Track engaging slow?

   / Track engaging slow? #1  
8

85diesel

New member
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Messages
7
Location
WA
Tractor
John Deere
Hello everyone,

I just got a mini excavator, bobcat 231. Everything works, except one of the tracks. It engages really slow, and doesn't go forward. I checked the hydraulic fluid and it's white. Is that normal? What else should be looking at? Give me some pointers...I am new to this amazing machine. Thank you! :)
 
   / Track engaging slow? #2  
White, or more commonly milky, hydraulic fluid is an indication of water in the fluid.
Not a real good thing. :(
I presume this is a used machine. How many hours?
How long since it last ran before you got it?
Last hydraulic service date.
Did you get maintenance service records with the machine?
Buy from a dealer or private party?
 
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   / Track engaging slow? #3  
Is the fluid the same color as when you got it or does it get whiter as you run it. Lots of air can make fluid change color but would not, I thnk, go white.
 
   / Track engaging slow?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
I got it from a friend. He doesn't know anything about it. There is 1,579.7 hours on it. I noticed that the left track makes a hissing sound when I engage. The right track is fine. There are no maintenance records.

Silvic said:
White, or more commonly milky, hydraulic fluid is an indication of water in the fluid.
Not a real good thing. :(
I presume this is a used machine. How many hours?
How long since it last ran before you got it?
Last hydraulic service date.
Did you get maintenance service records with the machine?
BNuy from a dealer or private party?
Click to expand...
 
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   / Track engaging slow?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Here is the photo of the hydraulic fluid:

 
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   / Track engaging slow? #6  
When running the unit does the fluid level continue rising until a steady flow of liquid exhausts out of the breather cap or have you not run it long enough to know.

With that fluid color unless bobcat is using a hydraulic fluid that I have never heard of you have water and it could be coming form rain infiltrating the system, but if the unit has a water cooled heat exchanger I can't help but wonder if it is leaking in the exchanger, letting water in.

For your sake I hope that Bobcat uses a hydraulic fluid that I have never seen and that there is nothing wrong but it looks like you have a water in the hydraulics to me. I did not expect, even from your description, to see what that photo shows as far as color. I hope I am wrong.

Drain, repair, refill and drain again to flush all the water out.
 
   / Track engaging slow? #7  
That is water in the fluid. Oil cooler is not water cooled so no way for coolant to mix with hydraulic fluid.
 
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