Hi, Just purchased a D5M and whenever you try to push dirt with either side of the blade the hydraulics will not hold the blade in position...it seems like a valve or something in the joystick may be stuck open any helps appreciated.
It could be a valve. I mostly see one of the angling cylinders leaking. Have also seen machines do this with a broken rod.
Usually you can here oil passing in one cyl if you have someone angle all the way and hold it at low idle, or if you have caps and plugs you can isolate the cyl . Run all the way and cap line , leave fitting open and seeif oil comes out.
Putting a gauge on open fitting would be less of a mess. should see no pressure at end of stroke.
Get a pair of caps and plugs for the hoses that go to the cylinders. Take hoses off of cyl and plug cyl and hoses. Do this with blade straight and push dirt with the side of blocked cylinder. Repeat with other cylinder. Look for one side holding better than other. Later Bob
Had the same thing happen to mine. The packing nut came unscrewed inside the cylinder and let the rod come out of the packing. Disassembled the cylinder, put everything back together and been running fine ever since.
Same thing was happening to my newly aquired D5M, turned out to be a bent fitting on the hydraulic cylinder and didn't notice the leak until I seen the dye on the snow.
These machines have poppet valves in the cylinder pistons, if you dead end the cylinder they open and oil is allowed to bypass through the piston. For this reason you have to test these cylinders at half stroke, it is very common for these poppet valves to break and you will have the problem you described. Also common is for the piston to come off of the rod. Whatever you do DO NOT cap the cylinder fittings and try to push something, this eliminates every safety feature in the angle circuit and you will most likely bend a rod