I cannot see the level of the hydraulic fluid in the sight glass of a SVL75-3. The machine has fewer than 10 hours on it. I think that the hydraulic fluid may have been partially drained in the machine when I put on an attachment that had hydraulic hoses that were incompletely filled with hydraulic fluid. If I put hydraulic fluid into the machine, will I be able to see a bubble or ball rise in the sight glass? Is it possible for the hydraulic fluid to be so clear that the level is hard to discern? I don't want to overfill the hydraulic fluid.
Sight Glass on Kubota SVL75-3
- Thread starter TNcycling
- Start date
John Deere offers a hydraulic oil dye, MT3668, to make it easier to see the fluid level in sight glasses or on dipsticks, especially in machines with clear hydraulic fluid. It can be ordered or picked up at a dealer... I used 1/2 bottle but I think 1/4 of a bottle would be enough. It's RED dye...
Is there any way you could take a photo of the sight glass as it currently is, then after adding the dye but before adding hydraulic oil if it's needed?
A mechanic from the dealer came out. The oil in the pan is most likely from leakage when the dealer installed a reversing fan. Apparently, hoses need to be disconnected for the install. The hydraulic fluid was low. The mechanic put more fluid into the machine. The oil is visible in the sight glass and there is a ball floating on top, so there is no need for dye.
This is why I asked about a before and after photo, but prior to adding more hydraulic oil if it was needed. I wonder how many times someone says that they can't see fluid, but it's not because the fluid level is hard to see, it's because the level is low enough or it's being checked on a surface that is causing an inaccurate reading such that no fluid is visible in the sight glass. Here's the sight glass on my first MX when there were less than 5 hours on the tractor. Not hard to see against a white background at all. The dipstick on my M to check hydraulic oil level is another story altogether. That was very hard to read until I carburized the end of the dipstick. Now I can see the level without any trouble at all. Take some new UDT2 and pour a little into a glass jar and hold it up against a sheet of white paper and see if the fluid is as clear as water.
A lot of dealers do a piss poor job of PDI on a tractor or other piece of equipment, and sometimes that means that the fluid levels are not where they should be. That's not the case with the local dealer from whom I've bought three tractors, or the dealer in Sheridan, WY where I bought the M6060. Both have been outstanding but I have to wonder about more than a few other dealers based on what I've read on this forum.
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