hydraulic fluid indicator clear, then milky after operating

[jasonp]

did a search, but came up with nothing handy... so here goes...

the hydraulic indicator on the back of my mx5100 (the glass 'viewer' on the back by the PTO) is clear with the bubble at the top as it should be according to my dealer. after turning on the tractor and running it for a bit, it turns milky white (no bubble). loader works fine. stays milky for quite a while after shutting down tractor, but will be back to normal a while after.
something to worry about?? my dealer didn't seem too concerned, but doesn't seem right to me.

thanks for any help.

 

[beenthere]

:welcome:
Sounds like using it stirs up some water in the oil.

I'd drain and change the filter, if me.

But you might take a sample if possible, of the milky fluid and let it set to see if any water is there.

 

[KWentling]

If it were mine, I would be concerned. Not sure how much, if any, foaming is acceptable, but I know air in oil does bad things to pumps and is not a good lubricant for anything else. Are you running the recommended oil?

Kim

 

[clemsonfor]

Sounds like water in it to me as well. Its clear after sitting awhile as the water settles back out to the bottom, running it sucks it up in the pump with the oil and then blends it into the oil causing the milky look while running and after shutdown prolly for the next day or two, maybe not that long though. I would drain and refill with clean fluid. you can also try once you see its clear in the glass to draind the water off the bottom, by letting a gallon or so out then refilling with clean fluid and then running and see if it gets milky, you may get it all that way? Your choice. If it was me i would just buy some new 5 gallon buckets of hy/tran fluid at TSc and a new filter and drain and replace.

 

[jasonp]

thanks for all the info - that was quick!!

i'll try draining and re-adding clean fluid. i'm new to this farming thing (wife converted me from being a city boy) so i'll have to read up in the manual how to change (or maybe my city boy skills can find something on youtube). either way, i'm sure it's not too hard.
will post any results.

thanks again.

 

[J_J]

It could be air being sucked in via the input to the pump. If it were water, there are detergents in the hyd oil and will cause the fluid to be emulsified when pumped, and it probably will not settle out. If that is the case, best bet is to change it. If it does clear up over night, it is probably air bubbles.

 

[jasonp]

if the problem is air being sucked in, is there an easy way to detect this?
i was just out at the tractor and noticed an occasional drip from the hydraulic lines that connect to the loader... if it's dripping oil, could it be sucking in air?

 

[J_J]

Yes. Tighten all fittings going to the pump input. Might have to replace hose.

 

[jasonp]

ok, will do that.
stupid question - should i avoid using the tractor until this is resolved completely??
(can i kill the hydraulic system)

 

[J_J]

The fluid level might overflow with the added air. :You will have to find that leak eventually. If it is one hose from reservoir to pump, tighten all fittings. Continuous air will cause the hyd to become sluggish, as the hyd fluid is pushing air, until it dissipates.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I too am pretty sure its air. After parking it overnite raise the loader at low rpm immediately after starting. Does it jerk a little several tmes as it rises? If so its definitely air. Be sure your hyd filter is snug/tight.
larry

 

[studor]

+1 on the air versus water -- water turns hydraulic fluid toffee colour (like coffee with cream) not milky white. As well once water is in the fluid it does not settle out as described --JMHO

 

[Ford tractor]

+1 on the air versus water -- water turns hydraulic fluid toffee colour (like coffee with cream) not milky white. As well once water is in the fluid it does not settle out as described --JMHO

That's true for old fluid. Clean fluid will just turn white with a trace of honey as there is no dark contamination in it yet.

Air in the system will cause wear to accelerate. Google up "cavitation" and learn about the damage it can cause. You may have a clogged return filter or a loose fitting on the line that goes to the pump inlet. That's the suction side.

 

[jasonp]

definately learned a lot from being on here just one day - thanks all!!

so i checked the tractor again after it parked overnight. it was on a slope, and i could still see 'white' but i read that the background to the viewer window is white, so hopefully that explains that. i moved the tractor to a level surface, and white was gone, but no bubble in the viewer as should be (according to manual). i'll try adding some fluid to see if that helps. i had a small drip in one of the lines to the loader, so that also might explain a low fluid level.

the fluid in the viewer doesn't seem as clear as it should be, so i was thinking of draining some fluid to get a closer look.

if i were to replace all the fluid, someone told me i had to not only drain from main tank, but also from the lines. can't find any info on doing that, but i'll take a closer look at the forum to see if i can find any.

thanks again!!

 

[jasonp]

oh, and raising the loader slowly - it doesn't jerk at all...pretty smooth. so sounds like no air in the system anyway.
so it looks like either water or just low fluid.

 

[J_J]

It is a lot of work to totally drain all the fluid. It probably isn't necessary unless you have some component fail and disperse contaminants throughout the system. Fill to the correct level when cold. It will expand some when hot.

Put a tarp over the tractor if left outside to help keep water out of the system.

 

[Ford tractor]

so i checked the tractor again after it parked overnight. it was on a slope, and i could still see 'white' but i read that the background to the viewer window is white, so hopefully that explains that. i moved the tractor to a level surface, and white was gone, but no bubble in the viewer as should be (according to manual). i'll try adding some fluid to see if that helps. i had a small drip in one of the lines to the loader, so that also might explain a low fluid level.

thanks again!!

When it was level, you state the color in the window changed, but you couldn't see the fluid level line (correct??). If so, it sounds like the tractor is over filled with fluid. That could lead to foaming of the fluid. I know it does in automatic transmissions. Typically, if it is over filled, adding more won't help.:laughing: