Reading faults on a Reelmaster 5010

Occasionally things do go wrong, and when they do on a Toro Reelmaster 5010 series mower we have an advantage.  The diagnostic light on the operators control panel allows us to determine what kind of fault the machine is having.

The top red light is the diagnostic light

When there is an active fault on this unit, the red diagnostic light will begin to flash rapidly.  This tells the operator something is wrong.  If the fault is not happening continously the light will go out once you turn the machine off and then back on.  So now we know there was a fault, what do we do?

We need to put the unit into Fault Retrieval Mode.  This will let the machine tell us the last three fault codes that happened.  These are stored in the machines ECM.  There is no special tool that is required to do this, it is a simple list of steps.

1- Seat should be unoccupied.  (make sure the switch is not jumped)
2- Machine should be in neutral, and the PTO switch is off
3- Mow/ Backlap switches need to be in Mow
4- Mow / Transport lever should be in Transport
5- Then hold the joystick in the raise position as you turn the key to run

The diagnostic light should now begin to blink codes at you if there are any codes stored.

Above you can see what it looks like when the machine has stored three codes.  There is a two digit code followed by a short pause then the next, then the next.  After the three there is a long pause.  This is telling you it is starting over.  If there is nothing stored you will see a steady one flash

Once we know the codes, we can refer to the service manual to see what they mean.

Once we have dealt with the codes we can then clear the memory so we can tell if they occur again.  To clear them, do the following.

1- Place the machine in fault retrieval mode (see above)
2- Move both Mow / Backlap switches to Backlap
3- Move the joystick to the raise position
4- Diagnostic light will switch to a continuous flashing pattern

Of course operators do not always tell us when there was a flashing red light on the dash if it goes away.  So if you get in the habit of checking for faults on these machines during your normal service you may find something that will help eliminate future downtime, or may point you to another issue. For example you may find that one of your units is giving a frequent overheating fault.  If your operators never tell you may risk engine damage if you don't look further into it.