I just bought a case 580M and there is water (a lot) in the hydraulic reservoir. Is the fluid cooled in the radiator? Or maybe on the outside of the radiator?
I don't know specifically for the 580M and I don't know much, in general, but I don't think hydraulic fluid is typically cooled at all. Water can, seemingly, intrude in a variety of ways and it's a problem a lot of people deal with. It is widely suggested to do a hydraulic flush or the water can ruin the hydraulic fluid pump. It's not an easy task, but also not terrible, but costly. You can find several topics (look for @Tinkerer , his explanation is good) on how to best rid your system of water.
Is there a chance the hyd oil is just old?
There's usually a hydraulic oil cooler, I can't say either about that model, it shouldn't be hard to track the lines. There's also a lot of surface area for the hydraulic system, so there might not be a cooler either when the hydraulics are separate from the trans. If it was antifreeze getting into the oil, that would be very bad and make a gunk of the oil. Water is bad but not nearly as bad as glycol. Water usually gets by seals on the cylinders, or into the tank from the cap as rain or condensation. Flushing a hydraulic system is a lot of work and money to do it right. I've used heat and an air bubbler to dry out the old oil. Then you can change the oil and the new stuff won't be contaminated right away, and without taking the whole system apart. If you drain the oil and refill, you only get half the oil out, so three oil changes and you'll still have 12% of the old oil and water, which is still too much water.
I did some research and it seems that there is a cooler separate from the radiator,so, I'm gonna change the oil and get the most out, run it for a week then change again. Unless you have another suggestion. Thx for the help
there are things that you can put in the tank to absorb water
please share??
I’m with Delmer. Buy 40 gallons of hydraulic fluid, there are 2 good threads on here on how to purge the system and it works. Just did it on my Case 580 SE and it took 45 gallons and ended up with 20 gallons of good fluid with a little water in it. Also plumbed in a 3/4” drain petcock into the hydraulic tank drain and when I get the hydraulics very warm I drain it. Only a thimble full of water comes out now, if that. I am leaving the 20 gallons to separate and will use accordingly. The fluid that was in it, with all the bad seals was not separating at all.
Also I found a product called "camel tail" it is a moisture absorbing "ro;; that is placed in the tank that gets out any water. I will install a drain. thx for all the input.
Oh Man! NOT the word I first saw!
Changing the oil in the reservoir is complete waste of time, money and good oil. Your oil is a disaster waiting to happen. A complete system flush is the only sensible thing to do. After you find and eliminate the how that much water got in it.
Huh, I didn't know these things had oil coolers!
That cooler might be for the trans, and the trans is separate from the hydraulics on this, right? maybe? You won't get most of the water out with draining it, you'll get half or less of the water out. That's why I suggested drying the oil, assuming you set it up to do it easily, and then repeat until the oil is dry. There are lots of methods to dry oil. Heating and air bubbling is only the easiest one in my opinion.
yes it is cold where I am
Camel Tails are what I was thinking of. I never used one but I am sure they work.
Whooo! A bit spendy! https://www.steelcamel.com/shop.html I'm surprised to have not heard of those, we had a discussion here a while back about some theoretical water sucking device, I don't remember what it's called, but I bought a few of them, that didn't seem to work well.
I think you need to do the best you can flushing the fluid, then install one of those Camel Tails to get the last of the water.
Do you have a service and operators manual for your 580M . Maintenance like fluid and filter changes are not covered in the service manual.
WOW! I have a 580M Series1. If you need some manuals I may be able to help.