ASV RC100 Water in hydraulic fluid

[RC100 Grass Valley]

Hello all, I'm new here. My name is Jim. I purchased an RC100 with a Fecon mulcher this spring and used it to clean up my property after the big storm this last February here in Northern California. It worked flawlessly until last month, the right drive motor failed.
I drained everything, changed filters and cleaned out the pickup screen in the reservoir. I removed all the skid plates and washed all the oily mud away.
I put it back together today and now I have water in the hydraulic fluid where I never did before. I noticed that the reservoir breather with the little metal filter was in the same area that the oily muck was prevalent. This is also where I pressure washed the most. I pulled on the line to see where it goes from the reservoir and it pulled right out like it wasn't attached to anything. So I'm thinking that it is where my water got in.
My property is very steep so I think that's why it was spilling out and creating this mess.
Does anyone know if this attaches somewhere or does it vent to atmosphere?
Also, can I keep draining the old filters and flushing the system in lieu of buying new ones until it's cleaned out? Once it's all clear I'll buy new ones.
My manual says the fluid should be Chevron Rykon MV. But that's no longer available. Would a good AW 46 work? That's what I put in before the milky water showed up. I'm hoping my problem is not an oil incompatibility issue.
Thank you in advance. This place has some great info and everyone seems helpful....Jim

 

[IceHole]

Rando HDZ 32 is what Chevron shows replaced that Rykon MV

 

[RC100 Grass Valley]

Thanks for the reply. I called my local ASV dealer in Sacramento and he told me to just put AW 46 in it. He sounded like he really didn't care. My local logging company said the same thing when I asked if they had a crossover to Rando.
I'll just talk to my local fuel cardlock company that deals with Chevron from now on.
Thanks IceHole.

 

[IceHole]

Thanks for the reply. I called my local ASV dealer in Sacramento and he told me to just put AW 46 in it. He sounded like he really didn't care. My local logging company said the same thing when I asked if they had a crossover to Rando.
I'll just talk to my local fuel cardlock company that deals with Chevron from now on.
Thanks IceHole.

I usually use 32 weight as it's a decent in between for summer and winter.
Rando HDZ is supposed to be a multi viscosity, but I'm not sure what the winter viscosity is.
It's pretty expensive vs the P66 Megaflow I get.
Seems like anytime I lose a hose it's a 4-5+ pail mess, so that isn't cheap!

Winter we'd really need 15 weight and summer 46 would be fine.

At work up north we sell alot of the HDZ 15, but it gets down to -50* vs only -25* at home.

 

[RC100 Grass Valley]

At those temps I'd be chipping off oily dirt instead of pressure washing which created my problem. I might try a cheap oil from my local tractor supply to flush out the water. Thanks for the info.

 

[daveyclimber]

breather vents to atmosphere, make sure the filter points down or lenthgen hose to an area that won't get water intrusion. Also make sure the cap seals well. Snow can pile up around the filler and leak into the tank.

 

[RC100 Grass Valley]

Thank you for responding. Whew...good, I hoped that I didn't lose a connection back there . And more importantly I located my water intrusion. I rerouted it into an over flow bottle so I could monitor how much I actually spill when i hit steep terrain.

On a side note...my charge pressure after one flush is 700 at the test port between the filters and only 3000 at the loader valve when I deadhead the lift arms in the up or down position. I'm hoping this number will be at least 3300 when I flush again with the arms down. Lots of fluid in there apparently.

The arms have to be up on the RC100 to pull the cab back. I'm not sure of the logic of that design. I'll lower them down and flush the quick attach cylinders also.

I haven't tested the AUX pump due to the fact that I couldn't find a test port. I guess I need to tap into it....Project for tomorrow.

The reverse to forward movement in the tracks is still laggy like it takes 2 seconds to transition. I hope another flush will make that better.

 

[Toddgarage]

When testing hydraulic pressures, I think a lot can be learned from a cold and hot test. A machine might be okay cold but once the fluid reaches operating temps, things change.

Did you have the lag before fluid changing? Do you trapped air in the pilot lines?

**** suction line ****
Check the pump(s) suction lines for tight hose clamps, fittings and o-rings. I’ve seen these lines with no leaks, but as soon as the charge pump is moving it starts sucking air from the fitting. Same goes for the drain plug. Check the o-ring. Air in the system causes cavitation and eventually pump failure.

 

[Tree Mulcher]

Oil Filters and Oil Filtration Systems | Harvard Corporation

We manufacture, test, sell, and service a complete line of Harvard oil filtration products geared to the demands of todays growing markets. Call today!

harvardcorp.com

I had success using filters from the above company to clean up a water contaminated system of a similar machine. I set it up as a offline kidney loop filter. I let it run for a week and would periodically exercise various functions on the machine.

This was much more cost effective then flushing. My experience with flushing is it takes 7 to 10 complete flushes to get a system clean that is contaminated by water or metal. Draining the cylinders helps but that gets old quick.

The Harvard filters and filter housings are available on eBay. I took one and used an inexpensive 12 volt ag chem pump available at farm stores. The h500 filter I used was good for up to a pint of water.

It might also be worth looking into a vacuum dehydrator. Some oil jobbers and hydraulic shops have them available to rent or offer it as a service.

 

[RC100 Grass Valley]

Thanks for that info Todd Garage and Tree Mulcher.

I drained every line and cylinder three times before I read your responses. It's clear now. I haven't had time to research the Harvard filter. I'll make sure and check it out for the future.

I also haven't had time to check pressures again with the third flush. It's still just as laggy. And I will check all my suction lines just as soon as I can.

I'll report back....

Oh BTW. Does anyone know what the two adjustment screws are for on the auxiliary pump? When I was draining things I pulled those caps off and the set screws came out with them. I think I got them back in the same position.

Thanks again and happy holidays.

 

[Toddgarage]

The Parker hydraulic store by me rents a filter cart that polishes or fine filters oil or fuel. There are a variety of filters too; water absorption, fine micron, corse…

Any adjustment screw on a pump is best left alone unless you have gauges to measure pressures. Not knowing the pump, it’s just a guess but it could be:
Servo limit screws
Pressure adjustments
Flow adjustments

 

[Welder Dave]

A brand name tractor trans. hyd. fluid is 10W-30 and recommended for a lot of skid steers. It's often cheaper than plain hyd. oil. I used Petro Canada tractor fluid through a filter cart when I replaced a drive motor. Petro Canada is very common oil used by large contractors and mining operations. Other brands like Castrol, Chevron or Shell are also good.