FEL 463A and Hydraulic Problems

[Hanksride]

I have a L2800 HYSTAT, 2006, 565 hours with 463A FEL. Yesterday when using the tractor the FEL all of the sudden would not go down and only go up slowly. The only way to get it to go down is in Float Mode. The dump and tilt works perfect. I parked it and planned on checking things out today. I looked at the sight glass for the hydr fluid and noticed it appeared to be milky white. Before it was so clear I couldn't hardly tell the level, now it is obvious 1/2 of sight glass due to being milky.

Does milky mean I have Air in the fluid or water in the fluid?? I took the cover off the control valve and worked the joystick, it all appears to be working smoothly and in the proper order. I unhooked the lines for the loader and re-hooked them just to make sure something has not come loose. Same result.

A couple days ago I was using the loader pretty hard and around some brush, could it be that I pinched a line or cut one and it has sucked air into the system? I have not noticed any leaks and don't show a loss in fluid.

Any ideas on where to start would be appreciated. I don't have a gauge to measure the pressure.

Thanks,

 

[J_J]

You probably have water in the fluid.

If it sits over night, does the milky look go away.

If the milky look goes away, you might have entrained air in the hyd fluid from a suction leak.

Re-check all the QD's, concerning the loader.

 

[Hanksride]

Got it fixed.. haha Can't believe what it was. I have a backhoe on the back (self contained), and my wife and I were using the tractor to do a landscaping project yesterday when this all started. I noticed one time that she got on the tractor from the right hand side (wrong side) and apparently she bumped the 3-point lift lever into the lift position and of course it can't lift the backhoe. I think it was circulating fluid because when I found this and fixed it the fluid went right back clear. Everything works perfect again now.

She has MS so walking around the tractor can be a real task, that is why she climbed on from the wrong side. I have educated her on watching the levers and myself as well as to what to check if something like this happens again.

At least it was a cheap fix and I don't think we ran the tractor enough to burn the fluid or anything.