My Bobcat 334 developed a leak on the boom cylinder between the gland and rod. I've never rebuilt a cylinder before and this is a home owner machine (with a home owner budget). I was hoping someone could tell me where I'm wrong and what else I should consider. I got the thing apart, cleaned, and now I'm inspecting everything: The rod/chrome looks good to my eye, nothing obvious that my fingers can detect for imperfections. Should I still give this a polish? If so, with what (maybe steel wool?) The piston has some obvious rough areas. Is it OK to take these down with a file and sandpaper? I can see/feel an obvious scratch in the gland where the seal goes. Is it a goner or can that be lightly sanded? I'm not sure if this was the failure or if I did this during removal. I heard a bent rod could contribute to leak here. Is it worth having a shop check the rod if I have no reason to suspect it's bent? Since the gland is aluminum, what should I put on the threads before reassembling?
Check the rod with a straight edge, if you have concerns. 320 grit, sanding roll. Wrap it around in a loop, radial. Not lengthwise. Go light. That makes a good finish for the new seals.
I've seen glands in way worse shape than that, that actually looks pretty good. I wager it was just time for some new seals and you're good to go.
Thanks guys - I didn't post a picture of the piston but that has some rough edges on its outside diameter. I actually could not remove the piston from the cylinder when it was fully retracted, I had to push it out most of the way with the power of the machine before finishing it by hand. Is it common to have some wear there? I plan on sanding it too.
Just to make sure I understand - are you talking about sanding the rod or the inside of the gland? Both?
The chrome rod.
Thanks. Any thoughts on cleaning up the aluminum pieces that have obvious surface scratches? Is that commonly done? I can't tell if that will cause more harm than good...my gut says any scratch smoothed out is better than left as is.