I am in the process of rebuilding a Genie 5519 Tele-handler. The original engine caught fire and I am in the process of bringing the new engine online. I did not replace the radiator as genie wanted 3K for it and it seemed liked mine did not take much damage. To confirm this, I took it to radiator shop and the cleaned and pressure tested it. (They could not test the hydraulic side due to them not having the correct fittings) I started the engine for the first time last week and found that the radiator was leaking on the hydraulic side through the thermostatic bypass valve. I was able to remove it and found that the seal was in fact damaged from the fire and needs replacement. I was wondering what else should I be looking for as far as damage? It does have a core that on the parts diagram shows "Thermal element". I pulled this out and it has a pin that came out of the backside of this. I am not sure if this part is supposed to be sealed or is this normal? If this part is bad and I run the unit, what would I look for for signs that something is wrong? I have attached some pictures of before I removed the center element for reference. If it does open, it appears to just open into a separate channel on the radiator. What is this thing doing anyways? Thanks for the help and guidance!
I'm pretty sure that the "thermal element" is your thermostat control which is normally a wax filled, sealed assembly that, when heated, will expand. Being hydraulic, I would hazard a guess that the element will open fully by either 120, 140 or 160 degrees F. You should be able to immerse that element in a small pot of water and add boiling water until the element opens up (visibly lengthens or contracts). Once it moves, check the water temperature in the pot. That temperature should be the set point of the element. If it is over spec, get a new one. If it never moves, get a new one. You can run without it but your oil will never get heated to proper operating temps and that's not a good thing to do long term. By opening the separate channel in the radiator, it allows the oil to be cooled. When closed, the oil should be directed back to tank until it reaches proper operating temperature and the thermostat opens/closes to regulate that the oil stays above cold temp. Just like the thermostat in your car or truck for the engine. Only difference is that this is for hydraulic oil and not water jacket cooling.
Thank you so much! This is really helpful info. It did not move when trying boiling water, so I am pretty sure it is damaged. I would have replaced it without thinking, but Genie wants $300 just for the small element for $1,000 for the full assembly which is highway robbery for what this is!
Genie probably didn't make the part, and you can probably find it much cheaper if you can figure out where.
You can usually back door most parts if you look hard enough. Get a set of digital calipers (Harbor Freight cheap & good enough) and start doing Google searches for thermostatic elements, parts, components, etc. Figure how it's installed in there and you can likely do a much cheaper rebuild. Komatsu wanted way too much for a rebuilt water pump years ago so I started searching and found the seals and guts I needed. I pressed out the old parts and installed the new. Saved about $300-$400 rebuilding it myself and it was easy. I am notoriously tight with my money and I will rebuild most anything myself or do lengthy parts searches if I feel that the parts guy wants an overly inflated price. Fecon & Menzi come to mind with that statement.
I am with you on that. I am 90 percent through this rebuild on this Genie 5519. Most of the parts I was able to find direct from the manufactures. For example, Genie had the control valve on the main pump listed for $5,000. I was luckily able to life a part number even though it had been through a fire. I was able to order the parts directly through Bosch for $194. I can't believe just how terrible some of the markup is. I do have a really nice set of calipers, but this part has no markings on it, and they supposedly are set to a specific temp, which Genie does not disclose. I ordered the damn thing because I looked for about a day and did not find anything that looked close to what I needed.
Ya, that is the hardest part. Most of this stuff is made is Germany with no distributors in the US other than Genie. I have had pretty good luck so far on most things, just not this.
Just to close this up, I did buy a new one as the old one was indeed bad!