Just bought a little mitsubishi MT180 and the lift don't lift. When I pull the lever back, I can hear the pump drag the engine down and kind of a screachy/whiny noise back at the cylinder under the seat area. I changed the fliud and cleaned the screen but no difference. Control lever is hard to work but does move. First tractor and new to hydraulics so I don't have a clue what to do next aside from disassembling things. I don't think the lift arms are all the way up but I can't get them to go down by standing on them and moving the lever to down. Of course I weigh all of 130lbs. I can lift them by hand 6-8" or so. The outer end of the lower arms are about 20" off the ground right now. That's at the pivots where an implement would attach. Might just be something gummed up or sticking. I don't have any way to check the pump pressure. What should I start with?
3 point lift not working
- Thread starter jhnpldng
- Start date
davesl708
Elite Member
I am unfamiliar with the MT180. Does the 3ph have a control valve that regulates the speed the 3ph drops? Make sure it is open so the 3ph can go down.
The noise concerns me if it is not just the hyd. pressure relief valve.
Hopefully others on here with more knowledge can help.
The noise concerns me if it is not just the hyd. pressure relief valve.
Hopefully others on here with more knowledge can help.
Yes it has the flow control and wide open doesn't help. Hard to explain the noise. Not quite a screech. Sounds like fluid being sqeezed through a tiny hole kind of like letting a hyd jack down makes sometimes.
davesl708
Elite Member
There is a restriction. When you changed hyd. oil what did it look like? was it dark or black? What was trapped in the screen? Did you replace the hyd. filter?
Also. look to see if a hyd. hose is pinched or a pipe smashed.
Are you talking about the adjustment on the flow control valve knob for the lowering speed?
Slightly green and opaque rather than clear but not dark. Smelled like gear oil which is actually one of the recommended fluids for this thing I guess. Tranny and hydraulic share one fluid. I put 303 back in. Also recommended. No obvious visual damage to anything. I'll go through all the adjustments in the book tomorrow aside from pressure since I lack a gauge. The screen had mostly normal thick gunk. 10 seconds with a tooth brush and some diesel and it was clean. No metal chunks came out when draining. I'm pretty sure the screen is the only filter on these things.
davesl708
Elite Member
Thick gunk is not the normal. That is a sign it has not been changed on the regular schedule. The gunk may be blocking a return line which will require some time to clean out. Check the manual for a second filter. Screens are usually course mesh not the fine mesh of a filter.
Good luck.
The filter is a screen and is very fine mesh and it's the only one. This thing's got 2000 hours on it and is almost 30 years old. The hyd oil/fluid is supposed to be changed every 200 hours but I doubt the previous owner(s) did that so in this case thick gunk would be normal though not proper. Normal as in not burnt or full of metallic dust. Just old and in need of change.
Thanks for your help.
Had a thought. I have a mechanics stethoscope so I'll try to pinpoint the noise and maybe that will tell me what to take apart first.
Thanks for your help.
Had a thought. I have a mechanics stethoscope so I'll try to pinpoint the noise and maybe that will tell me what to take apart first.
davesl708
Elite Member
Good plan. the stethoscopes are a great help.