RTV900 Oil Temp Sensor

[chilibit]

Hopefully this is not a duplicate post. I thought I posted this, but ...

I have a new RTV. Oil temp gauge does not register. Maybe the wiring, the gauge, or the sender. Anyone know which sender on the motor sends this value to the gauge? Can I check the output with a VOM?

I know, it is a dealer issue, but also a chance to learn something.

The 900 is a fine little machine. I like it.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Vince

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=85

 

[lloyd123]

To my knowledge, there isn't a oil temperature gauge - just a coolant temperature and a fuel gauge. There is a oil pressure warning light. You must be looking at the coolant temperature gauge. I believe you can disconnect the lead to the temperature sensor and ground it to the block to see if the needle in the gauge will respond. I'll check in the shop manual and confirm.

 

[lloyd123]

Here's a attachment I posted awhile back for someone having problems with their coolong fan:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/489299-cool4.jpg

It will give you the procedures to check it out.

 

[lloyd123]

Sorry - please ignore my last post.

I've attached the procedures for checking the coolant gauge and sender.

 

[chilibit]

Thanks for the jpegs lloyd123. Are they from the service manual? Is that something that is available from the dealer?

My bad on the fluid. Yes, coolant.

I ran the first two checks. Flunked both. My guess is a bad sensor.

Again, many thanks. They are even decently written.

A cheap windscreen that folds forward to the top of the grill guard or can be raised to block frigid air (ala early LandRovers or even Toyota FJ40s) is feeling like a winter project about now.

 

[lloyd123]

They are from the RTV900 workshop manual.

I purchased it through tractorsmart.com in May 2004. They still offer it for $67.73 plus $5.00 shipping.

The Kubota part number is 97897-15300.

 

[chilibit]

We replaced the temp sensor. No fix. Since the wiring harness plugs are the same for the fuel gauge and the temp gauge, we plugged the fuel harness into the temp gauge. It pegged because the tank was full. So it sounds like the gauge is good. That leaves the wiring harness. Not what I wanted to hear. And yes, I am talking Water temp, not oil. The edit window on the subject line has expired.

Other than this, the 900 is great. It even shifts fine.

Vince

 

[lloyd123]

Well, like you said in your first post, it's a new machine so it all will be handled by the dealer at no cost to you.

I've had mine now for a year and a half/110 hours and no problems. I had some mild fogging of the gauges when it was new but that has actually cleared up now on it's own.

Good luck - you'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

 

[whoodle]

My temp guage almost never registers unless I drive a lot of hills in low gear. It is probabally alright.

 

[chilibit]

whoodle,

Do you mean that it absolutely does not move whatsoever. Mine does not move at all. I ran another 900 for 10 minutes and you get a noticeable movement of the gauge. Cycling the ignition helps to see it. The gauges are on national and international backorder. Kinda makes you wonder why.

Vince

 

[bill51]

sounds like your thermostat is stuck open. dealer should be able to fix it very easily. It will not cause ant damage as is.

 

[chilibit]

bill51,

Hmm, had not considered that.

There are actually two sensors on the 900 that look at the water temp. One sends data to the gauge. The other triggers a relay and starts the fan. The fan starts. I am guessing that this means that temperature is going up to some point. Otherwise why bother with a fan sensor at all. The fan sensor is likely to be binary (on or off) while the temp gauge sensor must have a variable output. I think I will jumper the output of the fan sensor to the harness for the gauge and see what happens. Dead cold and then after it triggers the fan. My guess is that it will peg the gauge just like the full tank of diesel pegged the gauge when we swapped the plugs. And if it does, then maybe we know that the gauge wiring harness is working.

The block gets warm enough that you don't want to put your hand on it. So even if the thermostat is stuck open, it is still getting pretty warm. But I don't have a probe to determine just how hot. Pulling the gauge sensor out of the block and "Bic-ing" it with a lighter only covered it with soot. No response from the gauge.

The dealer's advice to rap the gauge a few times with a screwdriver handle achieved nothing.

Vince

 

[Tact]

My temp gauge almost never moves. The only time it moved is in the summer time and I was pulling a loaded trailer. It then moved to about 1/4 on gauge. Then at idle it came back all the way down and pegged. I too took mine to the dealer, changed gauges several times, but still fogs, switched the sending sensor, and it still performed as it does now. I think it's just it's nature but I wished it would register something. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[whoodle]

My guage seems to do about the same. Driving moderately fast does not seem to register, but slow on steep hills in low will give me about 1/4 then drop fast at idle. Usually when I am really loaded, I don't go far so no movement.

 

[chilibit]

This morning we got in a replacement gauge. Fired it up and within a few minutes the needle was obviously registering. The dealer says he looked at an RTV that had just come in for a 100 service and it was not registering either. The owner says it never has registered and bragged on the cooling system.

I think the gauges are bad. This one works. And it behaves like you would expect it to. I wrote him a check for the RTV and he left the farm.

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions.

Vince