water in hydraulic system

mic-t

Member
Can I use cheap sae 20 to flush my hydraulic system on my Ford 555c backhoe? Can I run the pump to pump out all of the old contaminated fluid?
 
I just bought Hydraulic oil that meets spec. at Orchliens5 for $45 for 5 gallons that's $2.25 a quart how sheap is the 20w
 
Its going to be difficult to get all the oil out of the system. With 11 cylinders to stroke to get oil out along with the lines. Once resivour is empty the pump will not pump.
 


What does contaminated mean? How long have you owned it? How much do you run it? If it is just moisture and you don't run it hard enough for long enough frequently enough it could get contaminated again in three months.
 
It's been sitting for about 10 yrs . Rebuilt the engine . They had the pump covered but it must have been leaking . I should have drained it before starting it the first time . But I didn't and now the oil is milky and needs to be drained and flushed , possibly several times
 
(quoted from post at 16:18:41 01/29/23) It's been sitting for about 10 yrs . Rebuilt the engine . They had the pump covered but it must have been leaking . I should have drained it before starting it the first time . But I didn't and now the oil is milky and needs to be drained and flushed , possibly several times


What tells you that it is not the far more common condensation in the oil?
 
That would be a lot of condensation, the oil is WHITE. The fact that the pump was exposed to rain for a long period of time. I would be ecstatic if it was just condensation.
 
If the pump still pumps and does not leak hydraulic fluid out of itself when it is pumping, then it is highly unlikely that any water leaked into the pump while it sat. Pressures inside that pump while it is operating are vastly higher than the pressure of any water sitting on the outside. If the reservoir cap was missing or loose, then I could believe that rain water might have gotten in that way. But I agree with showcrop that it is more likely from condensation from the years of use prior to it being parked. Those machines are so strong that over 90% of the time they are run the fluid does not get hot enough to burn off the water that gets in there from condensation and every time it is shut down and cools down, more condensation forms and get incorporated into the fluid.
 
(quoted from post at 05:11:25 01/30/23) That would be a lot of condensation, the oil is WHITE. The fact that the pump was exposed to rain for a long period of time. I would be ecstatic if it was just condensation.

Milky oil is a VERY common topic here. If you do a search you will see how common. It happens a lot to shedded machines where rain would be impossible. Again, if you are going to use it hard enough for long enough, the heat generated will cause the suspended moisture to evaporate, so changing out only what is in the housing will be adequate. If you will not be working it hard enough you will need to do repetitive changes but WHY??? it will just suck moisture in again, and within a year be milky again.
 
Well that makes me feel a little better. I have about 10 ac. of stumps to dig up so its going to get a workout . I will dig through the posts and see what i can find . I apricate all the info you guys on this forum have been a life saver.
 
If it were my backhoe and in good shape, I would drain it, refill it with cheap hydraulic oil and operate all the cylinders until thoroughly mixed, drain it again and refill with good oil. It won't get out 100% of the water but most of it.
Condensation will make it very white after being circulated by a high flow pump. It happens to all the old tractors that sit through cold/warm/cold cycles of weather.
 

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