thanks for the info. How does it look for piggy backing in another battery, better yet two battery holders.... the one extra being used when pulling out one as you replace the other ? Might be an upgrade folk at some point should consider if it would work without causing other issues. Along with a warning light that shows battery is beginning to go so you can replace it before it is too late.
Does this issue of non replace able battery exist on any older boards as well? Obviously not if 3116 motor..... cause it is not computerized. But What about tranny computer mated to any of the motors.... is there a battery in those?
There's space in the case so I bet it's doable. If anything one could take it to a dealer and let them clone the ECM then you do the swap and get it reflashed but that's $150-$500 depending who you talk to. I'm not sure if a warning light would do any good as getting the unit open is one thing but getting it off the engine to check is another. I asked if there was a certain pin combination to take a reading off the internal battery but they weren't sure. As for other older ECMs yes. The 3401 had the same issue and some Detroit that I came across. There could be more but I didn't dig into it as it didn't help my case.
So can the dealer read the program off a good ecm and then hard flash it back permanently to the ecm?
Yes as long as that ECM was programmed to that specific engine. Once it's hard flashed that's it, it will only work on an engine of that exact setup. They asked me if I wanted to put the engine serial in my new ECM and I asked if that made a difference and they said no. It's primarily for identification purposes if you take it off the engine.
Is that the battery, the round thing with the pink label? I know we use a battery like that at work. If there's a place to solder on some test points to power the unit maybe a way to change the battery? Sounds like a niche market if someone could find a way. I guess CAT is going the way of modern electronic with planned obsolescent.
Yes that is the battery and I've not spent the time to source equivalents. I'm sure this type of work falls under board refurbishment and people can do it but it's $$$. I don't think CAT planned for this as it was their first electric mid-range diesel engine according to the internet and they changed the way they do things.
What sounds crazy to me is what does the military do in the field?
Get out and push.
What a logistical nightmare. Makes m939 look a whole better....
I agree from a reliability standpoint, but now that its been replaced the unit will last another 20 years or more.
The first gen trucks have mechanical engines. A1 are electronic. Overall the cat engine electronics is reliable and road proven. These engines are in all types of heavy equipment, semi trucks, RV’s, generators and more. Strange things do seem to happen with military trucks though. This truck could have been sitting dead for years though.
CAT's stuff is reliable and proven and this may be a fluke. No telling how many vehicles fell prey to this fault. My truck was actually given a clear bill of health in June of 2016 (came with maint papers) and sent to the LAFED out of Baton Rouge where they never got it to start. So at most the truck sat from June 2016 to October 2017 which is about a year and a half. No signs of lightning strike or tampering with the ECM it self like swapping it around.
