I have a few small leaks on my hoe that I would like to fix, but after washing, I still can't find them. Is there a dye one could add to the hydraulic oil that wouldn't screw up? Is there any other way to find these small leaks?
Work it in some dusty conditions and you will soon see where it is leaking from.
Fishfighter; I researched that same question a couple of years ago. I also had some very small leaks I just could not pinpoint the location of. One in particular. It was a pinhole in my loader valve. The dyes are available on the internet from quite a few vendors, but they are expensive so I never did purchase any. Here is a link to one that has a florescent added to it. It would be my choice if I were to buy any. http://hydraulicspneumatics.com/200.../Article/False/86287/TechZone-HydraulicFluids
Cat sell concentrated oil dyes. You only have to add a teaspoon full to the system to colour it. We often use dyes on machines with multiple systems so that we can tell by the colour which system is leaking. Part Numbers are 9U5031 for red and 9U5032 for blue.
The Cat dyes are about $40 for an 8oz can.
Thanks guys. Being new to a hoe, I still have a ton to learn. I been working the hell out of mine with little down time. After today's work, I will be shutting it down for a few days for some maintences and try to fix a few things along with the leaks. I have to order a bunch of bushing that need to be replace ASAP.
And be very careful handling those dyes, a little goes a long way and can be a bugger to clean up I like using these in systems with sight gauges, makes it much easier to see the oil level:cool2
Some baby powder or flour shot out of a handheld sandblaster to directionally coat the area in question might be worth considering too.
Just way to many small leaks for baby powder. LOL I think I found one. Not in a good spot. One of the spool valves is leaking. Guess I will have to pull the covers to get a better look at things.
I heard of that technique here on HEF. Just to make sure you know how it goes, with the machine running, you powder the area, and keep powdering the source area where the suspected leak is, if there's a leak, it will get wet and flow, if not it stays dry, thus finding the source of your leak. (not sure if I interpreted the LOL correctly )
One more option: http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?ga=us72&q=desenex+foot+spray Sprays on wet and dries to a powder, very similar to the spray in the crack detector kits.