My nice old Case 450C is still running nicely for such an old machine, but the blade control spool valves are weeping quite a bit these days. On an older unit like this one, can new seals be obtained & installed with a good success rate? Other than that leaking problem, this old girl is very dry leak wise & still runs great!! It may not be necessary to go to Case for seals, or is that the best bet?
Buy the seals from Case if you can, they aren't the cheapest but they are OEM quality. There was a serial # break with machines starting with the GBE prefix, so you might need that info when ordering parts. IIRC you'll need two O-rings, two Backup rings and a dust wiper (which yours may still be fine) to reseal each spool. You should be able to do it without removing the valve block. You'll have to remove the linkage from each section, remove the lower dust cap, centering spring, etc, then you can slide the spool up or down in the bore to replace the seals. Cleanliness is of top importance, clean everything very well with solvent and compressed air before taking anything apart.
Thank-you for your informative reply! Much appreciated!
Looks like you are keeping it clean where the spools are exposed. Dirt and oil make a grinding compound and will damage the exposed part of the spool as it moves in & out.
Whole thing looks clean. Damn thing only looks 3 years old. Nice job!