Hey guys and gals, I have a small and very old scissor lift. The cylinder seals were replaced maybe 10 years ago. It has this breather? or some such thing which had little wire strands in it which leaked intermittently. They seem to have blown out and now its leaking heavily at the top of each stroke. Here is a pic. how do I plug this?
You need new piston seals that can not be plugged
That can not be plugged. The seals are leaking. (repeated with punctuation) You could get by with running a hose back to the tank, somewhat dangerous on a lift. Wouldn't want to get stuck and slowly crushed.
Jesus then this has been leaking since the day they replaced those damn seals...WOW. That's why I was confused. Is this a DIY job?...assuming I can find the correct size seals.
This is the model info from the original and long dead pump. Not sure if this could link to info on the cylinder it was paired with.
What you have apparently, is a single acting cylinder. There should have been a hose attached to that fitting that would allow leakage oil from the piston to return to the hydraulic tank. If it were me, I would probably look around in the bowels of the machine for a hose that has been plugged off or consider putting a drain hose in.
Is it supposed to leak from there? It lifts just fine despite the squirting at the top of the stroke. There is no hose, so I would need to purchase a fitting for a drain hose....it never had any such hose when I got it (used).
It's like a forklift mast cylinder. Hydraulic oil moves the rod out. The weight of the carriage and gravity forces it back down. The breather just allow air to enter or leave the cylinder as it moves. It also allows any oil that leaks past the piston a place to leave so it won't block the movement of the piston as it gets to the top of the stroke. It may be time to remove, dismantle, inspect and reseal that cylinder anyway.
Thanks John. any suggestions on how to find the correct seals?
Take it apart and take it to a hydraulic shop and see if they can match them up.
okey dokes....I will try and do so Mekanik.