Hi all , I have a mate who's worker put synthetic oil in his machine that was running mineral oil and it has turned to gel, we have flushed the machine and got some it working but its still not good , is there a product that we use to try and flush the system out that will perhaps help to dissolve the mix, its a big wheeled excavator and a good machine , but have been told its better to buy a new machine , surely this has happened before , if there is a mix we can add to the oil that will help dissolve the gel, we would be really keen to find out , at the moment there is nothing to lose as the machine is toast and only a couple of bits barely function thanks in anticipation cheers Tom
I’ve heard of that happening, but never witnessed it. Could you post pictures for our entertainment? No, there is no cure for that. I’d try repeated flushing with a cheap 32 and see what happens. I’ll ask my my bros, but they will say the same thing. Shame on the mess. I wonder if diesel would work? Don’t have anything to lose at this point.
I would experiment with different solvents etc. in a glass jar . Find what works best and give it a try. I'd dilute it with cheap hydraulic oil.
I don't disagree with testing out various solvents but be aware of swelling your orings and seals if your run the machine. If you find a good solvent that breaks up the gel, you could probably dump it in the tank but not run it. Drain the tank and use a suck bucket with piece of pvc pipe to reach to the bottom and corners if possible to get most out. Getting rid of the big stuff in the tank, then filling/flushing one more time with cheap oil may be your safest route.
What about heat? Does it liquify at a temperature that the systems could be safely heated to?
BTW, did you change out the filters before and after the flush? Blow/bleed out the control lines from the non-working functions? I wouldn't give up on the machine but you might need to be a bit more surgical in tracing down and addressing the circuits that are giving you problems.
How about a make and model of a "big wheeled excavator." The degree of possible damage to the system by the contamination depends on the type of hydraulic system in the machine. A wheel loader with gear or vane pumps will tolerate a lot more contamination with minimal damage than an excavator or other type of machine using variable displacement piston pumps. A machinery dealer would definitely say that an entire teardown, clean up and assembly would be the minimum requirement. I probably wouldn't touch the repairs on a machine in this condition without several pieces of paper that hold me harmless of any and all future problems with the machine.