I have an old home made log splitter...30+ years, never a lick of problems...It has been sitting a couple of years & it started like usual....I worked it about 1/2 hour, added about 1-1/2 quart of hydraulic fluid (Sams Club AW 46 R&O Hydraulic Oil) & finished my work.....The next day I discovered the control flow valve was stuck, and cannot move it, also the pump is seized??? - What happened ???? I have since drained the oil & found nothing unusual..... Really would appreciate any input....Thanks
That sucks. Unless it was a contamination issue, chances are, the new oil before it failed was all coincidental. The pump hatched at some point and the debris jammed up the valve. BTW, Welcome to the group. You could take the pump apart and post some pictures. I’m sure you will receive lots of input at that point.
I guess why I'm so puzzled is both the control valve (back & forth on the ram) & the pump are locked up tighter than a drum...almost like running an engine without oil? I'll get the pump off & opened up and will post some pics....Thanks for the reply...
As mentioned further downthread, the same question in multiple locations can cause confusion. Since both threads had replies, the easiest remedy was to merge the two, hence the repetition here of the opening question. ~Digger242j~ ....Posted in Lubrication section....giving it a try here.......I have an old home made log splitter...30+ years, never a lick of problems...It has been sitting a couple of years & it started like usual....I worked it about 1/2 hour, added about 1-1/2 quart of hydraulic fluid (Sams Club AW 46 R&O Hydraulic Oil) & finished my work.....The next day I discovered the control flow valve was stuck, and cannot move it, also the pump is seized??? - What happened ???? I have since drained the oil & found nothing unusual..... Really would appreciate any input....Thanks
Asking the same question again is not going to get better answers. Take it apart and tell us what happened. I'd take the valve apart first. If that's blocked the engine might feel locked up.
Well, coaldust kinda said it all. Most likely the pump grenaded at the moment of shutdown and debris got into the valve. Take the pump apart and see. edit: Or the valve, gotta start somewhere. Til you disassemble something, we're all guessing.
Why not just report the post as a duplicate and have it removed. To the OP. Posting the same question in multiple locations is considered poor forum etiquette.
Sorry about the etiquette...I had thought my question was more lubrication related, thus changed category....Taking it apart..... Can't find Rube Goldberg who put it together....The control valve is bolted on to a 'C' channel & the 'C' channel is welded on to the machine...not tacked, but a full bead....Got the pump off & found the manufacturer is 'Adel'....My on line research did not turn anything up....The power unit is a 1957 10 HP Briggs rope start, external points...sweet as honey, most always starts on the first pull, possibility a second pull, but never gets to a 3rd pull as its running by then....Getting back to the problem....just found it very unusual that the control valve & pump would seize, overnight after working it for less than an hour the day before with no indication of an issue.....Thank you for all the responses.......
yes, it's extremely odd, which is why nobody has much of an idea of what could have happened.
Soooo..... question: have you tried to rotate the engine over slowly with the pump removed? Just to verify the engine isn't the one seized? What about the pump? I'm assuming its a small gear or vane pump. If so, can you rotate the pump shaft by hand with the pump disconnected and removed? Just trying to work out of maybe the stuck valve resulted in the pump becoming hydro-locked. It'd be very difficult to pull the rip cord on the engine if the oil can't flow.
With the pump disconnected & removed the engine turns freely.....I had a pipe wrench on the shaft & it won't budge, neither will the control valve with some coaching with a heavy hammer......How can something sit for a couple of years, startup with about an hours use & then be locked up the following day.....I hesitate to buy any parts for it, for the fear the hydraulic piston is seized as well......
Beating the control valve is asking for trouble. Don't worry about the WHY. The WHAT will tell the story so find that.
The oil you put in it to top up was a Joe Blow’s Gas & Groceries Special maybe..?
Just for kicks how about posting a good picture of the pump and valve? Someone may have an idea of what it is. If the motor and the cylinder are still good it might be worth it to start shopping for a new pump and valve. https://northernhydraulics.net/catalog/log-splitter-parts-and-accessories-179-1.html
Going to put this on the back burner for the moment, as there is no quick fix....The control valve is an 'Energy' - the pump is 'Adel'...A good guess the log splitter was made in the early seventies.....a crude home made unit....sprocket & chain driven...I'll post some pics at my next opportunity....Thanks again........
I think the answer lies in the sitting for a few years pump got rusty had water in the tank from condensation ect Or it was just its time to go pump blew filled valve with stuff and your right the cylinder is full of stuff also replace the pump, hoses,valve and rebuild or replace cylinder and your into a new splitter price If you do go that route look to Surplus Center and northern tool for parts 2 stage direct mount pumps are the way to go
I've read through this and the only explanation I can come up with is the splitter was shut down with pressure on the cylinder. That could lock everything up like you've mentioned. I'd crack the hose fittings on the cylinder and see if there's pressure to bleed off. If the valve doesn't kick out at the end of the stroke that could be your answer.
Still confusing....going back around to what I mentioned...I drained the system into a clean pan, & found nothing unusual in the oil...perhaps a trace of condensation, but overall the oil seemed fine....Cracking the hose fittings did not release any pressure in the system.....Even if the pump exploded upon shutting down, the distance to the valve is too great to cause contamination to the valve...again, evidence of contamination/debris would have been present in the drained oil.....I will make the effort to take pics of the pump....Its large, heavy, and foreign of what you would expect to find on a log splitter.....
Not sure how much use you have for this machine but if the gas engine is a good running 10 horse and the hydraulic cylinder is good it could be a good investment to buy a new two stage pump with the mounting bracket to fit your motor and a detent valve to replace the one you have now. I dealt with a couple home home built splitters over the years and while they worked OK. Having a two stage pump and the automatic detent valve that my store built splitter has puts the single stage pump and non-detent valves to shame for ease of use!
Well...If it was in the shed 2-3 years its a good indication its not on the priority list of use....Last year I had 3 hardwoods cut near the house & now just getting to cutting them up & splitting for this winter....and at my age not sure how much longer I want to do this, & the key word is 'want', after doing it most of my adult life....Then there's the China syndrome....I don't know how much more of that crap I want to digest anymore....Go one line, or box stores...its all the same junk....Getting off topic here but as a retirement gift to myself I bought a brand new Kubota BX with a bucket & backhoe.... and I have to admit, I'm impressed with the quality of it...I can't think of much else you can buy with this quality....I also help a friend of mine at a lawn mower repair shop & that a real eye opener, of the junk that is out there, & most people don't even realize it....Most of it have Chinese engines, & Chinese carburetors...There is no real identification other than its a Chinese engine...That's it....Chinese.....So going back to your suggestion it does sound logical, & merits consideration...but before I do anything else I will try to take apart the pump & valve.... Just have to get it closer to the priority status.....
Curious... Really old build. Fine, In shed 2 years. OK Cranked right up and put to work for 1/2 hour and worked "fine". Good. Stopped ? Why? Added 1 & 1/2 quarts (Sams Club AW-46) hydraulic oil. Where did the missing oil go? Started back up and finished work. About how long and how was it working then? I am out of touch on some current equipment, but in 1979 to 1995 we always use AW-32 Hydraulic oil in ALL hydraulics. From lift gates on trucks to 30,000 pound capacity forklifts. Then came the "Universal fluid" for tractors etc and differences became apparent. Could the problem be: It's aged pump, stale contaminated oil, run under load with low oil volume, excessive heat build up, addition of (new/different?) oil, run further to mix/reaction on old/new oil. Assumption would be startup and run as original caused some initial pump damage and "fresh" incompatible oil mixing/reacting spread debris thru system, then shut down/sit let it "come together". It is a puzzle.
First we have to understand this is a crude creation made from what ever parts that could be found, built about 50 years ago with 15-20 yr old worn parts.....so realistically its between 50/65 years old.....I'm sure, its had its share of a variety of hydraulic oils over the years...perhaps even some ATF....just guessing....Point is, tolerances in the pump & valve would tend to be sloppy so microscopic debris would not be an issue in my opinion, and there was nothing outstanding in the drained fluid....It has a fairly large tank so the fluid I added didn't make an impact, as there was no chatter with the ram extended...The loss of fluid is the result of various minor leaks through out.....My daily driver is a 4 cyl Toyota Tacoma that takes 0-20 oil, so I get what would happen if I did an oil change with 10/30 or 10/40...The whole reason for my post is the failure of both the pump & control valve at the same time....Had it been only the pump, or the valve alone, this discussion wouldn't be taking place. Prior to posting, I bounced this dilemma to several mechanic friends, & everyone is stumped....
It's because nobody has X-Ray vision. As per the best IKEA manuals - "Some disassembly may be required" ........
Nothing wasted by a tear down for hard answers...it can’t get broker
The only logical explanation is somebody took it out for a night of fun, drove it off a bridge, pulled it out 24 hours later and put it back in your garage without draining the salt water out of the tank. The only question is WHICH Kennedy? If it was me, and I didn't intend to use it more than you have, I'd buy two new hoses and two couplers and hook the cylinder to the tractor, or sell the thing on craigslist and let somebody else deal with it.
Ha..X-Ray vision....I got a pair of those glasses..............
I thinking noncompatable oil. You have us all wondering, Please let us know what you find. It's got me thinking.... I have a homemade splitter, 40+ years old and hasn't run in 10 or more years. Built by my now passed father in law. Quality workmanship. No idea of the correct oil. Will mine suffer the same fate? If it does, the splitter will be the least of my worries, wife will be mad! What oil should I use?
Maybe someone bought that jug of oil, used it, refilled it with quick-crete or molasses and returned it to the store! I did get a dozen jugs of T6 from wally world to find three had broken seals, I returned that ****! It didn't go for a ride with Teddy did it? But yeah, the valve might be the first place to start, if its blocked it could mimic a locked pump. if its a gear pump you could try turning the motor backwards by hand a little I have xray vision but it requires dismantling every fussy component entirely, then I put on my whammo x-ray glasses.
When there is no logical explanation, I just blame my wife.
Some events of the past we tend to ignore, the privileged have spoiled innocence as they always do, and now we have an x president.. ....Refreshing to points missed...The pump was removed & dismantled, nothing broken, or evidence of shrapnel....also as I said, the valve was bolted on to a 'C' channel & then welded to the machine, none the less, its frozen solid and despite 'coaching' with a hammer, not beating it to death, it will not move..What happened is going to be an unsolved mystery, as the overwhelming ears who heard this story obviously never experienced, or had knowledge of this type of failure....Conclusion is, mechanical things have to be used with frequency, as we know the consequences of dormancy in years.....
So do I take it that the initial report of the pump being seized was in error?
The pump is seized as with the control valve...........
Pump is seized as "SHAZAM"... A "SPELL" is holding it? Like the shaft goes thru a mount end bearing and other end in the end cap bearing? What is holding up RPM?
I wonder if it was more like varnish than salt water? The new fluid loosened up some old varnish and as it cooled, everything locked up tight? Maybe the new fluid was linseed oil, or actual varnish. The pump at least should go back together and run. The valve might need a 180-200F to get it to soften up and free up? I don't think the cylinder will have any issue, but then it might be a good time to send it down the road too.