Water in hydro fluid

[hoylebros]

Hey guys. Our wood splitter got water in the hydro reservoir due to it being left out during a heavy (unexpected) rain. Didn't know until we noticed it leaking from the shaft end of the pump. It was milky in color. Then we noticed it was also leaking from around where the rod comes out of the cylinder. My question is would water in the hydro fluid cause these leaks? This splitter is almost 30 years old and all of the sudden it leaks when water got in the fluid. Also, whats the best way to get most/all of the water out? Thanks!

 

[F16CrewChief]

The water thinned the viscosity of the fluid. I would flush the system by unhooking the farthest hydro line, point into a bucket and turn the engine on a choke or really low idle. Have a helper pour in fresh fluid until the fresh fluid reaches the bucket. Hook everything back up and you SHOULD be good.

But.....then again, water is suppose to sit on top of oils....oil beginning to leak from seals all of a sudden does sound like thin fluids. Kind of like putting engine oil where thick gear oil is suppose to go, the seals are designed for a specific viscosity.

Anyone chime in to see if my theory is correct. Im winging this!

 

[TheEquineFencer]

I'd drain the reservoir, Unhook the cylinder and "work it back and forth" to get the "bad" oil out to start with. Change the Hydraulic filter in the return line if it has one. Then I'd refill the reservoir and unhook the pressure line out, point it in a bucket, pull the spark-plug wire and spin the engine over until you get clean fluid. Make sure you drain and flush all the other lines also. Run it a while, then change the fluid and filter. Water sitting in a hydraulic system is really bad over time.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

The water thinned the viscosity of the fluid. I would flush the system by unhooking the farthest hydro line, point into a bucket and turn the engine on a choke or really low idle. Have a helper pour in fresh fluid until the fresh fluid reaches the bucket. Hook everything back up and you SHOULD be good.

But.....then again, water is suppose to sit on top of oils....oil beginning to leak from seals all of a sudden does sound like thin fluids. Kind of like putting engine oil where thick gear oil is suppose to go, the seals are designed for a specific viscosity.

Anyone chime in to see if my theory is correct. Im winging this!

Oil is lighter than water, water goes to the bottom. Leave a drain pan outside and let it fill with water and you'll see what I mean. I wouldn't run it at a low idle, at just 3 GPM you'll have a mess at 2000 PSI or better.

 

[hoylebros]

Thanks guys. I think I'm going to give TheEquineFencer's idea a shot first, but they both make sense. Just sounds a little safer/less messy. So, water wouldn't cause the sudden leaks?

 

[bigfunwmu]

I'd drain the reservoir, Unhook the cylinder and "work it back and forth" to get the "bad" oil out to start with. Change the Hydraulic filter in the return line if it has one. Then I'd refill the reservoir and unhook the pressure line out, point it in a bucket, pull the spark-plug wire and spin the engine over until you get clean fluid. Make sure you drain and flush all the other lines also. Run it a while, then change the fluid and filter. Water sitting in a hydraulic system is really bad over time.

This is the right way to do it.

If the oil is milky, the water and oil are emulsified and won't settle apart no matter how long you wait. Also, when an oil & water mix gets hot during operation it can become chemically active and damage seals, especially urethane seals.

 

[RedneckWelder]

You need to get the contaminated fluid out ASAP and replace it all with fresh.

 

[hoylebros]

Ok, thanks guys. I'll get the fluid clean first, and see if it's still leaking and go from there! I'll update with my findings!

 

[F16CrewChief]

The water thinned the viscosity of the fluid. I would flush the system by unhooking the farthest hydro line, point into a bucket and turn the engine on a choke or really low idle. Have a helper pour in fresh fluid until the fresh fluid reaches the bucket. Hook everything back up and you SHOULD be good.

But.....then again, water is suppose to sit on top of oils....oil beginning to leak from seals all of a sudden does sound like thin fluids. Kind of like putting engine oil where thick gear oil is suppose to go, the seals are designed for a specific viscosity.

Anyone chime in to see if my theory is correct. Im winging this!

Scary thing is.....I work on airplanes for a living. Our contamination checklist is drain and fill....multiple times....

 

[RedneckWelder]

Scary thing is.....I work on airplanes for a living. Our contamination checklist is drain and fill....multiple times....

Well there is only so much you can do for a hydraulic system. We have a fancy hydraulic filter device at work, though, surprised ya'll don't have one. It filters the hyd oil through a bunch of very fine filters and separates water and all that, takes about a day to process the fluid in a D6.

 

[toolslut6.0]

I would flush tthe fluid out with some cheap hydro fluid and a few bottles of sea foam. Then replace your seals and put some caterpillar mto hydraulic fluid in it. (Mto has a agent in it to resistance any left over water left in the system from combining with the oil and then it will evaporate off during use). that's my recommendation. Take it for what it's worth

 

[Cannonball55]

Scary thing is.....I work on airplanes for a living. Our contamination checklist is drain and fill....multiple times....

Well there is only so much you can do for a hydraulic system. We have a fancy hydraulic filter device at work, though, surprised ya'll don't have one. It filters the hyd oil through a bunch of very fine filters and separates water and all that, takes about a day to process the fluid in a D6.

I was an aircraft mechanic for about 6 years in total. Airframe/hydraulics specifically, all the aircraft systems I worked on (rotary wing with a little bench work for fixed wing) do have filters, however they're also sensitive and rather rudimentary systems. It's easier and faster to drain and flush (not just fill) the systems repeatedly and let the contaminated fluid get processed off aircraft. The powered hydraulic servicing units have several of the fancy filters allowing the hydraulic fluid to be returned to the aircraft relatively contaminant free, usually 1-3 micron filters as well as the oil/water separator. Most aircraft I've worked on use 5 micron filters on the aircraft.

That being said I don't have any advice to offer the op that hasn't already been suggested. Though I do not recommend introducing anything other than more hydraulic fluid to the system as any other chemicals or cleaners will leave residual fluid and contaminate your new fluids. Unless you want to truly flush the system again.


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[hoylebros]

Got all the water out today. Now I've gotta get a cylinder rebuild kit and give that a shot.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Got all the water out today. Now I've gotta get a cylinder rebuild kit and give that a shot.

Baileynet.com for parts, I think that's the right address.
Call them if you can figure out what brand cylinder you have, if not send the pictures of the packings and measurements, they'll get you straight. It's the cheapest place I've found for most Hydraulic parts.

 

[hoylebros]

Baileynet.com for parts, I think that's the right address.
Call them if you can figure out what brand cylinder you have, if not send the pictures of the packings and measurements, they'll get you straight. It's the cheapest place I've found for most Hydraulic parts.

Thanks. It's an Energy brand. I've contacted them to see if they still carry the packing kit for it. Hopefully they do so I'm not sent on a wild goose chase finding the correct seals. This will be my first attempt at repacking a cylinder, so cross your fingers for me!