8.

Hydraulic Trouble-shooting and Daily Maintenance

1. Hydraulic Pump Troubleshooting

 Noisy Pump

 Pump Not Delivering Hydraulic Oil

 Failure to Build Pressure

 Pump Output Low

 Foaming Fluid

 Overheated Pump and/or Hydraulic Oil

 External Leakage
 The following is a list of problems and solutions relating to the main
hydraulic pump and associated components.

Noisy Pump
 Hydraulic oil level low; measure and correct fluid level.
 Hydraulic oil viscosity too high; change to specified oil.
 Oil tank strainer dirty; check and clean.
 Air leak at pump inlet line; check plumbing tightness
 Inlet line restriction; check for foreign material or line kinks, check and clean
oil tank suction screen.
 Air leak at pump shaft packing; replace packing.
 Defective hydraulic pump; continue other troubleshooting items, then
consider servicing or replacing pump.

Pump Not Delivering Hydraulic Oil

 Hydraulic oil level low; check and correct oil level.
 Oil tank suction screen dirty; check and clean.
 Inlet line restriction; check for foreign material or line kinks, check and clean
oil tank suction screen.
 Air leak in suction line; check plumbing tightness.
 Hydraulic oil viscosity too high; check oil viscosity and change to specified
oil.
 Defective hydraulic pump; continue other troubleshooting items, then
consider servicing or replacing pump.

Failure to Build Pressure

 Hydraulic oil level low; measure and correct oil level.
 Defective relief valve or pump; perform pressure check to test valve and
pump.

Pump Not Developing Sufficient Pressure

 Leak in hydraulic control valve systems; check system for and correct leaks.
 Inlet line restriction; check for foreign material or line kinks, check and clean
oil tank suction screen.
 Suction screen dirty; clean screen.
 Defective hydraulic pump; continue other troubleshooting items, then
consider servicing or replacing pump.

Pump Output Low

 Cavitating pump; see “Noisy Pump”.
 Air in oil or wrong hydraulic oil; drain and fill with correct hydraulic oil.
 System relief valve or too high, stuck or leaking; correct relief valve, pump
may be OK.
 Overheated fluid; see “Overheated pump and/or hydraulic oil”.
 Contaminated fluid; eliminate contamination source and replace oil.
 Gear face, body or cover nicked; repair or replace pump.
 Excessive side loading, wear plate tight in body bore, pinched thrust plate;
inspect and service pump.

Foaming Fluid
 Cavitating pump; see “Noisy Pump”.
 Wrong hydraulic oil; drain and fill with correct oil.

Overheated Pump and/or Hydraulic Oil

 Low viscosity fluid; drain and fill with correct oil.
 Contaminated fluid; drain oil, clean suction screen, replace filter and fill
sump.
 Cavitating pump; see “Noisy Pump”.
 Pump drive shaft misaligned; check mounting and alignment.
 Axial loading on drive shaft; check shaft end clearance and shaft alignment;
check for worn key/spine.
 Relief valve usually in bypass; check relief setting.

External Leakage
 Excessive system pressure; replace pressure control valve on main hydraulic
valve.
 Faulty or distorted pump seal gasket; replace seal gasket.
 Damaged surfaces on pump body or cover; correct and replace as required.
2. Hydraulic Control Valve Troubleshooting

 No Lift, Tilt, or Auxiliary Function

 No Motion, Slow or Jerky Action of Hydraulic System

 Foaming Hydraulic Oil

 Overheated Hydraulic Oil

 Load Cannot Be Lifted to Maximum Height

 Oil Leaks At Top of Lift (secondary) Cylinder(s)

 Oil Leak at Tilt or Auxiliary Function Cylinder

 Load Will not Hold

 Oil Leaks at Either End of Main Hydraulic Valve Spool

 Spring-centered Spools Do Not Return to Neutral

 No Relief Valve Action (High Pressure)

 Load Drops When Spool Is Moved From Neutral to Lift Position

The following is a list of problems and solutions relating to the main hydraulic
control valve and associated components.

No Lift, Tilt, or Auxiliary Function

 Hydraulic oil very low; check and fill to correct level.
 Hose or fittings broken; replace component.
 Defective main lift valve; check other Troubleshooting items for possible
cause, then consider rebuilding or replacing main lift valve.
 Hydraulic pump defective; check other Troubleshooting items for possible
cause, then consider rebuilding or replacing pump.

No Motion, Slow or Jerky Action of Hydraulic System

 Spool not moved to full stroke; check travel and linkage adjustment.
 Relief valve not properly set, stuck in place, and/or worn; check and clean
valve, replace if necessary.
 Dirt or foreign particles lodged between relief valve control poppet and seat;
check valve and clean.
 Valve body cracked; check and replace entire valve.

Foaming Hydraulic Oil

 Low oil level; check and fill to correct level.
 Wrong hydraulic oil; drain and refill with correct oil.
 Oil too heavy; change to correct viscosity.
 Pump inlet line restriction or line kinked; clean line and suction screen or
repair kinked hose.
 Hydraulic pump cavitating (pumping air with fluid); check hydraulic
plumbing for airtight hoses and connections.

Overheated Hydraulic Oil

 Thin oil; drain and fill with correct oil.
 Hydraulic oil contaminated; drain sump, clean suction screen, replace filter,
and refill.
 Cavitating pump; check hydraulic plumbing for airtight hose and
connections.
 Pump drive shaft misaligned; check mounting and alignment.
 Axial loading on drive shaft; check shaft end clearance and shaft alignment;
check for worn key/spline.
 Relief valve in bypass; check relief setting.

Load Cannot Be Lifted to Maximum Height

 Hydraulic oil low; check and fill to correct level.
 Hydraulic pump defective; check other Troubleshooting items for possible
cause, then consider rebuilding or replacing pump.

Oil Leaks at Top of Lift (secondary) Cylinder(s)

 Plugged vent line; check and clear line.
 Worn or damaged piston seal; rebuild cylinder.
 Scored cylinder wall; replace cylinder.

Oil Leak at Tilt or Auxiliary Function Cylinder

 Worn or damaged seal; rebuild cylinder.
 Scored piston rod; repair or replace rod.

Load Will not Hold

 Oil bypassing between lift spool and valve body; overhaul valve and spool.
 Spool not centered; see spool remedies for correcting problems when
spools do not return to neutral.
 Oil bypassing piston in cylinder; repair or replace cylinder.

Oil Leaks at Either End of Main Hydraulic Valve Spool

 Defective O-ring seals; rebuild valve.

Spring-centered Spools Do not Return to Neutral

 Broken springs; rebuild valve
 Entrapped foreign particles; check and clean system and valve.
 Bent spool; replace with new valve section.
 Misalignment or binding of linkage; check and align/adjust linkage.

No Relief Valve Action (High Pressure)

 Small particles of dirt in relief valve subassembly; check, clean, and/or
replace relief valve, clean hole.
 Relief valve subassembly installed backwards; reinstall correctly.

Load Drop When Spool Is Moved From Neutral to Lift Position

 Dirt or foreign particles lodged between check valve ball and seat; check
and clean.
 Sticking or scored check valve; clean if sticking, replace if scored, replace
poppet.
3. Steering System Troubleshooting

 No Steering

 Hard Steering

 High Number of hand wheel turns

 Steering Hand wheel Spins Freely

 Jerky Steering

 Truck Turns In Wrong Direction

 Hand wheel kickback

 Slow Steering Response

 Chatter Conditions

 Unsatisfactory Steering in Either Direction

 Noisy During Turns

 Steer Cylinder Rod Blinding Or Sticking

 No Steering
 Hydraulic oil level very low.
 Air in hydraulic oil.
 Steering column sections not connected properly.
 Hose broken.
 Hydraulic pump contaminated or defective.
 Priority valve spool stuck.
Hard Steering
 Hydraulic oil level very low.
 Air in hydraulic oil.
 Steering gear contaminated or defective.
 Relief valve setting too low; adjust or replace.
 System leaking.
 Steering axle load too heavy.
 Lack of lubrication
 Defective steering gear.
 Spring in priority valve broken.
High Number of Hand wheel Turns
 Steering cylinder seal leakage.
 Worn steering gear.

Steering Hand wheel Spins Freely

 Air in system (cavitation).
 Low oil supply.
 Steering column detached from steering gear.
 Defective steering gear.

Jerky Steering
 Steering gear malfunction because of worn parts or contamination. Steering
gear may require overhaul.

Truck Turns In Wrong Direction

 Hydraulic lines not install correctly.

Hand wheel kickback

 Check steering control valve faulty

Slow Steering Response

 Oil viscosity too high.
 Contaminated or defective steering gear.

Chatter Conditions
 Loose mountings or linkage. Make certain all mounting fasteners and other
 linkage is tight.
 Pressure relief valve set too low and is out of adjustment; adjustment or
replace the relief valve.
 Insufficient pump flow. Check pump for leaks.

Unsatisfactory Steering in Either Direction

 Air in system due to excessive wear in steering cylinder. Check for air in
system. Excessive noisy or foamy condition of hydraulic oil indicates
aeration. Check that air is not entering the system through poor threads,
cracked, split, or worn hoses, bad pump seals, bad O-ring, bad gaskets, or
loose connection.
Worn cylinder results in leakage past the piston. Overhaul or replace the
steer cylinder.
 Incorrect system pressure due to worn pump. Replace the relief valve or
repair or replace the hydraulic pump.

Noisy During Turns

 Worn bearing(s) in steering arm; replace bearing.
 Worn pin in steering knuckle; replace pin.
 Worn bearings in steering knuckle; replace bearings.
 Steering knuckle is loose; tighten castle nut.

Steer Cylinder Rod Blinding or Sticking

 Binding of linkage. With hydraulic flow shut off from the cylinder and the
rod end uncoupled, the rod should slide freely in or out by hand. If the
piston is binding, overhaul or replace the cylinder.