Steering Failure

edgrave · Aug 5, 2004

The steering on my new (134hrs) 3054 has started to fail and my dealer has so far been unable to resolve it. It started with a half to a full turn of the steering wheel before the wheels would turn. Now i can go to make a turn and the steering wheel will spin like a top as many as 20 turns before it grabs again. I do not belive that it is air in the system becouse the loader and three point will work while the steering is failed. Are there any dealers that might have a suggestion? Anyone else having this problem?

To20Chris · Aug 5, 2004

No sign of it with mine, but I'm only at 75hrs. Is yours a LK3054XS, or the non-XS model? Keep us posted as to what you find out. Oh - welcome to TBN, and sorry you're having problems.

slowzuki · Aug 5, 2004

Don't the steering and aux hydraulics have separate circuits on the Kiotis?
Ken

edgrave · Aug 5, 2004

My tractor is an LK3054XS. It has been failing alot lately and i was sure that this time i could get it to fail for the dealer so i called him today. I asked him to drop by and give me 15min to try to get it to fail for him, he says that he has never been able to make it fail. I found that when i would back up about 20 feet, stop,turn hard to the left and drive forward it would fail as i tried to turn back to the right. I showed him the move a bunch of times and it would not fail,I gave up. He got on the tractor and it failed the first time. Made my day. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif He is still not sure how to resolve it. He told me that he has had six other customers make mention of failures. Comments like funny thing happen with my steering,its only happen once and it hasn't happen since.

KiotiJohn · Aug 6, 2004

sounds like some type of intermittent failure in the power steering pump which is separate from the main pump.
Did you do filter changes and fluids at 50 hours after the break in, and subsequent servicing? Metal from the break in period might damage the pumps.
It definitely sounds as though something is restricting flow, as when you back and then go foward changes the fluid dynamic and it fails. Almost as though there isn't enough fluid in the system. The backing and then foward would bring the level low and then it would equal out and start working? Try putting in more fluid, to the highest mark on the stick and see if it makes any change.

edgrave · Aug 6, 2004

Had my break-in maintance done at the dealers. The dealer tells me that the new models have a larger single pump that does all?? Since this trouble started it has been back in to the dealer 3 times. The first time they told me that they felt that it was air in the system. They checked everything out, gave it back to me saying that they found what was a very small leak. It failed for me at home that day. Next trip in to the dealer they said that they still felt that it was air in the system and they checked it out. They returned it to me said they could not make it fail, they told me that they had over filled the hydrauilc fluid and to take it home and try it. It again failed for me right away. Back to the dealer and this time they changed the steering box or something like that. It came back to me and failed that same day. I couldn't understand how it could fail so easy for me and they couldn't make it fail. Thats when i had him come out to the house and was able to get it to fail for the dealer. I still have the tractor because the dealer says that he doesn't know what to do to fix it, feels that it a design/engineering issue and will get back to me. Thats also when he told me that he had other complaints of the same thing.

KiotiJohn · Aug 6, 2004

( The dealer tells me that the new models have a larger single pump that does all?? )
I'm pretty sure that all Kioti models have a power steering pump and main pump. This is the first I've ever heard of them having only one pump.
Sounds to me as though this dealer really doesn't know much about his product.
Please contact Jeanette Ingram at Kioti at:
JIngram@kiotitractor.com
Tell her about the problem, and ask her to consult an engineer for you. I'm sure someone will come up with a better answer. John

wallace · Aug 7, 2004

I would not call Jaenette. She is in marketing not service. Call the 1800 number and ask to talk to some one in service.

KiotiJohn · Aug 8, 2004

( I would not call Jaenette. She is in marketing not service. Call the 1800 number and ask to talk to some one in service. )
From Jeanette's own mouth, "I AM customer serivce." Spoken to me on an extended telephone call I initiated because I was getting no e-mail response. She told me she is the customer service department, and that she passed on my e-mails to higher ups, and they did NOT respond. When she took over, everything got taken care of. John

sendero · Aug 9, 2004

I'm curious. Your problem as I understand it is that you get massive "play" in the wheel.

Several here are suggesting the pump. But on a car, when the pump fails, you don't get play you get a lack of "boost", making steering possible, but very hard.

Does the steering system of this Kioti work that completely differently than a car, or what am I missing here?