With two problems fixed (new engine mounted and a new 6-way changeover valve), new problems arise. This machine does not have servo controls. The valve controlling the boom cylinder is leaking, and it is getting worse :-( . It seems the slider is scratched quite badly, so I suppose the seal is getting wors for every time the valve is operated. What to do? Can the slider be fixed in any way, or will I have to replace it? Pulling all the valves from the digger seems like quite a painful jub, but what about renovating the valves? Is that something I can do my self, or do I need to hand it over to a specialist? One more question. The operation of the machine is a bit tricky. There is some ply in the handles, but not that mouch. Still, it reacts very quickly, making smooth operation hard. Is this the way they are, when not fitted with servo control, or is there anything I can do to make it operate more smootly?
Noone? Anyone know the manufacturer of the hydraulic valves used by Pel Job?
In many cases, given you have room to do it, you can remove the control valve spools from the valve sections and install new seals for the spools. Many time the seals are just o-rings, sometimes quad rings, and occasionally a U-cup seal. Not much you can do with seriously damaged spools, about the best you can do is polish them with some fine emery cloth. No one I know of sells valve spools separately, spools are always a matched parts of valve sections.
Spool = the arm sliding in and out in the valve? Sorry if it's a dumb question, but English is not my native language. Is it possible to find good working, used valves? Can it be repaired in any way? Filling the cracks with chemical metal like JB Weld Stick and polishing it? Are this valves "standard", or are they special made for each brand and type of diggers?
No worries frodes, English may not be your native language, but trust me, your English is damn good. The valve spool is the chrome shaft that slides in and out of the control valve section that controls delivery of oil. All control valves, regardless of brand, are precision ground assemblies. Each spool has to be ground and polished to very close tolerances with the bore of the valve body. If they are ground and fitted too tight, the spool won't move in and out freely. If they are ground/fitted too loose, internal oil leakage will affect machine operation and oil will get hot. Although all control valves are similar in operation, they are engineered specific for the machine application they are being used on. There are typically even design differences with the valve sections being used on the same machine. The spool in the valve section that controls the boom operation will likely not be the same design as the spool in the machine swing valve section, so you can't switch spools among the different valve sections. Control valves are fitted to a machine by the designers to match the amount of flow the hydraulic pumps on the machine produce, and the rate the spool meters oil as the spool is moved in and out. You may be able to fit a replacement control valve assembly from a different machine and it may work, but just as likely, it won't work the machine proper. As for repairing damaged spools with something like JB weld, I don't know if one would have much success with that. First of all, unless it were a deep/wide groove in the spool, there's not enough surface area for something like JB weld to make a good bond, also at the point where it meets good chrome spool at each side, the chrome is so slick it wouldn't be able to bond with it. Whenever I've ran across severely damaged spools, I typically replace the valve. I realize in your case that's not an easy option, but I don't know of any good solutions myself. There may be a repair method out there, I'm just not aware of one.
Thank you for the good explanation. I don't think fixing a valve spool with things like JB Weld will work, but it would be interresting to know if anyone have tried it. I think you are right with all the valves beeing different. There are three pumps on this machine, each supplying pressure to different valves. One valve also controls the flow from both the lager pumps (breaker circuit). Oil getting hot? Makes me think. How hot shuld the oil be? If i am using the digger for some hours, the tank is getting quite hot. I haven't measured it, but if it gets a little hotter, it will be unpleasant to touch. I'll measure it with the IR Thermometer if i remember. How hot shuld it be? I know this will vary depending on the load and temperature. Do you (or anyone else) know if this machine have any features that is meant to make it operate smoother? In the pel job eb12.4 catalogue, the brag about innovations making it smoother to use. The valves can be seen in the 2nd to last page here : http://www.volvo.com/NR/rdonlyres/D710DAB7-F14B-424C-8021-63DDC65B058D/0/PJEB1241642150699701.pdf They look more or less the same as mine, but in the picture, I suppose there is servo controls. As I said, I have problems operating the machine as smooth as I would want to, but I don't know if this is only because the lack of servo controls, or if there is something not working as it is supposed to.
I can't offer much help with the control operation of your machine as I've never worked on a Pel-Job. As for oil temperature; normal operating temps would be somewhere between 48 and 71 C, preferably in the lower range. Temps above that, 71 to 85 C is getting a bit hot.
Thanks. I know temperatures of 45-50C feels unpleasant. I am confident the temperatures is well below 70C.
Try to get a picture of the valves and we might be able to tell the origin. The bigger peljobs use parker valves and I've bought both new complete sections and just a spool from parker when reparing a 7 tonner.
Did you see the picture in the PDF file I posted? The valves look just like them.
The pic in the PDF is not clear enough, even magnified, for us to recognize what brand it might be.
One problem solved and another comes along - Sorry to hear this frodes. I would of thought that the jerkiness could be normal on a cable controlled machine like yours but I have never driven the non servo EB12.4 only the servo controlled version so I can't really say. Are the levers stiff to move? Could you oil/lubricate any moving parts to see if that frees things up? The rams on my mini's get pretty hot, in summer they are too hot to touch for longer than a couple of seconds.
The levers are easy to move. I've lubricated them with lots for grease, and tighten everything I can. There are some ply, but the valves also need to be moved quite a bit to react, so even if it had no ply at all, the levers still need to be moved quite a bit. The good news, is I've let the digger out six times in a row not without any problems at all. The leaking valve dosn't seem to get get worse, at least not that I've noticed now.
Hi Per, I have a cracked 'distributor control valve spool' on my 1999 Pel Job EC 30. So far I've been quoted 1493.13 euro for the repair ! I was told by my French dealer that I have to buy a new complete distributer. I'm in shock. Can you or anyone else please offer any advice of dealers, second hand suppliers, breakers, reconditioned valves or a place i can buy just one. Very many thanks in advance for any light you may be able to shed on this matter.
Hi Frodes, I wonder if you managed to get sorted with the spool valve on your Pel Job, I have a similar problem, I need just one...
Hello. I bought the 2/6 way change over distributor "thing" new, with spool and every thing. Price was around NOK 2000, equalling €250 , incl 25% Norwegian VAT. I suspect you need some thing a litte bigger for your EC30. Mine is a EB 12.4 , 1,3 ton. This is where I bought mine : http://egileng.no/oslo/egilengas.nsf/id/FC912785B363BE7741256CB6005D9992?OpenDocument Add 0047 to the phone number. They'll probably speek english. Normally, Norway is an expencive country to buy ... anything ... . Usually, we're better off buying from abroad, but this valve seemed to be reasonable priced.
Hi Frodes, VERY many thanks for your advice, I have written to the company you suggested and hope with all my fingers crossed that they speak English and can help. Cheers Tim.
I might have quoted a little wrong here. I've had 2 treads going here, this one, and one with the change over valve not working. Tha change over valve have been replaced at the cost mentioned above, but the main valve leaking have NOT been touched. I suppose you have other type valves, as mine have manual control arms, not servo control.
Not to worry Frodes, I just got this back anyway "Det gick inte att leverera meddelandet till följande personer eller distributionslistor: [email protected] Det gick inte att hitta mottagarens e-postadress i mottagarens e-postsystem. Det här meddelandet kommer inte att skickas igen automatiskt. Kontrollera e-postadressen och försök att skicka meddelandet igen manuellt, eller lämna följande text till systemadministratören." I'd best stick to my language ! Thank you again all the same, Tim.
meaning system was unable to deliver your mail. Message in swedish accually. Egil Eng work with all kind of hydraulics, so if/when I descide to fix the leaking valve, they will be the first one I contact. Try [email protected]
Ahh ok Frodes, I'll try them then, thank you again for your time. Cheers, Tim.
I have now dismantled the distributor, the valves used on my Pel Job are :- Rexroth-Sigma, I need a hydraulic spool valve the part number is :- E7418224 Does anyone know where I can buy such a valve ? The valve has a hair line crack in it, however they are cast iron, so I don't think it would be possible to weld. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
I am afraid I am not at mouch help, but would appreciate if you share what ever solution you find with us. Volvo bought Pel Job around 1998, I think. It seems the later models were sold as Pel Job or Volvo depending on the country where they were sold new.
Hi Frodes ... or anyone out there ! Further to my investigations, I received this reply from a UK dealer today > "The part number should be PJ7418224 and the price is £665.00 for the complete element. It would have to come over from Sweden and the lead time is 7 to 10 days, unless I put it on an emergency order, when the price then becomes £725.00, that would take 2 days." < So you are right Frodes, it seems these valves are infact from Sweden ... By chance, you don't know any Swedish dealers do you !?
I think I might do. Let me see what I can find.
That's really very kind of you Frodes, thank you.
Have you tried to take the valve and spool to a machinist to make you a new spool. As long as there is no damage to the valve body the machinist may be able to build you a new spool to fit the valve bore/body? .02c
I sent an inquery about this, but I never got any response :-( I haven't done anything else to the valve. I have too mouch other things to do all summer, and in the winter it is too cold to start removing the valves. The leak is not that big, so for now, I'd rather use a little extra oil in stead of spending a lot of money and time fixing it.