Caterpillar Electronic Technician Software

[Keith Browning]

Does any one of you work on Cat engines and use the Electronic Tecnician / Workbench software? This is the PC diagnostics program for engines.

[HeuiTim]

I use CAT ET everyday. Everyone in our truck shop, all field service has their own dell laptops. Service Tech workbench(STW) very powerful. I do all my service reports, part lookup, part ordering, all information on my laptop. We have a wireless network in the shop. ET is very powerful as well. We have wired comm right now but Cat has released a wireless comm device which will be one less thing to trip over. We tried one, its pretty cool. If you have any qusetions about it, I can try and help you.

Tim

[Keith Browning]

Since my software is not loaded on a company computer, our rep wont give us the product key to unlock the software. I went out and purchased my own lap top which I use for everything. I have it all loaded and working with the new cables. I am at a loss. I am pissed and the few customers I have with CAT problems get even madder when we tell them they now have to bring the truck to CAT. This is such a waste.

 

Is there nothing that can be done?

 

Will non-OEM software work with the CAT COMM adapter and cables?

 

Any suggestions? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shrug.gif

[Kyle E. Grathwol]

I have used the Pro-link scanner on my Cat truck engines several years ago. It will not work on industrial engines (off road/heavy equipment). I had to buy ET. I only use the pro-link for my Allison's now so I am way out of touch with them but I think they have diagnostics that are pc based.

 

I could go off on a legitimate hour long rant on Cat and ET but it wouldn't do either of us any good. ET is still a very sore subject with me.

 

You can get your own key for a mere $600.00 and only $300 every year after that to keep it current. What a deal! Then after you use it you will discover that it would be a $30.00 program if you could buy it at Staples.

[Keith Browning]

Hoo Hoo! Hey, get this Kyle. The most recent incident might result in the loss of a sale of a $65,000 F650 with a C7 in it. Check engine light came on, lost power up hills, won't do more than 15MPH with 4 yards of stone in it.

 

Well, the commercial sales director has had enough. With any luck I will see some sort of "company" computer before long to use Caterpillar ET. I will personally be contacting our TEPS manager to get the software license key. This is worse than dealing with Ford!

 

That C7 engine runs nice but are my ears deceiving me? The idle does not bounce like it used to!

[HeuiTim]

The C7's are very easy to work on, except well in the 650-750 chassis, did Ford ever hear of a doghouse. I quess its cheaper to beat the firewall to remove the valve cover. These chassis are about as much fun to work on as the TopKicks. What horsepower is your C7?

[Keith Browning]

Here's a good one. I was messing around with some Wabco ABS diag with MD truck running. I started the Diamond Logic software and it read the Caterpillar PCM information and data. It wouldn't perform any self tests but I thought it was odd that I was able to read the PCM to begin with.

 

... and I still can't use my Cat Electronic Technician/ Technician Workbench Software and $1600 worth of cables. They still wont give us our product key! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif Why to they require us to have the equipment and purchase the software license if they won't let us use it?

[HeuiTim]

I would call another Cat dealer, or complain to Cat Electronics directly. I dont understand what the problem with the software license is. The Cat dealer just goes online and registers your software. If your are a Ford dealer, you should be considered a TEPS dealer. You would have access to almost everything that I do.

[HeuiTim]

The OEM software will read Cat data because they have to load all the customer parameters into the engine ECM.

[Keith Browning]

I finally got my software key. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rockon.gif

 

...and I now personally know the owners of the local CAT dealer. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

[HeuiTim]

It's about time!

[Scott B]

Now You should also be able to acess SIS (Service Information System) for any specs ,proceedures you may need.Your ears must also be decieving you.I worked on a 07 the other day and Yes they still bounce around at idle.Just tap the pedal light and let it rest that should let you hear what your missing.

[eastendpowerstroke]

The software takes some getting used to, the nice thing is that since the HUEI systems used on the engines are essentialy the same you don't have to get your head around a completely different system.

7.3L 6.0L / 3126-C7 all the same rules apply so your life will be a little easier. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

[Keith Browning]

Funny you should resurrect this thread today. I brought in a new F750 with a C7 ACERT engine running very rough at idle, no MIL and no codes at all. This was only the second time I really got to play around with the ET software. Anyway, I used the cylinder cancel test and identified cylinder #4 as the low contributor. Probably an injector - that said it's going to have to go to our local CAT service center because I am not authorized to do internal work.

 

I do have a question though. There were two different cylinder cancel tests. One worked and the other aborted because "test conditions were not correct." There was a message about the transmission neutral switch not being on. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shrug.gif I put the shifter in both park and neutral but I got the same result. Does anybody know what thats all about?

 

And later this month I get to go to CAT for a re-cert on the familiarization. Whoop-tee-doo! But I am also signed up for a course on the ACERT engine itself. Perhaps then I might get to actually perform repairs? We shall see! I don't see too many CAT engines in with problems but it's nice to be armed and capable. This also doesn't allow me to get to know the software either.

[Scott B]

Were you also kicking them off maunally?Besides letting it run the cut-out test.Not to be smart but maybe you accidentally picked the Variable valve actuator test which is right in the same diagnostic special test group.Other than the Engine temperature having to be at least 170 on the cut-out test.I have never had it abort or not start off from anything other than that.But these have all been manual trans trucks.

[Keith Browning]

When I first attempted to run the test it not only aborted due to the neutral switch but as you mentioned, engine temperature. I just could not determine what was going on with that switch signal. It has an Allison MD series trans and there is no indication of a problem relating to the switch. I am not going to lose sleep over it as I was able to diag the rough idle to the point that I know it's somebody else's job now.

 

I will be sure to ask many questions when I go to "school!" /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/notworthy.gif

[Scott B]

Thats just not right to have to send it out. Since I think you once mentioned you are a TEPS dealership. You are perfectly capable of fixing it.

[eastendpowerstroke]

thers a way around the neutral switch thing But I'm drawing a blank on what it was if your still having a problem I can probaly find out the info tuesday.

[Keith Browning]

YES! I would like to know the workaround if you could. I just want to see the difference between the two tests.

[eastendpowerstroke]

sorry Keith I didn't check this board till after 11 PM.

I thought I had it written down someplace but I can't find it it involved changing one of the parameters to "trick" it to run the cutout test.

I'll call my teps rep and find out and call you, can you be reached from the *-3200 number?

[HeuiTim]

The best way to find a bad injector is to have everything hooked up and start engine dead cold. Many of the injector issues disappear with coolant temp rise.Cat does not like to pay warranty so when you do the test on a warm engine the automatic test usually will pass all injectors. For warranty reasons we needed to do a before and after test. Cat finally added the 4 cylinder cut-out test late last year, which helps show marginal injectors. As far as the auto test kicking out, may be configuration setting related to the allison(Iassume)transmission has something to do with it. I have had trucks that will kick out because of poor quality upfitter work, They run fine but always have a brake switch code or something. We dont get paid to fix oem side. Cat TRG's are so far in fantasy land they basically do not pay any truck warranty anyway.

[dieseldoc]

The C7 does not have variable valve actuators and so the test should not show up in the test drop down. It was probably a 4 cylinder and a 1 cylinder cut-out test. I have run into that before where it will abort and say something about a neutral switch. If doing what you did does not work I have had to go into the configuration screen and turn that switch off to get the test to work. One other thing on the C7, when doing a cylinder cut-out test the results may come up as undecided or something to that effect. If that happens you have to flash in a special flash file to do the test once your repair is complete and you have done the test again to verify. You have to flash it back to old software. If you dont it will be de-rated and not reach top engine limit. I dont usually see to many C7 at my dealership, but I feel for you if you have to replace an injector. Because getting that valve cover out isnt to bad but if you have to put an injector in #6 getting the tooling in there is almost impossible. The 650 and 750 is a really bad chassis.

[Keith Browning]

Well I just finished the SIS/ET training course so I am more familiar with the new version and the SIS web site. Now that I have access to pretty much all of the information I could need I am in much better shape to deal with CAT engines. I have another class on the C7 & C9 in two weeks. Two guys from the class may also be joining us here.

 

Thanx for all of your advice, it was right on. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbup.gif