Excavator Hyd Hose at Top of Tank

[josephny]

I took delivery of a PC160LC7-EO and it worked great for a couple hours.

Then it seems to have lost power. Hyd were sluggish/weak/non-responsive.

Googling around I see that is sometimes caused by fuel starvation resulting from clogged filters.

But I had noticed that the hose that runs from the hyd tank cap down the side of the tank was broken a couple inches off the cap.

When I first noticed it I thought it was just a venting hose and couldn't be the problem.

Then I checked the hyd fluid level and saw that it was way down -- 5 gallons brought it to almost halfway up the glass.

So I'm wondering if that broken hose is more important than I realized.

Can anyone shed any light?

If I need a new one, does anyone have a part number and/or source?

Thank you!

Joseph

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I have a different model but don't think it's probably too different. I went thru my manuals and didn't see a good image. I won't be on the farm for another week. Hopefully you will have it solved by then.

When you say that it is sluggish and non responsive, does it idle up when you move the joysticks? also can you move it? Next question. Did adding fluid restore the function?
If moving joystick doesn't idle it up, does the idle control knob make any difference?

 

[mrmikey]

Case drain maybe?...........Mike

 

[josephny]

I have a different model but don't think it's probably too different. I went thru my manuals and didn't see a good image. I won't be on the farm for another week. Hopefully you will have it solved by then.

When you say that it is sluggish and non responsive, does it idle up when you move the joysticks? also can you move it? Next question. Did adding fluid restore the function?
If moving joystick doesn't idle it up, does the idle control knob make any difference?

I have the operators and service manual and couldn't find the hose either -- very odd.

Sure looks like a vent hose, but I'd like to make sure.

Yes, the engine speed increases when I move the joysticks. The tracks move, but slowly and feel weak -- like if I want to spin in place one of the tracks won't want to do.

Adding fluid helped a lot, but still weak and slow.

It sat for about 3 months in the Winter weather with half a tank of fuel.

Thank you!

 

[josephny]

Case drain maybe?...........Mike

I'm sorry but I don't know what case drain is, so I looked it up and this is from another thread:

"A case drain alleviates (drains) the oil pressure from the inside portion of the shaft seal area....to keep shaft seal from blowing out....."

But I don't know how to check it, what to look for, what it looks like, and what to do with the information I might find.

Thanks!

 

[WoodChuckDad]

It is a PITA but I would start with fuel. drain a bit of the fuel off to get any water out (standard maintenance anyway). Then I'd change out the fuel filter. Also, when you drain out that fuel from the petcock valve on the bottom of the tank, it should flow strong. If it doesn't, that means it is clogged. That means you have some debris in there. I don't know what year your machine is, but mine is a 2003 and there was no access to the inside of the tank except the filler hole at the top. Getting the bulk of the debris out was a chore. Most of it was rust. I tried poking a long thin wire up thru the petcock but only cleared it temporarily. There was just too much debris in there.
If you swap out the fuel filter and that returns the power. You are good to go....if it only does so for a short amount of time. then you probably have enough debris in the tank to be reclogging it.....you may want to look thru the thread that I had last year with my PC130.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/land-clearing-equipment/352943-komatsu-pc130.html
There is a small plastic screen inside a banjo bolt that feeds the fuel injectors. Mine was completely clogged with chunks of debris.
There is also a procedure in the maintenance and operation manual for removing and cleaning a filter in the hydraulic tank. I have not performed that procedure yet....it looks like fun :thumbdown: Good luck

 

[jenkinsph]

First thing I would do is determine whether I had a hydraulic problem or an engine/fuel problem. If you raise the rpm up to operating speed does it loose rpm's when operating a hydraulic function? If the engine rpm's hold steady it is a hydraulic problem. If the engine falters a lot it is a fuel problem. I would proceed from there.

 

[josephny]

It is a PITA but I would start with fuel. drain a bit of the fuel off to get any water out (standard maintenance anyway). Then I'd change out the fuel filter. Also, when you drain out that fuel from the petcock valve on the bottom of the tank, it should flow strong. If it doesn't, that means it is clogged. That means you have some debris in there. I don't know what year your machine is, but mine is a 2003 and there was no access to the inside of the tank except the filler hole at the top. Getting the bulk of the debris out was a chore. Most of it was rust. I tried poking a long thin wire up thru the petcock but only cleared it temporarily. There was just too much debris in there.
If you swap out the fuel filter and that returns the power. You are good to go....if it only does so for a short amount of time. then you probably have enough debris in the tank to be reclogging it.....you may want to look thru the thread that I had last year with my PC130.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/land-clearing-equipment/352943-komatsu-pc130.html
There is a small plastic screen inside a banjo bolt that feeds the fuel injectors. Mine was completely clogged with chunks of debris.
There is also a procedure in the maintenance and operation manual for removing and cleaning a filter in the hydraulic tank. I have not performed that procedure yet....it looks like fun :thumbdown: Good luck

That is great advice -- thank you!

I will drain out some fuel noting the rate and purity. I ordered a bunch of filters to change, including fuel, oil, air and hydraulics. Gonna be fun once the snow melts.

 

[josephny]

First thing I would do is determine whether I had a hydraulic problem or an engine/fuel problem. If you raise the rpm up to operating speed does it loose rpm's when operating a hydraulic function? If the engine rpm's hold steady it is a hydraulic problem. If the engine falters a lot it is a fuel problem. I would proceed from there.

Now that's the kind of knowledge I am specifically missing!

I am not sure (and I'm 100 miles away from the machine for another week), but I believe the engine speed did NOT drop when operating the hydraulics.

Is the conclusion that the problem is hydraulic further reinforced with the fact that I had to add 5 gallons of hyd oil to bring the site glass level to the middle?

Is it additionally reinforced by the fact that the bucket curls on it's own (nice and slowly, over the course of minutes), if I shut the machine with the arm and bucket out?

I looked carefully for leaks but did not see any.

Could air in the hyd system cause this?

Thank you!

 

[jenkinsph]

The idea is that if the pump is worn too much it can't load down the engine that is turning it. The pressure and flow will both drop resulting in a slow and weak operation. A good working pump can load the engine enough to be noticeable.


Just a guess at this point but if you are in a cold climate it could have taken two hours to warm and thin the hydraulic oil enough to notice a pump wear problem. You won't see this as an external leak but instead it leaks around the pumps internal parts. I would check the hydraulic pump pressure and see what it does while cold after warming up a little then after it has been operating and seems to slow down check again.

It is very likely to be pump wear or similar parts wear. If it seems to work normally next time you start it up after it is cooled then repeats the problem after warming up you will have a better idea.

But if the oil being 5 gallons low caused it to over heat and thin you would want to know that too.