Hydraulic Troubleshooting Basics

Here is a hypothetical hydraulic problem and how to trouble shoot it.

“We have a hydraulic system that operates two cylinders. The pump (piston-type) has failed – for reasons unknown at this time. The tank, valves and cylinders were cleaned and a replacement pump installed. The new pump is delivering a maximum pressure of 1,000 PSI and appears to be creating heat.”

In any troubleshooting situation, no matter how simple or complex the hydraulic system, always start with the basics. This ensures that the obvious is never overlooked. In order for the ‘obvious’ to be obvious, the fundamental laws of hydraulics must be kept in mind:

Hydraulic pumps create flow – not pressure.
Resistance to flow creates pressure.
Flow determines actuator speed.
Pressure determines actuator force.
Fluid under pressure takes the path of least resistance.
When fluid moves from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure (pressure drop) without performing useful work, heat is generated.

Theory is great, but it always makes more sense when put into practice. So let’s apply these fundamentals to the above situation in a way that ensures the obvious things are not overlooked.

“The new pump is delivering a maximum pressure of 1,000 PSI…”

We know that a hydraulic pump can only produce flow (pressure is created by resistance to flow). It follows that if the pump can’t get oil it can’t produce flow. So, check that the reservoir is filled to the correct level, the breather is not clogged, the suction strainer or filter (if fitted) is not clogged, the pump intake isolation valve is fully open, and the pump intake line is otherwise unrestricted.

If the pump is producing flow, then an absence of pressure indicates an absence of resistance to flow. Knowing this, and that fluid under pressure always takes the path of least resistance, the task now is to find the point at which pump flow is escaping from the circuit. If you’re skilled in reading and interpreting hydraulic symbols, the system’s schematic diagram (if available) can be useful in identifying possible locations.

“The new pump… appears to be creating heat.”

Because heat is generated when there is a pressure drop, using an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of individual components will quickly lead us to the hottest part of the system – and the probable location of the internal leakage. Note that in a properly functioning system fitted with a piston pump, it is not unusual for the pump case to be the hottest part of the circuit.

The above checks should have taken less than 10 minutes. If nothing conclusive was revealed, I would continue the process of elimination using a flow-tester to conduct a direct pump test.

Craig Cook

The “low down” on how we can help you out!

Late last week I had one of my customers ask me “what all do you guys do”.

It hit me many of our customer may not know all the services we offer.

So here is a quick ‘low down’ in case I haven’t gone over everything that we can help you with.

With everyone watching their bottom line these days, we hope you’ll look to Power Components as THE source for all your fluid power repair needs.

We provide world-class service and unmatched value on everything from:

Pumps
Motors
Power units
Valves
Cylinders
Accumulators
And more..

We service many makes and models including Vickers, Parker, Rexroth, Oilgear and many others.

In addition, we are happy to work on all you OEM construction or Agricultural heavy equipment.

Something else in another category that we have not listed, not to worry, dedicated staff will do their best to make it like new again.

As a Power Components customer, you’ll also enjoy a one-year warranty on all repairs completed by our full-service hydraulic repair shop located inside our 58,000 square ft. Fort Wayne facility.

Our staff includes many of the same fluid power professionals you already know and rely on, with a combined 138 years of hydraulic expertise on our Power Components team.

Craig Cook

Hose Ends Guaranteed to be Inserted Properly and Crimped per Spec

Do your hose ends look like these?

Not long ago the major manufactures claimed their hose, ends, and crimpers were the only thing you could use to make their hose assemblies or the warranty was void.

Here’s the real story

Have you ever tried to have the “manufacturer” step up and replace a hose because of pre-mature failure? It’s pretty hard to do. (We tried it once and they gave us the excuse “Did you really blow the dust out of it well enough when you cut the hose”.)

Here’s the facts

Hoses are manufactured to a SAE or DIN specification. Our hose ends have crimp specifications for the different SAE or DIN hoses.

As long as it is inserted properly and final crimp is within tolerance our manufacturer stands behind the product and so do we!

To the point that our ends will crimp to specifications in the major manufacturer’s crimpers.

We GUARANTEE the hose is inserted properly and crimped per spec.
We have all the standard configurations that major manufactures have.
We have hose ends that will crimp in your crimper.

Best point – Our ends are USA made. The major manufacturers can’t say that.

You get a substantial cost savings!

I’ll have samples of the major manufactures with me so you can see the differences.

Craig Cook

Cut Your Cost on Hydraulic Fluid

Need an easy way to cut your costs on hydraulic fluid?

Here is a 2 wheel filter cart we build to filter hydraulic fluid. All the hoses and cords are stored inside the box so they aren’t in your way when you are moving the cart around.Depending on how much hydraulic fluid you use the ROI could be pretty quick!

Here is a picture of it open and set up to use.

If you would like your own filter cart or to want to discuss how much this could save you, give me a call.

Craig Cook

Coming on location to help you out!

A monster machine that bends 10″ pipe.

This machine is being built to bend 10″ round pipe. Tim “the tool guy” Allen from Home Improvement would be proud of this bad boy.

This is a project we did a couple years ago. We ran all the hydraulic piping, fittings, and hoses on the machine. The red arrows points out some of what we were helping them out with.

If you have a similar project like this one or need help trouble shooting a problem, let me know.

Craig Cook