Hey folks, I’m relatively new to equipment and have been so glad that this community exists. It’s taught me a lot with a few months of lurking. However this is my first post... I picked up an excavator that I’ll be using to do some land improvement. Ended up with a bad sight glass and lost a few gallons of hydraulic oil before I noticed. Didn’t notice any performance issues and hopefully caught it before it strained the pump. I ended up consulting some folks on oil compatibility stuff goes as far as topping the level back to normal because I wasn’t sure what was in there for oil to begin. Was largely told not to worry much about it. Picked up some aw-46 from Napa, mixed a bit briefly to see about any severe incompatibility, then filled to the line. Ended up exercising the machine for an hour or so without any issue or changes in appearance via sight glass, then left overnight. Low and behold, a day later the sight glass shows a flocculate formed and is slowly settling toward the bottom. I now know I should have done a full compatibility test. My question is, how bad did I screw up? And what is the best course of action at this point? Is a full flush necessary? Or will the filter pick this stuff up and I can just swap out the cartridge before the regular interval? Really appreciate whatever you’ve got for me.
Hard to tell but looks like entrained water or air settling out. Could water have gotten in from the bad sight glass? I'd scoop a sample of the white stuff and let it settle in a jar. See what you get.
I will collect a jar full today and do this. I do not think anything got in when I added the fluid. And I would be surprised if significant water could have entered via the long crack in sight glass. My previous photo is out of focus and shows the lower layer as pretty cloudy/homogenous, when in fact it is certainly more of a precipitate/flocculate when looked at closely. Attached is a slightly better photo showing its inconsistent organization. Would water contamination show this kind of dappled consistency?
From what I can see in the picture it looks like less water than the previous picture indicating some has settled out? Do you see condensation inside the tank or filler cap?
Check for condensation but also see if the milky stuff feels like jello. Some synthetic oils don’t play well with mineral based oils.
It's definitely settling. I pulled a sample into a jar last night and by +12hrs there was a 1 cm layer on top that was much clearer. The lower layer has consistency like a snow globe. It appears that it will eventually settle out entirely, so I will wait for it to go further and then try to pull a sample that is predominantly the impurity. I'm prepared for it to feel gel-like. But I will also try to get a brighter flashlight to look down the hole and check for condensation. Of note, is that the pressure in the tank seems to increase even when vented and the machine has not been started -- as if there is some thermal expansion happening. Could just be the headspace, but maybe there is some kind of water in there that keeps re-establishing an new equilibrium... All that said, I've seen a good number of emulsions in my time, and I'm reluctant to fully believe this stuff behaves like water. The impurities don't seem to have the same cohesive properties of something super polar. It's more of an amorphous fuzz. I'm suspicious that it is indeed an insoluble organic chemical. Not sure if having a sample tested is the best course, or if a full purge would clean it out regardless. I would like the make sure I fix the symptom as well as the problem with the next step. Gotta say, I'm so appreciative to have people that care to lend a voice on this issue. My dang manual is lost in the mail currently, so I'm flying a little blind until that gets sorted out. I'm also still setting up relationships with other equipment people in my immediate area, so even just chatting with experienced equipment folks online eases the anxiety of this situation. Many thanks!
I think you're up against two different types of hydraulic oil that do not want to 100% mix with one another, and worse still, are reacting (badly) to one another. Or at least one of them is..........
What kind of excavator is it and how many gallons of hydro does it hold? If it were my machine I would flush, refill, new filters and run it to get warm and sample. If there is anymore in the system rinse and repeat until it's gone. Personally I don't mess around with cleanliness in our hydro systems.
It's a Kobelco 115 SRDZ and holds 37 gallons. It seems likely the problem is isolated to the incompatible oil, but I am considering if an analysis will help double check that something else in the system isn't off and compounding the problem.
Analysis of the oil that is in the system right now will probably be extremely difficult because of the way the two oils apparently separate when cold or not operating. The lab may even refuse to analyze on the basis that the sample is not "homgenous".
I think it would help if you used plain English rather than fancy words a scientist might use. I think the best thing to do is find out the exact spec. for the oil from Kobelco and after flushing out what's in there, replace it with the proper oil and a new filter. Not all systems recommend straight hyd. oil. Changing oil is cheaper than repairing hyd. components.
If you want a quick and dirty test for water I do this for testing waste oil before it hits the furnace. Take a propane torch and warm a small section of a thin sheet metal plate to around 300F or so. Pour a spoonful of that stuff on. If it cracks and pops like bacon in a pan it’s got water in it. Not popping no water. Obviously do this outside.
Thanks for the great advice, everyone. I do apologize for being wordy in my descriptions. Just trying to provide enough info to get to the bottom of this quickly. Ct Farmer, I will certainly start with a water test. Seems like excellent and simple test. I am looking into flushing steps now. I guess I should start by picking up a shop manual for this rig. Pretty big ouch for a pile of paper.
You don't have to apologize to us. :beerchug: If you're going to keep the machine for a while that will be some of the best money spent.
You may want to look into getting a 55 gal drum of spec hydraulic oil and a hand rotary pump, it'll be the cheapest for flushing and filling. O'Reilly Auto or any other chain auto parts store can order in 55 gal drums to your local store.