Newbie hydraulic leak question on a BX23

bam · Jul 24, 2004

I just clicked over 10 hours on my new BX23 and I noticed hydraulic fluid leaking from one of the hoses leading to the FEL. Can anyone give me a little guidance on how to determine which of the three lines is leaking and also how to stop the leak?

I have not taken any of the hydraulic hoses off yet. They appear to be quick release connections. If that assumption is correct, and if the leak is occurring at the quick release, how do you fix it?

It's probably a simply and easy fix, though I have not played around with hydraulics....YET!

Thanks for your experience.

surfran · Jul 25, 2004

Have you tried tightening the fittings? With 10 hours it's probably just a loose fitting. I had a couple on my unit and they stopped once I tightened them some.

at_obuk · Jul 25, 2004

Same here, had a small leak that was fixed by tighting. If it's the hose the only fix that I know of is replacement. I had to do that a couple of times on my Power-trac 184. Find it fast cause the resovior is the HST and I don't think it would be wise to let that get to low. Good Luck!!

Eric P.

bam · Jul 25, 2004

I'll put a wrench on these this week and see if I can snug them down a bit.

Do you guys put anything on the threads of the connections to help prevent these types of leaks?

at_obuk · Jul 25, 2004

That's a good question. My experience has been: I've replaced about 1/2 dozen hoses and have had numerous occasions where I've had to disconnect and than reconnect hoses. At no time did I put anything on the threads to prevent leaking and none have leaked since, that I know of. Thats not to say there isn't something that you can put on, just in my experience I didn't need to.
My motto is keep it simple if ya don't need ta do it don't complicate things.

Eric P.

Bird · Jul 25, 2004

I never used anything on the threads of my hydraulic hoses and they really didn't need to be tightened as much as I would have thought; just good and snug and they never leaked.

Junkman · Jul 25, 2004

You can use a product called Rector Seal #3 or #5. Just a very light smear on the threads. For that matter, you can use just about any type of pipe sealant, as long as you only get a very small amount on the threads. You don't want to contaminate the hydraulic fluid. I use a single wrap of Teflon tape and am careful to only get it on the threads. The fittings are pipe threads, so they are tapered. The tighter you tighten them, the tighter they bind. It is almost impossible to over tighten them with hand tools unless you have the strength of King Kong. Teflon tape and pipe dope are used most times for assembly, rather than just dry fitting them. Usually the factories use so little, you don't even know that it is there. Just enough to eliminate binding and prevent any weaping......

bam · Jul 25, 2004

Teflon tape is what I was thinking of using too. I tend to use it on anything with threads.

gsxr1100 · Jul 26, 2004

My BX22 had leaks in the front. All the hyd couplings leaked and they gave new new ones. THe older ones had too small a dia and they did not seal right on the o-ring. New ones are very tight and fit better (longer and larger too).

MadReferee · Jul 26, 2004

I never use teflon tape on liquid hydraulic fittings. Only pipe dope with teflon in it (I forget the brand).

Although teflon tape will work the problem occurs when you remove the fitting, particles of the tape can contaminate the fluid. My friend who owns a hydraulic repair shop told me that he gets several pumps every year that need rebuilding due to teflon tape particles stuck in them. FWIW.