This seat interlock thing ... Skidsteer LS 160....help..

Hi folks ,
? I SAVED THREE YEARS,purchased a LS 160 1600 hours .Used it in Summer light stuff . MISSOURI SNOW STORM CLEANED SNOW FROM YARD AND SHOP . Good fuel new water seperator and fuel filter. MACBINE WENT FROM SUPER GOOD TO PULLING DOWN IN FOREWARD OR BACK, NOT GELLING CHECKED THAT . NO CODES tell me about this seat switch interlock. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP . OTTODOC 3. ROB.

i would think seat switch would keep it from running or moving at all. engine pulling down or hydraulics? start with the operators manual.

(quoted from post at 10:20:33 12/13/13) Hi folks ,
? I SAVED THREE YEARS,purchased a LS 160 1600 hours .Used it in Summer light stuff . MISSOURI SNOW STORM CLEANED SNOW FROM YARD AND SHOP . Good fuel new water seperator and fuel filter. MACBINE WENT FROM SUPER GOOD TO PULLING DOWN IN FOREWARD OR BACK, NOT GELLING CHECKED THAT . NO CODES tell me about this seat switch interlock. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP . OTTODOC 3. ROB.

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Thanks for the reply. I am an Auto-Tech Instructor at OTC; Springfield. I did go through the Manual that came with the tractor. I had the tractor go from perfect to sporadic hydraulic power to drive after a fifteen minute idle period after pushing snow. No engine knocking, oil good and HYd reservoir and filter ok
Colder than heck here, so trying to make a plan. changed filter water separator, (was full and no wax), This tractor is not my first NH . I had a 93- 455 with a Kubota 3 cyl. a couple years back. Never had any trouble. This machine has the upper dash console that has all the lights and I have been told the seat interlock can chage with weight distribution as you lean foreward or rear, etc. The complaint is so similar to what I have , I am just wondering how to best verify it. The engine seems to not achieve full throttle like a low fuel pressure situation, but the hydraulic lift and nuetral operation stopped seems to offer a normal engine response to throttle as well as no lag in lift or dump sequence. Really sucks to put that kind of money out and have some wierd problem like this happen. If it was the family car, I would go after a PCM if the fuel system checked out. Remember this machine is not showing any codes in the "service" mode?....Thanks again for your reply. Ottodoc 3...Rob in Forsyth.

Did you change the Hydraulic system filter? Did you check for fuel flow. I just worked on a tractor this morning that likely had ice in the fuel line. Not verified but there was only a trickle of fuel out of the tank. pressurized it back into the tank and had good flow bottle of dry gas and it was good to go. The hyd filter issue would probably not give the symptoms you described but an interrupted fuel line would. Good Luck and post a followup if you would!
Andy

Chase another horse.. Definitely NOT the seat switch. Seat switch is operator presence , If there were any thing it would immediately shut the engine off not the hydraulics. Been covered up for two weeks with these kinds of problems. Most are direct result of subfreezing temps. You have a fuel flow problem find the ice.

Sounds just like a Cat 3208 this week. It was fuel issue. Not sure if it was waxing or water but it bucked and would only hit 20 miles an hour. Just as soon as all of the go juice hit that filter it kicked down a gear and took off like a scalded dog.

If the engine is sporadically losing power I'd pull the left side engine panel and look for the inline fuel filter between the tank and the electric pump. Change that. I've also had the siphon pipe in the tank get blocked with ice but that results in no flow most times... The other thing to check is the breather in the fuel cap. They plug up... Just loosen the cap and see if it improves. Tank will also collapse if the cap breather is plugged...

As far as the seat switches and seat belt switches are concerned... they do two things. Their purpose is to sense that you're there and strapped in and if you're not they prevent the starter being engaged and maintain lockouts on the boom so that you can't lift or dump the bucket. The pedals will physically lock if the controls are bad... I do not expect that's your problem given the original description.

Rod

If it's like the 465's, there is a switch under the seat, if it goes bad, your dash will not light up. Cheap, quick and dirty fix is to yank the wires out of it and put them on a toggle, and tape it to the cage. Seems to me once buckled, things should stay working til you unbuckle, unless you really get it to bouncing.

If the safety stuff goes bad it will shut down, or the hydraulics will lock up. It won't result in a low power situation.