throw and error code. It's still under warranty but it won't cover water in fuel. So he was going to get new fuel filters for it yesterday and change them. It has about 500 hours on it.

When my late FIL bought a new CaseIH Maxxum 5140 he had numerous problems with solenoids either going bad or working loose. Once everything got straightened out it was fine. It left him sitting in the middle of the road one day, it would run but wouldn't move. It has about 1700 hours on it now and is still going strong, knock on wood.

I'd give the dealer a chance to straighten it out, hopefully it's something simple. When my wife bought the Kubota L3940 it was Springtime and everything was fine but come cold weather it would hardly start. She called the dealer and they came right over as they know it's a full-time farm and they use it everyday to feed round bales. They couldn't fix it here but luckily came with a rollback and took back to their shop, all it was was the glow plugs weren't working at all, something wasn't hooked up at the factory but had to have the entire dash removed to fix. They had back the next day. She asked what she owed them and the elderly owner that started the business 50 years ago came along just to see the farm and he said "nothing, we took care of it and want you happy". Warranties don't normally cover pick up and return of a tractor.

 

[Rudevette]

I'm just pissed off is all. The owner of the dealership is a friend so I'm sure we will get along. I will call them in the morning and keep you all posted as to what goes on.

 

[MHarryE]

I've not had your particular problem on my M135GX but I did have some early hour teething problems due to wire connectors not being fully snapped into place. The CANbus handles virtually all of the electronics - everything running through computers. Your error code indicates that the CACbus has been interrupted for more than 5 seconds. CANbus wiring for the ECU is disconnected or there is a power feed problem to the ECU (fuse or wiring disconnect). In order to reduce wiring problems which, unless rodents eat your wiring, are most frequently connector problems, connectors are always being improved so they are less likely to come apart due to vibration, bouncing around, or messed up by water. As a result of the improvements, they are more difficult to connect. A nice thing about the electronics - self diagnosis. Bad thing in this case - it doesn't say which connector has caused the problem. Maybe your dealer has some trouble shooting tips from Kubota based on machine history - not available when the DSM was written.

Our latest additions were a Kubota in 2011, John Deere in 2012, and Kubota in 2013. On a mean time between failure basis they are all about equal but the 2013 Kubota is the only one that has needed to go back to the dealer. However that is also the tractor that has had no repair cost - all failures have been under warranty. In addition we have another Deere and a New Holland in our frequently used fleet and none stand out as particularly trouble free or trouble prone.

 

[AStanton]

I don't know if this will make you feel better. I have a family member who purchased a brand new Harley from the dealer and was driving it home on its maiden voyage. All of a sudden, the bike cut out and stopped. He called the dealer and two workers responded. They gave it a once over and found that the nut on one battery terminals was lose and vibrated off and disconnected the positive lead. I'm hoping you have something simple--stupid--like this as your problem.
Good luck.

 

[Rudevette]

The service tech was out and jiggled some connectors and things and it started working. He said he didn't know what he did. That's not very reassuring but we will see.

 

[zzvyb6]

You must have skipped the 'Wiring Jiggle' class back there in the School of Life. When your TV went on the blink, didn't you jiggle it? When your computer STB's, don't you smack it a few times? Just wait for your first heart attack and see what happens when the EMS shows up. They'll either smack YOU or the defibrillator first.

 

[ovrszd]

Bummer. I'd be very disappointed as well. Now you'll be all paranoid about it.

Since the service guy didn't really find anything, it'll probably happen again. It's definitely a loose connection or something similar. The milli-second you turn on the key the computer diagnoses everything. If it gets a faulty reading it throws codes and immediately tries to protect itself. In your case it immobilized the tractor in defense.

Had a new $200,000 John Deere Road Grader put itself into limp mode simply because I went thru the shifter gate from reverse to forward too fast...... At 2 a.m., zero degree F, 6 miles from home, I was not amused. Shut the machine off and restarted, everything was fine.

Sorry you are having problems. Hang in there. You'll take a bath if you trade this tractor. In your best interests to ride it out and see what develops.

 

[MHarryE]

Fixing by jiggling the wires is right from the workshop manual. The mechanic should have followed up by going through every connector to insure it was properly connected. In addition, pins in connectors might not be properly inserted into the terminal when the harness when it was built, something more difficult to spot but once a person has experience, much easier to spot. Caterpillar's Electronic Technician has a feature called the jiggle test. With the system connected to a computer running ET, jiggle each connector. The computer will identify any connector that at any time loses connection for a microsecond during the "jiggle" test. Big time saver for a problem like this where you have a bad connection and shaking things up fixes it - possibly until the mechanic makes the turn out of your driveway.

Sure, computers create complexity, but they also provide golden opportunities. A while back a pilot made a sequence of control changes on an older version Airbus and ripped the tail off the plane killing a couple hundred passengers. Current narrow body Airbus offerings are all have a computer interface. Today an airworthiness directive was issued to upgrade all those airliners in the U.S. to a new software version that will not allow the pilot flying to use that sequence of control inputs that will rip the tail off. Takes all the fun out of, "Hold my beer and watch this!" However I prefer flying in a plane where the pilots (only human) have reduced ability to screw up.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I've not had your particular problem on my M135GX but I did have some early hour teething problems due to wire connectors not being fully snapped into place. The CANbus handles virtually all of the electronics - everything running through computers. Your error code indicates that the CACbus has been interrupted for more than 5 seconds. CANbus wiring for the ECU is disconnected or there is a power feed problem to the ECU (fuse or wiring disconnect). In order to reduce wiring problems which, unless rodents eat your wiring, are most frequently connector problems, connectors are always being improved so they are less likely to come apart due to vibration, bouncing around, or messed up by water. As a result of the improvements, they are more difficult to connect. A nice thing about the electronics - self diagnosis. Bad thing in this case - it doesn't say which connector has caused the problem. Maybe your dealer has some trouble shooting tips from Kubota based on machine history - not available when the DSM was written.

Our latest additions were a Kubota in 2011, John Deere in 2012, and Kubota in 2013. On a mean time between failure basis they are all about equal but the 2013 Kubota is the only one that has needed to go back to the dealer. However that is also the tractor that has had no repair cost - all failures have been under warranty. In addition we have another Deere and a New Holland in our frequently used fleet and none stand out as particularly trouble free or trouble prone.

Sheesh, why doesn't everybody step up and spend the money for Delphi Metripack connectors, the gold standard in the industry instead of fiddling around with the brittle plastic knock offs?

That said, the entire car world has a wiggle test primarily looking for opens.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Sheesh, why doesn't everybody step up and spend the money for Delphi Metripack connectors

actually, that's what most of them are. Metripacks are really common on equipment. Expensive little buggers, but cool stuff. Ever seen a LAMO connector? looks like something from NASA.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

actually, that's what most of them are. Metripacks are really common on equipment. Expensive little buggers, but cool stuff. Ever seen a LAMO connector? looks like something from NASA.

I've only seen cannon plug connectors on aviation applications. I've seen Metripacks used selectively on some not-Delphi systems, but I have not seen them used elsewhere. That said, as opposed to my automotive exposure, my HD equipment exposure is limited. What I have been exposed to are frequent use of cheaper, brittle-plastic knock-offs. That said, I hope you're right.

 

[TomSeller]

All brands have small glitches. I trust the Kubota dealer will figure it out. If not, the watorranty is with Kubota and they are at the higher end of customer satisfaction.

Like a marraige, gotta work thorough the rough spots. Starting over is expensive, so I advise to work it out.

 

[crazyal]

I would use it a little, you paid for it you might as well get some seat time. But I would also talk to your friend/ the dealer and ask if they can go through it better to make sure that what ever the problem was has been fixed. The mechanic should be able to find out more information that you from the trouble codes. I know with the equipment I service when we get a fault code the service manual (or if it's not documented the manufacturer) will tell me what part is malfunctioning. If wiggling things fixed the problem then it's most likely a connector or a ground that's not being made properly. The mechanic should be able to look at the schematics and locate all the connectors that should be checked. I think any good dealer would take the time to get it right.