Water in hydraulic system.

[dex3361]

You can do a simple crackle test to see if there is appreciable water in the oil. This link is a better explanation than I could write. MACHINERY LUBRICATION

 

[lar3ry]

You can do a simple crackle test to see if there is appreciable water in the oil. This link is a better explanation than I could write. MACHINERY LUBRICATION

Thanks Dex, if I don't fix it with the simple method, I'll keep this in mind. That's an interesting test. Makes a lot of sense.

Larry

 

[lar3ry]

Not to hijack a thread, but your problem with the 545 is water freezing in the spring cap on the control valve. Probably not water in the oil. The cap needs to be removed, cleaned out, lubed with a little spray grease, then use some rtv on the cap to keep water out in the future.

Just a short note to let y'all know I fixed the problem. It was indeed water in the spring cap, or more accurately, in the part that attaches to the spring cap and that holds the RTB switch/sensor. Took it apart, got rid of all the ice and water, and reassembled it. No problem since.

I'll look into prevention of the problem when the weather is a little more kind to ungloved fingers.

Thanks a bunch for everyone's comments!

Larry
:thumbsup:

 

[kita999999]

my experience with getting water out hasnt been good but i have found out if you let the system set the water goes to the bottom then turns to a gray slimy mess and doesnt move until the system is running and warmed up again, so go figure

 

[J_J]

Once the water is emulsified in a detergent type hyd oil, you might as well throw it away unless you have one of those high dollar filtration system.

Non detergent has the advantage of letting the water settle at the lowest point and can be drained out. I had a half bucket of hyd fluid that had a leak in the lid. Over time, the rain water filled the bucket and the hyd fluid was pushed out of the bucket on to the ground.

 

[lar3ry]

Once the water is emulsified in a detergent type hyd oil, you might as well throw it away unless you have one of those high dollar filtration system.

Non detergent has the advantage of letting the water settle at the lowest point and can be drained out. I had a half bucket of hyd fluid that had a leak in the lid. Over time, the rain water filled the bucket and the hyd fluid was pushed out of the bucket on to the ground.

Got it. In this case, the hydraulic oil was not contaminated with water. The water was in the spring cap on the end of one of the control cylinders, and was freezing, preventing the moment of the shaft. I took it apart a few weeks ago and made surew everything was OK. We've had a huge amount of rain this year, and there was no water in the cap.

Thanks for replying.
Larry

 

[parish]

Hi Lar3ry,
I have an identical problem with my 545. I changed the hyd fluid thinking that was the problem but it wasn't. I want to make the fix you did but I'm not sure which caps need to be removed. Any chance I can send you a picture of the control and have you point out to me what to disassemble? I can annotate an image with numbers for the parts I think are involved and you could steer me from there.

My control doesn't move in any direction when it's freezing. Maybe I have more than one channel with water in it. Anyway, chances are you won't even see this but if you do and can help, I'd definitely appreciate it.

 

[newbury]

Lar3ry hasn't been here since 06-11-2011 02:06 .

 

[J_J]

If you have the standard mono block loader valve, there are two cans on the bottom of the valve that contain the float assembly and the other can covers the regen.

Remove the cans and clean and lube and make sure the weep hole is at the bottom so any moisture that gets in can get out.

There are little parts, balls and springs under the cans so be careful and note how things come apart.

 

[parish]

Thanks, JJ.
I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather yesterday after posting my note and after having read the others. I located the two cans, cleaned them out, drilled a small drain hole in the shorter one, cleaned the exposed parts from the valve, greased and reinstalled the cans. I could immediately feel the difference that the grease made in the loader lever. Now, I'm just waiting for it to freeze again to see if the fix worked. I did find water in the shorter can and some evidence of water in the other. I don't really see a good way to cover the valve to prevent water getting in again so, if the problem happens again, I'll know what to do. I really was inspired by the discussion on the forum and had a good feeling about giving the fix a try.

I only read your reply this evening. After reassembling the cans I found a single steel ball about 3/16" dia. lying in the snow beneath the valve. Not knowing where it came from, I went ahead and tried the loader, which seemed to work normally without the ball. I believe that it came from assembly covered by the longer can but I don't know for sure. If the loader works OK without it, I'll try and figure that out later, when the weather warms up.
Again, many thanks.
Warm regards