Hydraulic oil

[Matt2796]

My hydraulic fluid is clear when my tractor is idling and turns cloudy when I drive or run the hydraulics. Is this normal? Transmission is Hydrostatic.

 

[KennyG]

No that is not normal. Is it cloudy or foamy? What is the color? How many hours on the machine and the fluid?

 

[Matt2796]

There is 240 hrs on the tractor and fluid was just changed.

 

[LD1]

WHat type of fluid did you use?

That almost looks like water in the oil. Water mixed with oil turns milky

 

[Matt2796]

WHat type of fluid did you use?

That almost looks like water in the oil. Water mixed with oil turns milky

Shell spirax hydraulic and hydrostatic transmission fluid, dealer changed oil twice with same issue

 

[Matt2796]

No that is not normal. Is it cloudy or foamy? What is the color? How many hours on the machine and the fluid?

240 hrs on tractor and fluid was just changed

 

[Matt2796]

Shell spirax hydraulic and hydrostatic transmission fluid, dealer changed oil twice with same issue

The oil returns to a clear color after sitting

 

[ljjhouser]

What did the dealer say about the oil. Were both changes done with the same Shell oil? Wondering if the oil comes in bulk. If so, kinda wonder if others they changed show the same. (i.e. problem with the oil). Sounds like a powder contaminate in the oil. Or foaming. Could be water, but don't know where from.

240 is low time for a change. Was it changed BECAUSE it just turned white? If so, it is a problem with tractor, and not oil. Probably water from somewhere. But I don't think water settled out. How long does it take to clear up after shutting down.?

With 240 hours, I think I would take it to the dealer to see what they find - especially if under warranty.

 

[Matt2796]

Tried oil from 2 different places, same issue...it takes 30 min to an hour for it to clear out

 

[ljjhouser]

Has the tractor been running enough to get good and hot - up to operating temp. I would think moisture would clear up if it is condensation. Sounds like it may be picking up water somewhere.

 

[LD1]

Do hydraulic functions all work fine? Or are any of them jumpy from time to time. A small pinhole on a suction like would cause tiny air bubbles in the oil and would make it cloudy

 

[oldnslo]

any way to syphon a little of the oil out into a clear jar to see what it looks like? If air you will see the tiny bubbles, if water you should see the separation at the bottom of the container. For me Pulling drain plug usually just makes a bigger mess..

 

[Smokeydog]

Air inleakage a definite possibility. From filters? Stuck gasket from old filter on housing? Wrong spec filter? Loose center pipe on filter housing? Leak from from suction line connections? Cracked rubber on suction lines?(this happen on my low hour Kubota B26) Sometimes air inleakage leaks will not drip when parked.

 

[rademamj1]

Not sure where your observations are being made on the hydraulic fluid. Does your tractor have a sight glass for hydraulic fluid or is this all coming off dip stick observations. Unlikely on a new tractor to get any water into hydraulic lines, other than a very minor condensation contribution.

I am thinking your just seeing air foaming of the hydraulic fluid occuring in the hydrostatic case which makes it appear milky. And then after shutoff, the air bubbles leave the hydraulic fluid, resulting in a clear fluid. I see this occuring all the time in automatic transmissions on cars and trucks, where high speed usage foams the fluid with air. Just make sure your hydraulic fluid levels are all at proper levels.

 

[DMW]

Take a sample of the oil after runing it to get the oil mixed up well. It will show whether it as air entrainment or water contamination. Does not matter the sample comes from the transmission, or a loader hydraulic line. Until then, it's just speculation.

 

[ericm979]

If that is a sight glass you may have overfilled the transmission.