NX6010 suction side hydro leak

[Threepoint]

All---I'd greatly appreciate someone who is NOT having the issues described above taking a video of their fill port and posting it for comparison purposes. Looking to see if you get bubbles or the fluid spraying sound.

Thanks in advance!

Justman777, Ok, here are some data points from my own observations over the past few days. Hope they help.

I'm posting two videos from this morning, the first taken immediately after startup and the second 20 minutes later at full operating temperature, after doing some access road grading with a 750 lb box blade.

You can see that a light film of foam, visible at the fill port, forms on the surface of the oil right after startup and remains during operation. If the tractor sits for a couple of days, the foam dissipates by the time I check fluid lever with the fill-port dip stick. This makes sense to me, since the reservoir is neither under pressure or a vacuum. It will always have ambient air space at the top, near the fill port.

You can judge the appearance and sound for yourself from the video clips. I think this is probably quite normal. Here's why, with some background:

My NX is a 2014 NX4510HST cab with around 500 hard hours on it. KL6010 loader, W.R. Long 3rd function kit for the grapple, and hydraulic top and side links. The top and side links have check valves, plus two flow restrictor orifices for each cylinder (at the rod and cylinder ends). All scheduled maintenance is performed per user manual. For hydro oil, I use Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Trans/Hydraulic Fluid from TSC.

In 5-1/2 yrs, I've experienced none of the performance issues you and Overtaxed have described. All hydraulic and HST functions have been smooth, with no unusual sounds. In particular, all FEL movement is smooth, no halting or jerking, whether immediately after startup or at full operating temperature. No jerkiness in the HST, ever, in either forward or reverse. No whooshing sounds from the transmission.

The only hydraulic issue has been a small but pesky oil leak that first started a year or so ago at the ORB elbow fitting at the inlet port of the joystick valve. I posted about this in an old thread that I recently updated. After replacing the O-ring a few times, I finally realized that the captured washer was slightly distorted, and was in turn allowing the O-ring to distort. A new ORB fitting from Kioti for $27 finally fixed the problem.

Hope this input helps. Perhaps some other NX owners will check their fill port for surface foam and report back as well. I don't recall from the thread, but hasn't your dealer checked the other NXs on his lot for surface foam visible at the fill port? Seems like this would be an easy condition to confirm, if it is indeed normal.

One more thing. My fill-port cap is a press-in fit. In your video, it looks like you are unscrewing yours. If so, that's evidently a design change. I don't see how this could affect the issues we're discussing, though.

 

[Threepoint]

Here's the second video, made at normal operating temp, after 20 minutes of work.

 

[justman777]

Threepoint, thanks for the info and videos! The fact that you have foam on the top of the fluid and even more after running the tractor for a bit is very interesting. Noise from the fill port is similar to mine as well. I'm wondering if there were any significant design changes between the 2014 and 2018 year models that would account for the issues I'm experiencing. Have to say I'm stumped...

 

[YLee Kioti]

Justman777 have you sent this link to Jordan or Joseph?
later this month I plan on sending it to them before I take mine in for the 400 hour valve lash check.
They told me the shop is pretty busy, so will hold off another two weeks or so.
Which is fine I'm spreading 4 truck loads of dirt anyway...lol..

 

[Threepoint]

Threepoint, thanks for the info and videos! The fact that you have foam on the top of the fluid and even more after running the tractor for a bit is very interesting. Noise from the fill port is similar to mine as well. I'm wondering if there were any significant design changes between the 2014 and 2018 year models that would account for the issues I'm experiencing. Have to say I'm stumped...

Happy to do it.

Out of curiosity, I also checked this on my 2018 CK3510SE HST this evening when I pulled it out to do some work. Sure enough, right after I started it up I could see a fine surface foam on the fluid at the fill-port when I removed the cap/dipstick. Completely different series from the NX, of course, but it's the only other Kioti I have.

My CK only has about 75 hours on it, mostly heavy work with a grapple and some moderate grading with a light box blade. But I've never had a lick of trouble with the hydraulics or HST.

One of my buddies has the identical CK, bought at the same time as mine. He has more hours on his, so when I have a chance, I may check for the surface foam there too.

Also, another buddy is taking delivery of a 2019 DK5310SE HST cab in the next few days. I'll check that as well.

 

[RandyT]

Tried using the Rural King tractor/hydraulic fluid in my 05 DK45S years ago but had issues with air entrapment when running. If you shut the tractor off and got off and pulled the dipstick for the tranny the fluid would be clear, but if you pulled the stick with the tractor running for more than a few minutes the fluid on the dipstick would be nothing but air bubbles with a white appearance. In my case the loader would get jerky. Didn't have issues with the fluid from the factory and haven't have issue using the Rotella T tractor/hydraulic fluid

 

[justman777]

Tried using the Rural King tractor/hydraulic fluid in my 05 DK45S years ago but had issues with air entrapment when running. If you shut the tractor off and got off and pulled the dipstick for the tranny the fluid would be clear, but if you pulled the stick with the tractor running for more than a few minutes the fluid on the dipstick would be nothing but air bubbles with a white appearance. In my case the loader would get jerky. Didn't have issues with the fluid from the factory and haven't have issue using the Rotella T tractor/hydraulic fluid

Randy, that's a thought! I'd given some thought to the hydraulic fluid being the cause for a bit. I may just drain the entire thing and fill it with a different fluid and see what happens. That being said, I think YLee is using Mobile 424 in his and is still having the same issues. Hate to keep experimenting on my own dime, but it's still cheaper than loading it up and driving two hours to the dealer.

 

[justman777]

Justman777 have you sent this link to Jordan or Joseph?
later this month I plan on sending it to them before I take mine in for the 400 hour valve lash check.
They told me the shop is pretty busy, so will hold off another two weeks or so.
Which is fine I'm spreading 4 truck loads of dirt anyway...lol..

YLee, I've referenced it a few times and sent them links, but i suspect they haven't had the time to do an in-depth review and read it through in its entirety. The few times I've communicated with Jordan via email, I've summarized what we've done thus far so we're starting with a common baseline understanding. Cody, the mechanic, doesn't have a work email account, so he reads what I pass to Jordan. That is, when he's not out back wrenching on another tractor. Have to say, they have quite the set up behind their shop.

 

[DieselBound]

Thanks! And you're not having any issues like us (loader "halting" or "jerking" when raising at lower RPM, gurgling transmission noise, foam in hydraulic fluid reservoir, jerkiness in reverse)?

No, no issues. The loader will slightly jerk a bit when first started up and at an idle, but otherwise nothing.

I'm running Shell Rotella HD Tractor Transmission and Hydraulic Fluid (available at Tractor Supply). It cross references to Mobil 424. I just put it in at the 400 hr service: prior service was dealer's fluid.

 

[RandyT]

No, no issues. The loader will slightly jerk a bit when first started up and at an idle, but otherwise nothing.

I'm running Shell Rotella HD Tractor Transmission and Hydraulic Fluid (available at Tractor Supply). It cross references to Mobil 424. I just put it in at the 400 hr service: prior service was dealer's fluid.

I have a bucket of the Rotella HD tractor/transmission and hydraulic fluid with the Spirax S4 TXM label over the top of the Rotella label.