Hydraulic Oil leaking but can't find where .

[Ketana]

I've had hydraulic oil leak after oil leak on my old 743 and cannot find this last one. I must say it's got me a bit flustered, I cannot find this last leak . The last one was the oil pressure switch, and only found that when I lifted the cab and started it up to find where it was coming from....

 

[brdgbldr]

I've had hydraulic oil leak after oil leak on my old 743 and cannot find this last one. I must say it's got me a bit flustered, I cannot find this last leak . The last one was the oil pressure switch, and only found that when I lifted the cab and started it up to find where it was coming from....

Your best bet would be to clean and degrease everything and systematically run the machine in short bursts while engaging the different functions one at a time and checking for fluid between each function.

It may sound weird, but after completely cleaning and drying the machine, you can sprinkle flour around the area you think the leak may be coming from. When the flour gets wet it is obvious.

I've had pinhole leaks in hoses that would spray fluid far from the hose that was leaking.

 

[Ketana]

Your best bet would be to clean and degrease everything and systematically run the machine in short bursts while engaging the different functions one at a time and checking for fluid between each function.

It may sound weird, but after completely cleaning and drying the machine, you can sprinkle flour around the area you think the leak may be coming from. When the flour gets wet it is obvious.

I've had pinhole leaks in hoses that would spray fluid far from the hose that was leaking.

Thanks for replying and for the advice on how to go about it ,I'll definitely give that a go,it's not really that gunky as I've had a couple of oil leaks already and fixed those after a thorough clean each time.I thought I had them all but there's this other one I just can't find...

 

[Chris 8603]

I had a leak that aggravated me for over a year that could just not pinpoint. Like you I fix a few here and there over time but could not completely dry it up. So I too tried the flour trick and found the 2 metal lines directly under the cooling fan leaking. The lower one sits directly on the belly and had rubbed a pinhole in it. It's not the easiest to change since it's a metal line. Good luck finding yours.

 

[dfb]

I know that frustration, it took me awhile to sort out all the leaks on mine. Every time I thought I had fixed the last possible one, I would find another. I did spend a lot of time cleaning it up which made finding the net leak easier. One trick I use at times is to put a piece of card board in a suspect area to see which side gets wet if the leak might be spraying around.

 

[Ketana]

I had a leak that aggravated me for over a year that could just not pinpoint. Like you I fix a few here and there over time but could not completely dry it up. So I too tried the flour trick and found the 2 metal lines directly under the cooling fan leaking. The lower one sits directly on the belly and had rubbed a pinhole in it. It's not the easiest to change since it's a metal line. Good luck finding yours.

Thanks for that,it's quite possible that mine is something similar....I am going to try the flour and see what happens

 

[173rdABNVN]

I used dye and UV light and glasses to find mine,Any auto parts store sell them russ

 

[Ketana]

I used dye and UV light and glasses to find mine,Any auto parts store sell them russ

That sounds like the go, can you elaborate for me please,like what DYE & UV LIGHT & what sort of glasses do I need ,?
Tia

 

[173rdABNVN]

just tell the salseman you want the dye and uv glasses and light.Go to NAPA ,the glasses and light are dirt cheap ,the dye a few bucks more.Pour the dye in your hydro tank,run your machine to circulate the dye then shut it down.Shut your shop lights off and put the glasses on and turn the UV light on. Hope this helps...russ

 

[Ketana]

just tell the salseman you want the dye and uv glasses and light.Go to NAPA ,the glasses and light are dirt cheap ,the dye a few bucks more.Pour the dye in your hydro tank,run your machine to circulate the dye then shut it down.Shut your shop lights off and put the glasses on and turn the UV light on. Hope this helps...russ

Thanks Russ,much appreciated.

 

[173rdABNVN]

give an update on what you find...russ

 

[Ketana]

give an update on what you find...russ

YES,I will Russ,but I won't be going to Dubbo for a few weeks, there's NAPA AGENT there that I hope to get the dye,light & glasses from....
Will let you know how it goes in the future,thanks for your help and your interest.....
I can't wait to find this damn leak.

 

[Chris 8603]

Advance auto and O'Reilly auto parts have them around here also. The cheaper lights work just fine as long as you can get close to the leak and have it dark as possible. Good thing to is that it will stay in the oil for sometime for future leaks before if gets to weak to work. I had forgotten about using dye as much as I used to use it. Thanks Russ!!!

 

[Ketana]

YES,I will Russ,but I won't be going to Dubbo for a few weeks, there's NAPA AGENT there that I hope to get the dye,light & glasses from....
Will let you know how it goes in the future,thanks for your help and your interest.....
I can't wait to find this damn leak.

Hi Russ,I have a uv light and uv glasses and dye !
Now would you be able to tell me how much dye to use please ?
Apparently the hydraulic system holds 22.7 ltrs plus 13.2 ltrs in the reservoir....I'm hoping I have these number's right.

 

[Chris 8603]

What size bottle of dye did you buy

 

[Ketana]

What size bottle of dye did you buy

I have 250 ml Chris.

 

[Chris 8603]

I have 250 ml Chris.

By the dosing rate it would take 3/4 of the bottle. I went by your total liters

 

[Chris 8603]

By the dosing rate it would take 3/4 of the bottle. I went by your total liters

I thoughts I remembered correctly but I wanted to check. It's 1 ounce per 4-5 quarts

 

[Chris 8603]

I thoughts I remembered correctly but I wanted to check. It's 1 ounce per 4-5 quarts

Just to ask a stupid question, you did get oil dye and not a/c dye. Some parts slingers wouldn't know or care

 

[Ketana]

Just to ask a stupid question, you did get oil dye and not a/c dye. Some parts slingers wouldn't know or

Just to ask a stupid question, you did get oil dye and not a/c dye. Some parts slingers wouldn't know or care

Actually now looking at the bottle it does say A/C dye.