Practical Strategies for Electric Forklift Fault Diagnosis

In the fields of logistics, warehousing and industrial production, electric forklifts have been widely used due to their environmental protection and high efficiency. However, after long-term use, electric forklifts will inevitably have various faults, affecting the operating efficiency. A set of practical fault diagnosis strategies can help maintenance personnel quickly and accurately find and solve problems. ​

1. Preliminary inspection​

Appearance inspection​

Before conducting in-depth fault diagnosis, the appearance of the electric forklift should be carefully checked. This includes whether the forklift body has been deformed by collision, because the collision may cause damage to the internal circuit or structure. Check the wear of the tires. Abnormal wear may indicate problems with the forklift's suspension system or steering system. At the same time, check the various connection parts of the forklift, such as bolts and nuts, for signs of looseness. Looseness may cause abnormal vibration or even fall off of the components. Although the appearance inspection is simple, it is an important step in discovering potential problems. Many initial faults can often be detected through appearance inspection. ​

Preliminary inspection of the electrical system​

For electric forklifts, the electrical system is a key part. First check the appearance of the battery to see if there is leakage, bulging, etc. Battery leakage may lead to a reduction in electrolyte, affecting battery performance, while bulging may mean that there is a serious fault inside the battery, which is closely related to "electric forklift battery fault diagnosis". Next, check whether the electrical circuits are damaged, aged, or short-circuited. Damaged or aged circuits are prone to short circuits, leading to electrical system failures and even fires. Through a preliminary inspection of the electrical system, some obvious electrical fault hazards can be discovered in time. ​

2. Common fault types and diagnostic methods

Battery failure

The battery is the power source of the electric forklift. Common battery failures include insufficient power and abnormal charging. When it is found that the working time of the forklift is significantly shortened, it is likely that the battery is insufficient. At this time, a professional battery tester is needed to detect the battery's voltage, capacity and other parameters. If the battery voltage is too low and cannot be restored by normal charging, it may be that the internal plates of the battery are vulcanized or damaged, which involves the key content of "electric forklift battery fault diagnosis". For abnormal charging, such as severe heating during charging and failure to charge, check whether the charger is working properly and whether the charging circuit is open or in poor contact. At the same time, check whether the electrolyte level of the battery is normal. If the level is too low, the battery may not be charged normally. ​

Motor failure​

The motor is the core component of the electric forklift to achieve power output. Motor failure is usually manifested as motor failure, abnormal speed or overheating. When the motor does not rotate, first check whether the motor wiring is loose or detached. If the wiring is normal, it may be that the motor control circuit is faulty, such as controller damage, relay failure, etc. For abnormal speed, it may be that the brush inside the motor is severely worn, resulting in poor contact and affecting the speed control of the motor. This is exactly the common problem in "Electric Forklift Motor Fault Diagnosis". If the motor is overheated, check whether the cooling fan of the motor is operating normally and whether the load of the motor is too large. Long-term overload operation will increase the temperature of the motor, and in severe cases, the motor may be burned. ​

Hydraulic system failure​

The hydraulic system of the electric forklift is mainly responsible for operations such as lifting and tilting of goods. Common hydraulic system failures include hydraulic oil leakage and inability to lift and lower. Hydraulic oil leakage can be judged by observing whether there is oil trace at the bottom of the forklift. Once a leak is found, the leak point should be found in time. It may be caused by oil pipe rupture, aging of seals, etc. For the case of weak lifting, first check whether the hydraulic oil level is sufficient. Too low a level will cause insufficient pressure in the hydraulic system. Then check whether the hydraulic pump is working properly. A hydraulic pump failure may not provide enough pressure to drive the hydraulic cylinder. In addition, too low a set pressure of the overflow valve may also cause weak lifting. The overflow valve needs to be debugged to ensure that its pressure is set within the appropriate range. ​

Three, fault diagnosis tools and skills ​

Use professional diagnostic equipment ​

With the development of science and technology, there are now many professional electric forklift fault diagnosis equipment available. For example, the fault diagnosis instrument can be connected to the control system of the forklift, read the fault code, and quickly locate the fault part. These fault codes can accurately reflect the fault information of various parts such as the electrical system and the hydraulic system, greatly improving the efficiency and accuracy of fault diagnosis. In addition, the multimeter is also a commonly used diagnostic tool, which can be used to measure the voltage, current, resistance and other parameters of the circuit, and judge whether the circuit has a fault by comparing the normal parameter range.​

Experience judgment and logical reasoning​

The experience of maintenance personnel also plays an important role in fault diagnosis. Faults are judged by listening, watching, touching, etc. Listening means listening to whether there is abnormal noise when the forklift is running. For example, the abnormal sound of the motor may indicate that there is damage to the internal parts of the motor; watching means observing the operating status of the forklift, such as whether the lifting speed is uniform, whether the steering is flexible, etc.; touching means feeling whether the temperature of the motor, hydraulic pump and other components is normal, and whether the vibration is too large. At the same time, logical reasoning is used to gradually troubleshoot possible causes according to the fault phenomenon. For example, if a certain action of the forklift cannot be performed, start with the electrical components and hydraulic components that control the action, and gradually conduct in-depth inspections until the root cause of the fault is found. ​

In summary, mastering a set of practical electric forklift fault diagnosis strategies and proficiently using various diagnostic tools and techniques are of great significance to ensuring the normal operation of electric forklifts and improving operating efficiency. In actual operation, it is necessary to continuously accumulate experience and conduct accurate fault diagnosis and timely maintenance treatment based on specific circumstances. ​

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