A few weeks ago we replaced one of the small Hydraulic lines that got pinched in the boom arm and leaked. This is part of the system that goes to the self-leveling platform. However ever since then, the platform has stopped leveling. It levels a little bit but still has a lot of "play" in there - you can easily move the bucket significantly up and down by hand. So I suspect the hydraulic line that leads to the self-leveling cylinder setup is now full of air. How do I get the air out? Or could it be a different problem?
Yeah sounds like air in the lines. Can you Crack the lines loose a little bit and try tilting a little to try and bleed the air out?
Who made the line ? Remove the line and check it for flow with air. A lot of inexperienced hydraulic hose makers crush 1/4 fittings killing the flow. Seen it multiple multiple times.
Genie is very good about making their manuals available. If you haven't already, I suggest you download a service manual for your Z30/20. It probably has a procedure for bleeding that system.
They have the procedure in the manual for the newer Z30/20, but not the Z30/20HD. The newer one has an explicit Platform Manual control, so the bleeding procedure is obvious. The one I have has the platform level & primary boom connected as a single hydraulic loop.
I am familiar with the Z30/20N. Not sure what the HD is all about. Does your machine have a basket level function either on the basket or the ground controls? If so, have you tried operating the basket level function through it's full range of motion? Doing this should work the air out of the system. May take a couple times. If it doesn't have this function, from the ground control, raise the boom to max and lower to ground many times. This should also work it out.
The 20HD has heavier duty wheels compared to the 20N, meant for uneven terrain. (It's not 4WD though). Yeah there's no basket level function on either the basket or ground controls. I've tried lowing to boom to max and back about 10 times. What would you consider "many" times? Hundreds? Where does the air go if you raise it up and down like that? Doesn't it effectively just stay around in the hydraulic lines or does it have a way to work itself out?
10 times is lots. Sounds like this is a totally closed little system all on it's own. There has to be a method of introducing new fluid into the basket leveling system after a hose break.
Ok, I found a manual listed for the Genie Z30/20HD, lowest serial number. It shows 3 bleeder points. One bleed point before each port of the the slave leveling cylinder (basket) and one bleed point at master leveling cylinder (on the base). Nothing for a bleeding procedure however. Genie failed in the manual department this time.
You want genie to write a procedure for bleeding every line? You know where the ports are. Just try them out and bleed then.
I don't want anything. Not my machine, and I'm not working on it. Just saying the manual in this case is exceptionally sparse.