Front end loader failure after filter change

[cgraham]

"If the relief is stuck open on the valve ......"

You lost me from here on, rback33.

Of course I don't know the parts and how to ID them, much less how to fix them.

I'll try to find the threads you mentioned.

I really hope I'm not headed to the dealership. 80 miles away. Would the warranty cover this reapir?

What is the worth of completely draining the hydraulic oil and starting over with fresh? Is it likely to correct any problem?

C

 

[rback33]

"If the relief is stuck open on the valve ......"

You lost me from here on, rback33.


C

Sorry about that... I tend to start over peoples heads sometimes.. that's my fault not yours....

The relief is the thing on the top of the valve right in front of where the handle kit is under the boot. It's what allows oil to bypass when you try to pick up more than the system is designed for. It's a poppet and can get wedged open by contaminants. If this happens you will loose all hydraulics. Sound familiar?

You should be able to unscrew that out of there and inspect it. There will be a spring in there, so don't loose anything and keep it very clean. Be careful to loosen it at the base and not the small nut at the top. You don't want to break it either. Like I said, I have never had a Prince valve do this, but it can happen....

 

[KiotiDave]

Hi CGraham,
You may have already checked this, but it is worth mentioning. Did you put the filter back in the right direction? The spring should go on the bottom and the openning of the filter on the top. If installed wrong you won't get any hydraulic flow through the filter.
Also make sure you didn't accidently hit the directional valve on the valve body (looks like a nut with a pin through it) The valve body is usually on the side of the engine/transmission with steel hydraulic lines coming and going.
Hope this helps.
KiotiDave

 

[cgraham]

Today I removed the hydraulic filter again and ran the engine briefly, There was no flow through the hydraulic filter fitting. I would have expected all oil to circulate there because all the oil in the transmission has to be filtered. I did not leave the engine running very long without the filter off, because the manual says not to do so (no reason given). Perhaps it is all right to do so in order to purge any air in the system?

KiotiDave, Bingo! It turns out that I did install the filter upside down - thanks for mentioning that possibility. It's hard to admit one is an idiot! Now the question is, could the reversed condition have caused any damage upstream? (Also, there is an O-ring that is broken on the filter seat I must replace).


The only valve fitting your description I have found is the one that I think controls flow to the 3PH. It is locared on the tractor hydralic manifold behind my right heel. I have tried it in both positions.

I'll be checking functions again after installing the filter properly.

 

[depratt_equip]

We keep alot of these gaskets on hand, usually we replace them when cleaning the filter. You should also be able to get a large o-ring that same size at a parts store.

 

[cgraham]

Problem solved! Filter reinstallation right-way-up (spring downward) gave me a functioning tractor again.

I think when I removed the hydraulic filter, the spring caused it to pop out of the pot, and I never saw which end was up: I just made a false assumption.

I was able to determine there was no O-ring involved after all: what I saw was a circular fragment of the large rubber sleeve which seals with the filter:the ring of rubber had been cut out of it by the spring.

Lesson learned - if unsure which way a part fits, stop and think - or ask. I should have realized that the amount of force needed to install the filter upside-down was telling me something.

Thanks for all the suggestions (especially Kioti Dave, who asked the key question). I learned quite a bit in the course of this incident.

BTW, the valve Wallace referred to cuts of power to the FEL: I did not test it's effect on the 3PH. So I don't know its function.

It's a relief to have an operating tractor again.

NEWBIES: MAKE SURE THE HYDRAULIC FILTER SPRING IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FILTER BOWL, WHEN INSTALLING!

(I wish I had read that a week ago)

C