Hola everyone, Sooo, my hydraulics have been "surging", mostly when I start going loco with my tail. If I'm doing something that's exerting a lot of back and forth stress on the tail, like pulling a stubborn rock or stump it'll start surging up and down in revolutions in unison with me working the tail. It almost feels like a fuel pump issue, because the surges also go up and down with the fuel gauge needle moving back and forth when I'm bouncing the thing around. But I don't think it's a fuel issue think it's a hydraulic issue. Basically only happens when I'm working the hoe hard. Just recently changed out a *way too old* deere hydraulic filter with the equivalent Donaldson filter, is there any possibility that it allows lower flow than the original deere, causing more stress on the pump and system in general leading to this surging when I start being all excited with the hoe? I've been told my hydraulic pump is slowly wearing out so it could be related to that, but this new phenomenon coincides with changing the filter. Anyone ever seen this before? Any ideas? Thanks!
What does the hydraulic fluid look like? foamy? milky? is the level correct? I'd guess there's a greater chance that the gasket got messed up than the filter is causing the issue, assuming it is the correct filter number. I would expect a problem at the extremes, like cold start performance, or not as long of a life, not what you're having. How did the old filter look? go on youtube to see how to cut apart and inspect a used filter. The fuel needle is swaying because the whole machine is swaying. I would check fuel first though, does the machine climb a hill as well as it ever did? or accelerate in road gear? Surging is fuel starvation or air to me, like a plugged fuel screen in the tank, or a fuel fitting somewhere that's plugged if the screen is gone, or a suction leak from a cracked rubber fuel hose between the tank and lift pump. Or a plugged filter.
Thanks Delmer, I'll look into all that. I did change the fuel filter after it started happening. The thing is a little low on power for my liking but keeps working fine. Perhaps I should clean the screen inside the tank. The hydraulic fluid is old but clear(ish) I keep it topped up.
Hola Delmer, I removed and thoroughly cleaned out the diesel tank (it was like pumping a septic tank), changed out the screen in the tank and blew out all the hoses before the filter, which is still new. I dunno if that was "it" but it's made a huge difference in the general performance and power of the thing. Definitely surging a lot less, if at all . It was interesting to find that the electric lift pump was not working when I was putting it all back together and tried tu purge the system. It was a simple little grounding issue but I wonder how long it had been like that. Hope it didn't hurt the injection pump. Thanks for the advice!