To flush or not to flush!

RalphWD45 · Oct 25, 2020

I took the old 335 moline, out of the shed, today, to use the FEL, and it seemed to need hydraulic oil, to reach high enough. I retracted all 4 cylinders, shut it off, and removed the check plug. Sure enough it was low on fluid. when filling it bsck up, I overfilled it, and oil started running out of the check plug hole.the oil coming out had a lot of water in it, according to the milky white color' I went ahead and used the tractor, to get the lifting done, that I needed, and everything worked like normal. I don't want to leave that water in there, and am going to change the fluid, (It is draining as I write this) I kind of want to pour 5 gallon of diesel fuel in, and cycle the cylinders and pump , to remove as much moisture, as possible, before refilling with new hydraulic fluid. With winter fast approaching, I am sure It will start drawing new condensation. Would you folks bother with the diesel fuel flush, or not? I am not wealthy, but don't mind the wasted diesel.

showcrop · Oct 25, 2020

Ralph, if you run it long enough and hard enough once a month the heat will drive the moisture out of the oil. If that isn't going to happen and you don't have any clutch packs in there you can go to plain cheap hydraulic and just drain the water out of the bottom twice a year.

flembo · Oct 25, 2020

Well I just know someone will jump in with the old saying, but not me.

Steve@Advance · Oct 25, 2020

Are you sure it is water?

If you just ran it low, and if it sucked air before the cylinders fully extended, the pump would have whipped a gulp of air into the oil, giving it the milky appearance.

I would just refill it, dump the filter if there is one, cycle it a few times and let it sit. Then crack the drain before starting it, see if any milky oil has settled out. Could do that each time before you start it, after it sits overnight or however long it is between uses, that should clear it up without having to flush it.

rustred · Oct 25, 2020

i would not do the diesel thing. just remove the hoses off each cyl. as you work them and it will push any garbage oil out. so where did this water come from if its shedded? lots of times a low system sucking air makes foamy white oil.

David G · Oct 25, 2020

Diesel will do absolutely nothing about water.

showcrop · Oct 25, 2020

(quoted from post at 10:05:51 10/25/20) Diesel will do absolutely nothing about water.

David, when the moisture is emulsified into the oil as the higher grades of oil will do, with all the additives, the diesel will take the oil out bringing the water with it. Rustred, far more moisture gets into oil from condensation than from rain water on mysterious leaking openings.

timcasbolt · Oct 25, 2020

(quoted from post at 08:48:19 10/25/20) Well I just know someone will jump in with the old saying, but not me.

ou mean if it's yellow, leave it mellow?

RalphWD45 · Oct 25, 2020

Well, I had already drained it last night, and before I got any response, on this post. I went to Walmart and picked up 5 gallon of hydraulic oil, and will replace what was in there, however I intend to save the old oil, till it sperates, just to see if it was air, or water! The tractor gets used , just when I need to lift something heavy, and sits in the tractor shed, most of the time.

rustred · Oct 25, 2020

Diesel is the worst flushing stuff to use. Nothing flows with it. Not if
condensation was ghat bad I would have to change trans oil every year.
Don’t have one bit a problem with moisture in trans. Oil and tractors sit
outside. That problem is when going from warm to cold all the time.

Part Time Pete · Oct 26, 2020

I wouldn't use diesel. I know a contractor that had the fuel company fill the hydraulic reservoir with diesel on a large excavator. They were chasing leaks for years

SVcummins · Oct 26, 2020

Dump five gallon of diesel and run it drain it do it again if it still looks milky.

showcrop · Oct 26, 2020

(quoted from post at 13:28:18 10/25/20) Well, I had already drained it last night, and before I got any response, on this post. I went to Walmart and picked up 5 gallon of hydraulic oil, and will replace what was in there, however I intend to save the old oil, till it sperates, just to see if it was air, or water! The tractor gets used , just when I need to lift something heavy, and sits in the tractor shed, most of the time.

Ralph, please keep us posted on when it separates. Or if it is not separated.

To flush or not to flush!

RalphWD45

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showcrop

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flembo

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Steve@Advance

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rustred

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David G

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showcrop

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timcasbolt

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RalphWD45

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rustred

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Part Time Pete

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SVcummins

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showcrop

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