LW 4000 Not recognizing drive off...sometimes...

[MDrost1]

Folks,

Looking for some input. I have a LW 4000. New bridge(6 months old) New front and back eyes. Serviced by PDQ local reps.
Often times, and we found out it is more with the $5 wash(our cheapest, with no dryers), that the drive off is not recognized intermittently. When it happens I get "wait for eyes to clear". Eventually my "Drive Forward" sign shuts off. The "Wash In Use" sign at the entrance does not shut off, leaving the wash down. Flags, amplifiers, eyes have all been checked by a PDQ tech. Another guy I refer to says he thinks the drivers are driving off too fast with the $5 wash. No dryers. All cycles after the SFR are disabled on the washes.
Has anybody had this issue? Is this normal? It seems like a simple fix, but no one has been able to give me a definitive answer as to how to solve it. Any help would be appreciated!!!!

 

[madscientist]

Sounds like one of your front eyes, or the cord for it, or something between the prox and the Lasermind is bad.

What is the fault that is displayed when the wash is down?

Do you have Virtual Treadle, or old style treadle?

 

[MDrost1]

Thanks for the quick reply. Here are some answers.
Brand new eyes on the VT. 1 1/2 months old. Tested doing the drive far forward, back up method.
Wash sticks at "wait for eyes to clear".
Do not have Laser Minder yet. That will actually be installed on Friday by pdq reps.
I hope this helps. Thanks.

 

[madscientist]

Yes, it helps. I was actually talking about the front eyes on the T-bar, not the loading eyes that come with the VT. The front eyes on the T-bar need to see each other when a vehicle leaves the bay in order to begin the start up test for the next wash. It's possible that one of your front eyes is going bad. It's also possible that the shear bolt in your arch is going bad and the arch is blocking the front eyes after a vehicle leaves the bay. Kneel down with your back to the wall and your eyes at the level of the passenger side front eye while looking at the driver side front eye. Is the arch blocking the two eyes? If you can push the arch with your hand to a position where it blocks these eyes, I would say this is the problem.

 

[lag]

I agree with Mad on this issue.. Usually when we see delayed startup tests,we start by changing sheer pins.(BTW we normally put in new pins about every 3 months or so.

You say the the wash in use light stays on. What fault do you get? Car stuck in bay?

 

[MDrost1]

The only thing the lw says is "wait for eyes to clear. It has been about 6 months since the last sheer pin. I will give it a try!

 

[MDrost1]

I replaced sheer pin. Snugged tightly down. We will see. Thanks for the advice guys.
Question: the sheer pin can cause that much of an issue? Should I change it every 3 months?

 

[lag]

If sheer pin is worn or slightly bent it can cause issues, it will allow the lower arm to be further ahead,slightly blocking the front eyes from time to time. Every 3 months is just an average for us.


I should add we have washworlds, and use the t bars as loading eyes also.

 

[MDrost1]

So I had the error on a high end wash this morning. There is actually no error on the J0 screen. Just the wash in use sign stays on at the entrance of the wash. Will not allow new wash to start up. System thinks it is normal.
Probably front eyes?? Could this be a Hamilton acw4 issue? Thanks for your help.

 

[madscientist]

Yes, it's probably one or both of the front eyes, or something related to the signal from those eyes.

 

[MDrost1]

Well, we replaced a corroded cable on the front VT eye this morning. Hopefully that takes care of it. We tested all other functions. Everything seems to be working well for the time being. Thanks for your help! Merry Christmas!