Tips for installing new hydraulic pump in excavator?

[Blstr88]

So I've got a brand new hydraulic pump coming for my Takeuchi TB145...(for anyone who remembers my other thread, I ended up ordering it from a local vendor here in the US instead of ordering it from overseas...more money but peace of mind)

Any tips for installing? My basic understanding is to bolt it to the engine, connect all the hydraulic lines, fill the hydraulic tank with fluid and crack the bleed valve on the pump until solid fluid is flowing out...then let her rip. That pretty much it in a nutshell?

Theres going to be a lot of air in the various lines and pistons...do I need to do anything special to get the air out? Or just run everything back and forth slowly and fill the tank as needed?

Any tips/info at all would be appreciated. The pump should be here either the end of this week or early next week, so I'll probably be ready to do this mid-week next week.

 

[oldnslo]

blster,
Since this is a piston pump you must fill the case with clean oil before running. Not sure if that is what you mean by bleed valve or not.

Is the reservoir higher than the pump? If yes this will help the pump prime. I would only run the engine at half throttle or less while attempting to cycle functions. Reason for this is that air causes things to be jumpy and jerky and it will also allow slightly more time for the air to settle out of the oil in the reservoir.

Good luck in getting this up and running.

 

[mike48130]

Pretty much what OLDNSLO said. Depending on the connections, usually the output is higher or on the side. Fill it with as much oil in the suction side before connecting the lines, then fill the highest port last with oil. The key is to not start the pump out dry before it gets to suck the oil. The air in the system will work itself out when you start to use the controls. And need to make sure all your hoses and fitting are clean before you connect them. Dirt is the enemy to these things.

 

[Blstr88]

Yes, the hydraulic oil tank/reservoir is higher than the pump. The pump has a small bleeder on the top of it...looks just like a bleed valve on a brake caliber. I assume when I hook everything up, fill the tank with hydraulic oil, and crack that valve the oil will flow into the pump forcing the air out of the valve? Since that bleeder is on the top of the pump once I am getting fluid out of the bleed the pump should be filled right up with fluid...at least thats what Im assuming.

I have read it can catastrophic to run these pumps without fluid, so I just want to be sure its completely full before starting. And another post on a different forum recommend I start the engine and let it idle for a few minutes, then stop it and crack that bleed valve again to purge any more air that might have gotten in...so I'll do that too.

 

[oldnslo]

Yes, the hydraulic oil tank/reservoir is higher than the pump. The pump has a small bleeder on the top of it...looks just like a bleed valve on a brake caliber. I assume when I hook everything up, fill the tank with hydraulic oil, and crack that valve the oil will flow into the pump forcing the air out of the valve? Since that bleeder is on the top of the pump once I am getting fluid out of the bleed the pump should be filled right up with fluid...at least thats what Im assuming.

I have read it can catastrophic to run these pumps without fluid, so I just want to be sure its completely full before starting. And another post on a different forum recommend I start the engine and let it idle for a few minutes, then stop it and crack that bleed valve again to purge any more air that might have gotten in...so I'll do that too.

I have no clue what the bleeder valve is for. For peace of mind I would fill the case with oil before operation. Bleeder might also help get air pockets out of the front drive shaft bearing area. On some pump designs this is kind of a dead zone and can trap air pockets.

 

[Blstr88]

Pump is in...I'll be doing the install early next week, hopefully Monday. I'll post a few pictures and info as I go.

 

[EddieWalker]

When I replaced one of the hydraulic pumps on my dozer, I went to my Case dealer and asked them what to do. They where very helpful and said to be sure to clean all of my old hoses by soaking them in diesel fuel and blowing them out with air until they where spotless clean. Then once it was all assembled, to make sure that the dozer was up in the air and the tracks where not touching the ground. Then to run it with the tracks in the air. It was VERY IMPORTANT to not have any load on the pump when first using it. I forget how long I did this for, but I'm guessing something like half an hour. After that it was ready to go to work.

 

[Blstr88]

Makes sense to run it with no load. Should be easy enough with my excavator since I can just slowly lift/lower the boom repeatedly to work the air out of the system.

Pump is installed, my dad came and gave me a hand lifting it into position. The shaft slid into the engine with no effort and we bolted it down tight. Hooked up the 6 hoses and when I went to bolt on the fluid suction pipe I realized there is supposed to be an O-ring on that flange where it mounts to the pump....I never realized there was one there when I disassembled and could not find it anywhere, Im thinking it must have dropped into the tub I was collecting waste hydraulic fluid in and been tossed.

Sooo Im on hold until that $2.78 O-ring comes in. I ordered it, but it will be 5-7 days.

While we were doing that work my dad noticed a hydraulic hose that had a nick in it...looked so me like it might have been deep enough to be seeping some oil. So while I have everything down anyway I pulled that hose and had a new one made at NAPA - I'll put that hose on when I install the O-ring.

On a different note - what do you guys typically pay for hoses? This was a 13 foot 1/2" hose....came to $144! $13 + $24 for the two fittings, 13' of hose at $7.69/feet for a total of $99.97 + $8 labor. I have never had a hydraulic hose made before...is that pretty typical? Or is NAPA just way overpriced on that stuff?

 

[oldnslo]

Hose price varies with pressure rating and cover style and point of manufacturing 6,000 PSI tough cover or reduced bend radius American made is more expensive than 3000 PSI standard hose Chinese hose

No clue on how Napa compares to other hose suppliers

 

[EddieWalker]

Napa is the most expensive place to get hoses made in my area. They are also open on Sunday and if you want a hose on Sunday, you go to Napa!!!

Axxion is where I go to get my hoses built. Not sure if they have one in your area or not, but it would be worth looking into. I learned about Axxion from my New Holland dealer. That's where they go to get their hoses built for all their construction equipment repairs. Maybe your dealer, or parts guys, or mechanic, will know where to go?