Description

FIAT Kobelco SK 100, SK 120, SK 120LC Workshop Manual

You have a FIAT Kobelco SK 100, SK 120, or SK 120LC on the lift, and the customer wants it running by end of day. Aftermarket documentation will give you generic numbers and hope you guess the rest. That’s how you end up with a stripped hydraulic fitting or a control valve that won’t reseat. This 856-page factory workshop manual came from KOBELCO, not from some third party reprint outfit. It contains the actual data the assembly line used. Page 2 of the manual lists basic safety precautions—wear protective glasses, know the component weights before lifting, read all warning decals. That page might save your fingers or your back.

Specifications and Maintenance Standards (LP01, LP04)

The manual opens with the specification section (LP01). That’s where you find the fluid capacities, pressures, and tolerances that the machine left the factory with. Right after that comes LP04—maintenance standards and test procedures. If you need to check hydraulic pump flow or measure swing brake clearance, those procedures are written for a technician who has a pressure gauge and a micrometer, not a guy with a crescent wrench and hope. Each test includes the acceptable range and the tool required. No guesswork.

What Does the Hydraulic System Section Cover? (LP12)

Hydraulic system diagnostics take up a big chunk of this manual. LP12 covers the entire circuit—pump, control valve, relief settings, and the travel motors. The trouble shooting subsection (LP29) lists symptoms like “boom drifts down” or “track jerks” and gives you the check order. You test the pilot pressure first, then the main relief, then the spool. That sequence saves hours of unnecessary teardown. For the travel system (LP18), the manual includes the reduction unit disassembly steps. If you need to replace a travel motor seal, you get the torque sequence for the bearing locknut. No aftermarket manual will give you that.

3 Key Sections for Diagnostics

The component chapters—Hydraulic Pump (12), Control Valve (13), Swivel Joint (16), Hydraulic Cylinder (17), and Engine (50)—are written as standalone rebuild guides. Each starts with removal, then disassembly, inspection, reassembly, and installation. The engine section alone covers the 50-series diesel used in these machines. It includes the valve adjustment procedure and the fuel injection timing specs. You don’t need to flip back and forth; each component section has its own torque table. That’s rare in aftermarket books, which tend to lump all torque values in an appendix. Here, the torque for the control valve mounting bolts is right next to the valve body illustration.

Check the Weight of Components Before Lifting

Page 1 of the manual states: “Due to the size of some machine components, check the weights noted in this Manual. Use proper lifting procedures.” LP03 gives you the exact weight of every major assembly—the swing frame, the counterweight, the boom cylinder. If you’re a home garage guy without a second set of hands, you need that number to decide whether your engine hoist can handle it. The manual lists weights in pounds and kilograms. That’s the kind of data that keeps you from dropping a $2,000 cylinder on your foot.

Hydraulic Pump: Factory Disassembly Steps

The hydraulic pump chapter (12) walks you through taking apart the tandem gear pump. It shows the order of shim removal, the bearing preload check, and the torque for the end cover bolts. Page 1 of the manual warns that the serviceman may be unfamiliar with these systems—so the text assumes nothing. Every O-ring size is listed. Every spring length is given. If you rebuild a pump with this manual, you will not need to go back and buy missing parts.

Why OEM Beats Aftermarket Documentation

I have torqued enough head bolts to know that aftermarket manuals often copy the first revision and never update. This is a direct scan of the KOBELCO book code S5LP0008E1. It includes the OEM warnings, the factory troubleshooting logic, and the correct illustration callouts. The KOBELCO SK 100 Shop Manual is the same format as this one—no shortcuts, no condensed sections. If you have multiple Kobelco machines, you can also check the KOBELCO SK 100 SK 120 SK 120LC Workshop Manual for cross-model consistency. For larger excavators, the FIAT Kobelco SK330NLC-6E SK330LC-6E Workshop Manual – 1244-Page OEM follows the same structure.

For transmission-related work on the travel drives, the Manual Transmission section in the travel system chapter gives the reduction gear ratios and the shift procedure. The Manual Transmission subsection also covers the parking brake adjustment—rare information outside the OEM binder.

Does this manual include electrical wiring diagrams?

Yes. LP25 covers the entire electrical system, including the starter circuit, alternator, and the control panel harness. It does not include the air-conditioner wiring—that is in LP26.

How do I find the correct torque for the swing motor mounting bolts?

The swing frame section (LP15) includes a torque table on the last page of that subsection. All torque values are given in ft-lbs and Nm. The manual also lists the thread size and grade for each bolt. If you don’t see the specific bolt in the table, use the general spec table in LP01. Always cross-check with the safety warnings on page 2—a loose swing motor can shift during operation.

You need the factory data, not a reprint that lost half the pages. This is the actual manual that KOBELCO shipped with the machine. Access the Factory Manual and keep it on your tablet or print the sections you need. That’s how you finish the job without a callback.