Track engaging slow?

85diesel · Apr 15, 2015

Hello everyone,

I just got a mini excavator, bobcat 231. Everything works, except one of the tracks. It engages really slow, and doesn't go forward. I checked the hydraulic fluid and it's white. Is that normal? What else should be looking at? Give me some pointers...I am new to this amazing machine. Thank you!

Silvic · Apr 15, 2015

White, or more commonly milky, hydraulic fluid is an indication of water in the fluid.
Not a real good thing.

I presume this is a used machine. How many hours?
How long since it last ran before you got it?
Last hydraulic service date.
Did you get maintenance service records with the machine?
Buy from a dealer or private party?

Silvic · Apr 15, 2015

Is the fluid the same color as when you got it or does it get whiter as you run it. Lots of air can make fluid change color but would not, I thnk, go white.

85diesel · Apr 15, 2015

I got it from a friend. He doesn't know anything about it. There is 1,579.7 hours on it. I noticed that the left track makes a hissing sound when I engage. The right track is fine. There are no maintenance records.

Silvic said:
White, or more commonly milky, hydraulic fluid is an indication of water in the fluid.
Not a real good thing.
I presume this is a used machine. How many hours?
How long since it last ran before you got it?
Last hydraulic service date.
Did you get maintenance service records with the machine?
BNuy from a dealer or private party?

85diesel · Apr 15, 2015

Here is the photo of the hydraulic fluid:

Silvic · Apr 16, 2015

When running the unit does the fluid level continue rising until a steady flow of liquid exhausts out of the breather cap or have you not run it long enough to know.

With that fluid color unless bobcat is using a hydraulic fluid that I have never heard of you have water and it could be coming form rain infiltrating the system, but if the unit has a water cooled heat exchanger I can't help but wonder if it is leaking in the exchanger, letting water in.

For your sake I hope that Bobcat uses a hydraulic fluid that I have never seen and that there is nothing wrong but it looks like you have a water in the hydraulics to me. I did not expect, even from your description, to see what that photo shows as far as color. I hope I am wrong.

Drain, repair, refill and drain again to flush all the water out.