Water in hydraulic fluid-- Kubota 2150

[fords son]

Hello

I own a Kubota 2150-loader/backhoe mid 90s, 2200 hours on engine.

Two winters ago, I started the machine, and the hydraulic filter had collected water somehow, froze, and literally blew off.

I had checked the H fluid the previous summer and didn't notice and milky substance in the oil.
The machine was not used much in several months, was sitting outside.

I changed the fluid, and it was white with water saturation.

After a few hours use, the oil was milky again.

I have changed the fluid 3 times, and still, the fluid turns milky in a few days.

The tractor operates just fine, but I know this water problem is not a good one to have.

The Kubota dealer says that the machine must have been submerged (not true) (I don't trust these guys.)
They want to take the entier tractor apart, to flush the system...many $$$$$$

I am stumped, anyone have an idea on how this water got into the system in the first place?
How to flush the system without taking the tractor apart?

Any help in this matter will greatly be appreciated.

Ford Son

 

[Tx Jim]

Cracked gear shifter boots and plugged reservoir breather filter are 2 causes for moisture in hyd oil. If breather is plugged moisture has no way to escape from reservoir upon heating from operation.

 

[bulldogshotgun]

are you sure its water, hydrostats have a tendency to foam the oil with air especially if there low, which can make the oil appear milky after running, pull a sample and let it sit, see if any water settles out.

 

[J_J]

Just do the crackle test. Heat up a sample of oil on say some tin foil using flame and see if the fluid sizzles.

Once a water/oil mixture becomes emulsified, it is hard for the average tractor owner to extract the water.

It may take a bunch of fluid for the fluid to remain clear.

If you continue to have water in the hyd fluid, then cover the tractor the best you can.

Don't leave QD fittings pointed up as they can collect water and be sucked in when the temp cools down.

A suction leak will cause bubbles and look like foam but will dissipate over time.

 

[Henry Jordan]

Strange! I have been the owner of 2 Kubota 2150 Loaders for 3 years now and I ain't got any problem of such sort. Whitish oil should ring a bell of upcoming danger for your Kubota. I guess the dealer is right, the only way to know what is the source of white fluid in the oil is to clean the internal components. It would be costly, but it is better to cry in wilderness later.

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Best Hydraulic Seal Kits from WQSeals LLC

 

[J_J]

What is strange about water in the hyd system. It happens quite often.

I would recommend a good cheap detergent type oil and fully pressurize the system and all components to help loosen up the sludge.

Maybe two changes of fluid would bring it back close to normal .

If you can get into the habit of checking the hyd fluid every start-up, and if it water has penetrated the hyd system. It will be on the bottom of the sump you could perhaps drain the fluid/water that has not been emulsified.

If you start it up with out draining, the new water will get emulsified with the old fluid.

Alcohol is sometimes added to hyd fluid to help with the cleaning.

I found these two articles.

MIL-PRF-6083 Cleaning agents

Isopropyl alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol should not be used as a cleaning agent on components containing any parts which may have come in contact with hydraulic fluid. A sticky acrylic resin is formed which may be detrimental to the proper operation of hydraulic components.
If isopropyl alcohol must be used as part of a cleaning sequence, it is essential that the components be thoroughly dried to remove all traces of the alcohol.

Another article.

As a solvent, isopropyl alcohol dissolves petroleum or oil-based products, as well as many non-polar compounds. Since the chemical makeup of isopropyl alcohol is a simple carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen combination, it is typically non-toxic and thus safe in many environments. Quick evaporation is also a beneficial feature, making isopropyl alcohol a favored cleanser for sensitive electronic or robotic equipment in manufacturing facilities. Removing hydraulic fluid, motor oil, and bearing grease are just a few of the industrial uses of isopropyl alcohol.

Solvents
Hydroxyl groups (-OH), found in alcohols, are polar and therefore hydrophilic (water loving) but their carbon chain portion is non-polar which make them hydrophobic. The molecule increasingly becomes overall more nonpolar and therefore less soluble in the polar water as the carbon chain becomes longer.[33] Methanol have the shortest carbon chain of all alcohols (one carbon atom) followed by ethanol (two carbon atoms.)
Alcohols have applications in industry and science as reagents or solvents. Because of its relatively low toxicity compared with other alcohols and ability to dissolve non-polar substances, ethanol can be used as a solvent in medical drugs, perfumes, and vegetable essences such as vanilla. In organic synthesis, alcohols serve as versatile intermediates.

 

[fords son]

Thanks everyone for your attention to my problem.

One question I have is about the "reservoir breather filter"
Is that the little cap under the seat? Im, going to take that off and see if it has a screen in it that may be plugged. If that is not it, please let me know where it is, and what it looks like.
I can't find a picture of it on the net.

Thanks again for all the information.

Fords Son

 

[art]

There are times it will take three times to purge the water from the hydraulic system. Little use, winter condensation and the possibility of a leak would be the main reasons for the moisture to build up. On another note, we have never taken a tractor apart to remove the moisture! We have taken tractors apart from not ridding the tractor of the moisture problem and the continued use of it!