does anybody know what the parameters are for the excessive relevel fault to occur on a us mp1230?

hey jim, it depends on the software version, usually if the car relevels 6 or more times without making a normal run, the car will fault out on a relevel fault. you can test this by making the car relevel without a run, count the relevels and see how many it takes to shut the car down. if you dont have a tool, look at the hrv led on the relay board, if it goes out, the car has faulted.

Also with regards to the 1230, barring a valve issue, noise suppression is important too. Check the VM strips on the upper left hand side of the motherboard, check the varistors and capacitors across the starter coils and open and close relays for breaks in the leads (like hidden inside the inline connector etc.). There are varistors across the valve coils too, although these typically last years. If all seems OK (let's get high tech here), turn out the machine room lights and run the car looking for arcing at any point. The Fault 7, or "Start Failure" error is a punk, just like the infamous "Mode B" (found only on the 1230). Look to see if you have a good ground on the controller. There have been times when every ground point in the controller/starter box still have the paint under the connection point...sand it to metal.
Hope this helps.

I have only encountered one abnormality that will cause a fault 7, I have seen this fault 3 times during my career. On some software versions, if the controller sees a
Ld input before the car transfers to delta on a wye delta system, the fault 7 will occur. all three times the problem was the valve was not sized correctly and the car started to move while the starter was still in the wye mode. you can experiment with this by giving the car an ld input while still in wye, i have tried this on numerous 1230 units, some will fault 7, some will not, i am assuming it is a software version issue. elmcannic, i have not ran across a Mode B error, what is it.

Seems that it shuts down if it 6 relevels in less than 2 minutes. Slower than that it will relevel forever. My problem is that the customer calls it in waaaaaayy after it has shut down and I find it sitting on the buffers with the low pressure switch open. That opens the safety circuit and that erases the current fault that shut the thing down. Its a roped hydro so it doesnt take much cooling of the oil to lower the thing down, being roped 1:2. While poking around in the controller, I noticed a jumper on the relay/power supply board up by R3 and R4 labelled J1,J0,J2. This is car two and the jumper is placed on J0 to J2 (the lower 2 pins) while car 1 has it on the upper two (J0 to J1). Does anybody know what its for? I figure its car specific for the group since its different from car to car, but I'm not sure of its function.BTW I am interfacing with the Freedom tool. I find it odd that when I plug it into the motherboard, it toggles some of the motion board I/O. Same for car #1. It may be motor init failure of the aux contacts on the starter contactors when it relevels, hopefully i can catch it in the act!

Be sure to check Aux contacts on the starters I have had this fault from contacts that ohmed fine 9 out of 10 times. I got to the point I would just install new ones if it was not oviously releveling alot.

Scott,
Mobe B (Special Service Mode) is a pretty much non existant mode with the 1230. You'll find the car, usually a simplex, sitting at any floor, doors closed and HRV out and all inputs are good, even the 5v on the motherboard is within range. If I remember right, it will take a car call through the PCD, but thats all. No other way to exit this mode other than a reset. Another problemtaic issue with some 1230's goes like this; The car is found on the springs, with the down arrow lit. Beyond DZ, and the down command can't be overcome short of raising the car on access back to DZ. It's interesting that the car is lost, trying to recover down, yet DSD is open. This trouble plagues some jobs, while others of the same vintage run quite well.
I had a duplex where this lost condition was a frequent nag. Car #1, when parked at the lobby with doors open, would end up in the pit. I could duplicate this problem by manual lowering the car with the gate made but hall lock open and with the LU input coming hi. Solution...take the park with doors open feature out (customer hasn't said a thing in 6 years!), and this trouble has pretty much vanished.

Jim,
You have a U.S. roped hydro? Where?

ontario, Canada.

Scott the problem you describe with the car on the springs and a down demand was a very hit or miss problem but one we would see on certian cars. What we found was the cam hitting the switches (a poor desing for sure) at such an angle that the switch could bounce and come back and make up again thus causing the car to go lost and pick high speed down , blow thru the floor and stay there. The solution was to readjust the cam where possible and to stack extra contacts on the direction switches to add x-tra spring tension.

Dan,
How would you "add 'extra' spring tension" on that kooky limit roller? Drill a hole on the bottom of the arm and fasten a spring to that point then the gutter? Kinda sorta like a Montgomery limit?

Jim,
I have never seen a US roped hydro in all the years I worked for them. Hope it runs as least as well as Otis' unit which is not without what seems to be some inherent problems (Speaking of inherent problems...gotta get the mower out and get busy).
And where did that "NEWBIE" thing come from? I just noticed it!

No to add x-tra spring tension we would just screw on another contact base they just stack on and you can add as many as you want.