Need help getting new hydraulic system working

[cmaas]

I have just finished building a hydraulic system in a vehicle that has two hydraulic motors and five double acting cylinders. Before I hook up the big motor that drives the gear pump I am trying to charge the system with hydraulic fluid using a drill motor chucked to the pump to make sure things are functioning. All seemed okay as I cycled the motors a few times but when I switched the selector valve over to the cylinder directional control valves and tried to actuate the cylinders (five cylinders controlled by three valves) the cylinders would move a little then stop and the drill motor couldn't turn the pump (the pressure gauge read 1000psi momentarily before I shut the drill motor off).

It seems like fluid is not filling the cylinders when I try to cycle them, though there is fluid in the lines. My guess is that the control valves are not allowing return flow from the cylinders. Could this be? And if so any idea what to do?

Any other thoughts? Thanks for any help!

 

[oldnslo]

Are the cylinders connected directly to the valve all in parallel or are they a master slave system where rod end of cylinder 1 fills cap end of cylinder 2.

Any other valves in the circuit like load holding or over running load control?

Any load on the cylinders?

 

[Zebrafive]

Are your valves open center or closed center?

 

[cmaas]

Are the cylinders connected directly to the valve all in parallel or are they a master slave system where rod end of cylinder 1 fills cap end of cylinder 2.

Any other valves in the circuit like load holding or over running load control?

Any load on the cylinders?

It looks like I made a stupid mistake. I flipped the valve handles 180 degrees but kept looking at the valve body as though the handles were still facing the front. I reversed the inlet and outlet hoses. Doh! I'll switch hoses tomorrow and expect it to be just fine. At least I didn't put a lot of load on the system yet. With luck I didn't damage that valve.

 

[cmaas]

Are your valves open center or closed center?

See confession of stupidity to oldnslo above.

 

[oldnslo]

Cmaas
Appreciate you letting us know what the potential resolution is.