Car lift hydraulic additive

[dirtydrew420]

Has anyone used lucas hydraulic oil booster in their 2 post lift? I'm getting a groaning sound when raising vehicles that just started and was told by the installer to add some 1u-9891 caterpillar fluid additive to the reservoir. The lucas stuff is far cheaper.

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[larry_g]

What specific Lucas product are you looking at? None that I see are comparable to the Cat 1u-9891 .

lg
no neat sig line

 

[isb cornbinder]

Because you had to ask and you do not know anything about an additive, why not go with the best advice.
There used to be a separation between cheap and inexpensive.

 

[ace10]

Looks like it's $40 or 50/jug.

The installer told you to use it.

You want to use something else because it's cheaper.

How much is a new motor?

 

[dirtydrew420]

Guys it's a used lift from 1998 and the installer is a friend who's a retired jobber. Let's not all jump down my throat, I was simply asking if anyone's had success with either.

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[tdkkart]

What you are hearing is most likely seal groan from the seal on the hydraulic cylinder rubbing the shaft. There's nothing really wrong, just annoying. Mine does it especially when empty. When it's loaded and it moves down faster it doesn't do it.

 

[Kaizen]

Guys it's a used lift from 1998 and the installer is a friend who's a retired jobber. Let's not all jump down my throat, I was simply asking if anyone's had success with either.

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Toughen up. None of those responses were jumping down your throat. We often ask and point out other things so you can reach your own decision. Not often will you just get a yes or no answer in GJ. You will find it’s better this way.


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[larry_g]

Guys it's a used lift from 1998 and the installer is a friend who's a retired jobber. Let's not all jump down my throat, I was simply asking if anyone's had success with either.

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WE only know one product your talking about. What Lucas product are you proposing to use. Once we know that then maybe someone can give you an informed answer..

lg
no neat sig line

 

[dirtydrew420]

Sorry I thought I mentioned that in the original post. It's called lucas hydraulic oil booster and stop leak.

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[BillK]

Sorry I thought I mentioned that in the original post. It's called lucas hydraulic oil booster and stop leak.

The fact that is mentions "stop leak" would rule it out for me. Usually that means it has some type of solvent in it to soften seals. That in turn ruins the seals in the long run.

The Cat stuff says it is is a friction reducer but says nothing about stopping leaks.

 

[Oilguy]

Not clear where your noise is coming from. If it is the power unit then you may have a suction strainer which has become clogged over time and can cause cavitation and noise. It may also foam the oil in the tank.
If it is coming from the lift cylinder I would suggest new seals and perhaps the rod bearing or bushing replaced.
I agree with others regarding additive. That stop leak type of product is designed to cause the seals to swell. I built many hydraulic units over the years and have never had an issue that could be solved with an additive. It may stop a leak for a brief period of time but it is a temporary band-aid fix. I would be real curious if you can determine where the noise is coming from. It may even be structural.

 

[redmondjp]

Count me in the no-additive camp, especially if there is a "seal conditioner/sealer" in there.

 

[Aahz]

As a company that installs quite a few lifts, I would recommend sticking with the Cat Oil. It does work very well, but you're correct in that it's pretty expensive stuff. We utilize Cat oil to resolve about 90% of the problems we have with "groaning" in new cylinders. We have not seen any premature seal wear or any other issues and it's recommended by Rotary (and maybe some of the other OEM's).
That being said, groaning cylinders can also be a sign that you are loading the vehicle incorrectly or have it overloaded and unbalanced. (That accounts for probably 8% of the rest of the issues, 2% being bad cylinders).

 

[dirtydrew420]

Thank you gentlemen. These were informative.

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[ezzzzzzz]

Service the power unit first. Clear the sediment screen under the release handle. Replace the hydraulic fluid if it is cloudy or dark. That may fix the noise. Are you sure its from the cylinders and not the rubbing blocks in the uprights?

 

[matt_i]

If it groans when you get higher & higher then you could be simply cavitating on lack of oil in the reservoir.

Had it happen in machine tools where the tank was metal and sight glass was long ago obscured and some kind of a drippy drip somewhere consumed the fluid slowly over time.

1 quart and it was happy again, then found the proper level.

Never had the need for snake oil in industrial hydraulics. Just Mobil AW "anti wear" series oils.

 

[Oilguy]

A clogged suction strainer causes cavitation.
Low oil level or a vacuum leak causes aeration, not cavitation.
Though the end results are similar.

 

[RBELLO]

Has anyone used lucas hydraulic oil booster in their 2 post lift? I'm getting a groaning sound when raising vehicles that just started and was told by the installer to add some 1u-9891 caterpillar fluid additive to the reservoir. The lucas stuff is far cheaper.

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I read the thread and your question, the lift is use but were the cylinders rebuilt that your aware of ?
The moaning is from the seals being tight and dry, on new lifts or recently rebuilt cylinders will do that for about 2 weeks depending on use and then it will go away on it's own if correct seal size was used. The Cat additive your installer recommended is the best for that issue if you can't live with the noise while the seals soften up and settle. Hope that helps, don't use the lucas you mentioned.

 

[RBELLO]

I read the thread and your question, the lift is use but were the cylinders rebuilt that your aware of ?
The moaning is from the seals being tight and dry, on new lifts or recently rebuilt cylinders will do that for about 2 weeks depending on use and then it will go away on it's own if correct seal size was used. The Cat additive your installer recommended is the best for that issue if you can't live with the noise while the seals soften up and settle. Hope that helps, don't use the lucas you mentioned.

Also the best fluid for hydraulic lifts is AW32 hydraulic oil, you can use dextron III ****** fluid but I recommend hydraulic fluid

 

[RBELLO]

Has anyone used lucas hydraulic oil booster in their 2 post lift? I'm getting a groaning sound when raising vehicles that just started and was told by the installer to add some 1u-9891 caterpillar fluid additive to the reservoir. The lucas stuff is far cheaper.

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When you say it just started you mean it wasn't doing it at first and then it started making the groaning noise ? Usually the groaning is there from the get go, on used lifts that have been sitting for a while the seals are dry and hard. You just need to use the lift a bit and it should go away or try the CAT additive if not you may have to reseal cylinders with new seals. Also lubricate the inside of the columns with lithium grease to make sure it's not the plastic glide blocks rubbing on the steel inside. Pretty sure based on your symptom that it's the cylinders though. Good luck

 

[LXCam]

Rbello, welcome aboard bud and the info is much appreciated. But just so ya know, this thread is about a year old so I’d say it’s safe to assume the OP has already made his decision.

 

[Doug]

I think all of Lucas Oil's stuff is snake oil. Z-Max, also. I have no proof of any of this, but the use of these products (and similar ones) just gives me the creeps. No need to post case histories.

 

[Slick111]

John Deer additive anti shudder if I remember correctly what I put in the Danmar MaxJack did help on a cheap far east product lift

 

[RBELLO]

Rbello, welcome aboard bud and the info is much appreciated. But just so ya know, this thread is about a year old so I’d say it’s safe to assume the OP has already made his decision.

My pleasure lol, honestly moving so quickly while I was working I didn't look at the date. I saw the forum looking up oil lubricants to order for my service side of the buss and just wanted to help. That was pretty funny, well at least it was educational. Everyone be safe