FEL pressure measurement locations

[Ben755]

I've posted before about my FEL (Koyker 155) had stopped lifting. It now will raise slowly, but not with a load. I replaced the old FEL control valve with a new
one to no avail. I'm guessing that i have a pressure loss problem
somewhere in the system. What is the best procedure and locations to take pressure readings to isolate the problem. Would pressure reading at the input hose
to the FEL joystick controller tell if the FEL is getting adequate flow pressure from the pump (deadheading or with tee fitting) ? - Also, readings at the lift pressure
end of the lift cylinders ? Since the 3-point lift and FEL bucket dump and curl work fine, would this eliminate a pump problem ?

 

[normde2001]

Yes. Most setups are such that you can swap lift hose with curl hose. If problem stays with lift, bad lift cylinder.

 

[LD1]

I'd start at the work ports of the valve.

Unhook loader hoses, put gauge in work port. Start tractor and actuate valve. Observe pressure reading

 

[Ben755]

I swapped the lift and curl cables and the loader lifts fine with load. I guess this definitely points to the cylinders as the problem.
Strange that there was no leakage or flow by in the cylinders. Thanks for the help.

 

[Ben755]

Wow, I'm thinking wrong here.....the swap tells that the cylinders are good and the pressure in the lift line is weak.

 

[winston1]

Wow, I'm thinking wrong here.....the swap tells that the cylinders are good and the pressure in the lift line is weak.

How did the curl function work with hoses swapped? Are you doing these tests with no load? Doesn't take much to operate curl function with no load.

 

[Ben755]

I didn't check the curl function after the cable swap but thinking later that i should have - just assumed that it would fail. The swap test also vindicates the cabling link from the valve and the lift cylinders.
It appears that it almost has to be the control valve. I have the old valve back on now, but I experienced the same lift failure with the new one - surely, both valves can't have the exact same problem.
The loader spec has a 2200 psi for max lift and the new valve came with the relief set at 2000 psi. I didn't think that this was part of the problem.
The fact that the loader lift worked so well after the cable swap also leads me to believe that the flow from the pump to the valve is also good. I'm at a dead end right now and don't know what else to do.

 

[winston1]

Hard for me to believe you changed out a valve with bad lift function and replaced it with a valve with bad lift function.

Do you have quick disconnects?

Can you make the relief valve go off by moving cylinders to end and continuing to hold handle? You should be able too. Curl and lift.

 

[Ben755]

I replaced the quick connects with threaded couplings due to leakage. Are you referring to the spool cylinders in the control valve and holding the controller stick at full lift and tilt ?
Right now, i have the cables swapped again to check the curl function. The bucket curl function failed. I'm going to put the new valve back on and adjust the relief valve to 2200 psi
when I can get pressure gauge.

 

[normde2001]

Yep, really odd. Everything points to bad control valve, which you already swapped. I guess one would have to be there. Where, exactly did you make the connection swap? Points to hose obstruction out of lift side of control valve, but before lift cylinder.