Leaks are Driving me ....

[Oldtoad]

Old faithful woodsplitter is a workhorse, processed many cords of wood.
'90's MTD tiltable I-beam, 8hp B&S original motor, everything hydraulic has been replaced.
But it leaks, fix one thing, another squirter erupts, drips go postal.
Thinking of going to a hydraulic shop. Nothing close by, means a hike...
Ideas?

 

[joecoin]

Loctite?

 

[toolslinger]

Depends on the connection type. If they're NPT threads, thread sealant. If they're JIC, just snugging them should work, absolutely no sealant. If they're ORB fittings, no sealant, and just tighten them. If still leaking, replace the O-Ring. I never use teflon tape on hydraulics. Something like Oatey's Great White or similar.
If it's leaking someplace else, obviously you've got another issue, but usually it's just a fitting someplace that vibrated loose.

 

[ericm979]

Where is it leaking from? Hose fittings? Cylinder or pump seals?

 

[toolslinger]

Also, I don't know your machine specifically, but I've got rubber shock mounts on my splitter. They were a combination of rock hard, or missing after 40 years. I replaced all of them, and the vibrations away from the engine mounting plate calmed down nicely. Could be a cause for connections getting loose on you.

 

[sea2summit]

I'm also curious what's leaking specifically. Makes a big difference in trouble shooting/repairing. If stuff is randomly blowing (like a hose) I'd look at your valves since it's an older unit and maybe service that and make sure your over pressure bypass is functioning.

 

[nyone]

Arnt all log splitters suposto leak?

 

[Oldtoad]

Where is it leaking from? Hose fittings? Cylinder or pump seals?

All fittings have leaked since the hydraulic rebuild.
New cylinder, pump and control.
Have been going over them, taping and tightening.
Had the mechanic over, he taped and tightened, stopped the leaks, but a squirter came back the next day of usage.
Thinking maybe replace all the fittings and lines if need be. Weak link perhaps.

Loctite?
At first dismissed this, on second thought, a little dab might do it.

 

[toolslinger]

Have been going over them, taping and tightening.
Had the mechanic over, he taped and tightened, stopped the leaks, but a squirter came back the next day of usage.

Try a real thread sealant. You'll be surprised. I hate working with it as it's messy, but it works so much better than tape, it is well worth that slight headache. If it happens to be Loctite brand, fine, but you don't need/want a threadlocker.

 

[Oldtoad]

Depends on the connection type. If they're NPT threads, thread sealant. If they're JIC, just snugging them should work, absolutely no sealant. If they're ORB fittings, no sealant, and just tighten them. If still leaking, replace the O-Ring. I never use teflon tape on hydraulics. Something like Oatey's Great White or similar.
If it's leaking someplace else, obviously you've got another issue, but usually it's just a fitting someplace that vibrated loose.

Had to look up the fittings and the Oatey's, thanks.
Old stuff likely vibrates loose.
Going out and give the rig a look over before I ship it off.

 

[Oldtoad]

Try a real thread sealant. You'll be surprised. I hate working with it as it's messy, but it works so much better than tape, it is well worth that slight headache. If it happens to be Loctite brand, fine, but you don't need/want a threadlocker.

Ordered the Oaty's from Lowes, will do a locker pickup rather than walk around looking for it.
Worth a try.
Thanks again.

 

[toolslinger]

Good luck. I hate chasing leaks.

 

[nyone]

Have been going over them, taping and tightening.
Had the mechanic over, he taped and tightened, stopped the leaks, but a squirter came back the next day of usage.

You dont use pipe tape on hydraulics. You need pipe dope and stuff that works on oils.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Hydraulics dont take tape. They take o rings if anything. I would guess a combination of wrong fittings and improperly made hoses

 

[ericm979]

NPT hydraulic fittings do need help. I did not have good results with teflon pipe dope. The kind I used was a lubricant not a hardening sealant. What works for me is LocTite 545. It's made specifically for NPT type hydraulic fittings where the threads are also the seal. Regular thread locker LocTite (#242 usually) might or might not work. 545 works every time. I have used enough different LocTite products to trust them when they recommend one vs another for a particular application.

NPT fittings seal by deforming the threads. If yours have been assembled and taken apart too many times they may not seal as well.

 

[Oldtoad]

NPT hydraulic fittings do need help. I did not have good results with teflon pipe dope. The kind I used was a lubricant not a hardening sealant. What works for me is LocTite 545. It's made specifically for NPT type hydraulic fittings where the threads are also the seal. Regular thread locker LocTite (#242 usually) might or might not work. 545 works every time. I have used enough different LocTite products to trust them when they recommend one vs another for a particular application.

NPT fittings seal by deforming the threads. If yours have been assembled and taken apart too many times they may not seal as well.

Thinking of doing some fittings replacement.
Going to check out the LocTite 545, compare it with Oaty's.
Winter is coming, so much to do.

 

[LD1]

Some pictures of some of the trouble areas would do wonders.

Cause right now we are just "assuming" they are NPT threads based on your "mechanic" taping the fittings.....

However.....I know ALOT of "mechanics" that dont have a clue about hydraulics. If you are taping JIC fittings that could be big problem is shards of tape ended up on the sealing surface.

 

[ericm979]

Yep most hydraulic fittings don't get tape of sealant. Just the ones where the threads are the seal. The only one of those I have seen here in the US are NPT. My splitter has a lot of NPT fittings and no JIC ones. NPT is a little cheaper and since most things like valves, bungs and filter housings are NPT, using NPT for the hoses means fewer adaptors to leak and raise the BOM cost.

With the LocTite 545, clean any tape or sealant off the threads. I try to get the oil off too but I don't go crazy with solvents, though that won't hurt. I let it cure for a day before using it.

 

[Oldtoad]

I think that the problem is the control is unsupported.

 

[LD1]

Unsupported valve is pretty common on a lot of log splitters and not a problem.

The bigger problem is your use of black iron pipe fittings that are rated for probably 1/20th of the pressure you splitter produces