6 Signs Your Hydraulic Equipment Needs Professional Repairs

Hydraulic equipment can be extremely reliable and consistent, as long as it’s properly maintained on time. Maintenance is critical as hydraulic system failures can be expensive, even potentially catastrophic.

If any of the following are true, it’s time to schedule maintenance for your hydraulic pumps, hydraulic cylinders or other hydraulic accessories:

Sign #1 – It’s been a while since your hydraulic equipment has received maintenance – Hydraulic equipment manufacturers design their equipment for maximum reliability, and part of guaranteeing that reliability is scheduling on-time maintenance. Hydraulic pump and cylinder manufacturers recommend specified service intervals, typically every 10,000 or so hours. Verify this by consulting the equipment’s operating manual. Sticking to these service intervals is the first step in extending the equipment’s useful life and efficient operation.

A challenge for many businesses is tracking the status of their hydraulic equipment, including the service history of the asset in question. Some organizations do this with specialized equipment tracking software and some do it with paper – both are fine as long as the system is updated regularly. With regularly updated records you’ll be able to keep your hydraulic pumps and cylinders on a timely maintenance schedule.

Sign #2 – Loss of power or inconsistent power delivery – If the hydraulic pump fails to reliably deliver power, there could be many reasons behind the failure. Common causes include pump calibration errors, hydraulic fluid contamination, worn hydraulic pump or cylinder components, valve issues, hydraulic fluid leaks and issues with the fluid’s viscosity.

As there are many potential factors involved when a hydraulic system loses power, it’s important to follow up with a hydraulic equipment expert if your equipment struggles to consistently deliver power.

Sign #3 – Unusual noises during operation – Hydraulic pumps and cylinders make various sounds while working, and your teams will soon become familiar with them. With enough time and experience, they’ll also be able to pick out the unusual, potentially worrisome noises from the rest.

If your hydraulic equipment is making whining, banging or “sizzling” sounds, these are tell-tale signs of aeration or cavitation in the hydraulic fluid. Whining tends to be an aeration-related problem while banging and sizzling are more likely to be caused by cavitation. Unusual sounds could also be due to excessive internal components wear or a malfunctioning valve.

Sign #4 – Overheating hydraulic system components – Overheating is a major threat to the quality and performance of your hydraulic fluid. When temperatures in the fluid are elevated, it reduces the fluid’s viscosity and interferes with its ability to deliver sufficient levels of pressure and power.

Overheating also has many potential causes, including hydraulic fluid contamination, aeration/cavitation, valve problems or a malfunctioning heat exchanger. All of these potential issues are worth an inspection by a hydraulic equipment technician.

Sign #5 – Hydraulic fluid leaks are present – Hydraulic fluid leaks can lead to a variety of additional issues, as well as catastrophic power losses. Hydraulic systems are notorious for springing leaks if they fall into disrepair, so regular maintenance is a must.

Hydraulic fluid leaks may be internal or external. External leaks are easier to spot, as they tend to leave residues on and around the equipment, though external leaks pose a major contamination risk.

Internal leaks may only become apparent when the hydraulic system is experiencing other issues. They can result in bypass that adversely affects the system’s flow performance. If either internal or external leaks are suspected, a full system inspection is recommended.

Sign #6 – Contamination is present in the hydraulic fluid – Contamination is the number one cause of hydraulic equipment failures, and when concerning signs do emerge in a hydraulic system, it can often be tracked back to contamination, no matter how the problem first presents.

It’s recommended that hydraulic equipment operators take a sample of the system’s hydraulic fluid at least once a month and perform a quick visual inspection. If there are any signs of sediment or cloudiness in the hydraulic fluid, the equipment should be shut down and the problem isolated before it causes serious internal damage.

Every few months, it’s a good idea to send off a hydraulic fluid sample to a lab for chemical analysis. If micro-contaminants are leeching into your hydraulic system, lab analysis will catch the problem early.