I'd like to repack the hydraulic lift cylinder on this truck. 1983 chevy c64. Anyone know where to get the repair kit and possibly the part #? Also I would like to add a reservoir to the truck as the fill hole now is on the cylinder and the dump body has to be raised to accomplish this. I need a diagram or advice as to hose connections. Help is appreciated.:cool2
Any place that rebuilds cylinders can fix you up. This is old and the company that built it is probales gone or dosent have the records on it. You can put a fiting in the fill hole and run it to were you can get to it but you dont need a reservoir. This may all so be the vent so your hose will need a vent cap so you will need to have it out of the weather and dust. This will only be used when it is to low to raise so when you get the bed up and safely blocked up the hose will need to be remove and the fluid level made wright.
Thanks Old Doug. Instead of a reservoir I just might try that but I sure would like to rebuild the cylinder too.
The really old units usually had a single cast iron ring in the piston, rawhide for the shaft seal as it never got more than a coating of oil from the rod. IT may be the newer units are different. The oil as you observed resides on the rod side of the piston and gets pumped around to the butt end, since you lose the area taken up by the rod the oil level gets lower as the cylinder extends, until you either hit the stop or the suction port sucks air. First one of these I ever worked on, ancient unit that a coworker had installed on a flatbed, he couldn't make it work. After a bit of head scratching I informed him that he had it in upside down and with the suction port and cast in oil galley on top, it was never going to work right, lol.
So could I take the hose off the cylinder port farthest away from the piston,put it to the top of the reservoir then run the hose from the bottom of the res. back to the lower port on the cylinder?
Where's the pump? Pump pressure line should run to the bottom of the cylinder. If you mount a remote reservoir I would think there should be a hose from the bottom of the reservoir to the pump suction, and to keep the rod end of the cylinder happy you could run a hose from there to the top air space in the reservoir.
That's what I need to know,where is the high pressure port. You say it's on the bottom of the cylinder. There are two hoses coming from the pump. One to the top and one to the bottom of the cylinder I never knew which was which.So I can run a hose from the top of cylinder to the top of res.which should be the return and run the hose that was was on the top of cylinder to the bottom of res. That would be the suction hose. Am I correct?
Pictures would be better, but yes that sounds correct to me.
Yes, and the pump pressure should remain to the bottom of the cylinder. I only question why it would be necessary as the cylinder holds enough fluid to take care of itself. If it leaks that bad it would be money better spent to repack the cylinder. They are typically not diffucult to do. Just block the box up first, or anytime you are under it.
Pics aren't possible today. Truck is 200 miles away. Thanks a million for your insight.
Pics aren't possible today. Truck is 200 miles away. Thanks a million Lantraxo and old-iron-habit for your insight. P.S. I can't find an online packing kit for this. I have a 40 foot bucket truck that had a leaking cylinder which I had professionally done. $500 later. I rarely use this truck,it's up at my hunting cabin. Occasionally for wood and stone from my quarry to fix roads. I have an old reservoir up there which looks easy enough to fix up to the truck. I haven't seen the truck since last hunting season and can't remember if it's the piston leaking or the pump. Just remember a leak. I'll be there in October for the opening Bow season. Will get back to you guys with the pics and info. Thanks again
If it leaks down well setting park it with the box partially elevated so that you can easily get to the plug to add oil when you are going to use it. Throw a block of good firewood accross the frame in front of the rear hinges to hold it up. As long as you exercise it one in a while the exposed part of the cylinder will not rust.
Yea,I do that now,usually park it in the quarry,uphill with the box all the way up. Uphill,I don't even have to block it. Gravity takes care of that. Thanks again for your input. Dan