BX23S Hydraulic over fill?

[ravenseye]

Hi everyone,

I have a 2021 BX23S. The back hoe was off for the winter and I hooked it back on last week. I was surprised to see how much fluid had dripped out so after I ran the BH through a few cycles, I checked the fluid. Nothing on the dipstick. Added about a quart..maybe a little less. Dipstick (hard to read those in the sun) showed 3/4 full. Dug a 2' deep trench, 165' long (shale and boulders...tough going) and checked it halfway through. Seemed low and I added another 1/2 quart. As I was bedding the trench with sand I noticed a number of quarter sized drops of fluid on the driveway. Parked the machine and let it cool down. Found a slow but steady drip coming from under the right side of the tractor directly below where all the hard lines are distributed from. No obvious leak, just generally wet from up top somewhere. I checked the fluid level again and it was all the way up to the top. As in way above the top "full" line.

Could I have overfilled it the second time (old eyes here) and fluid is coming out from a vent or is there something else I should look at. 43 hours on the unit. Still have about 4 tons of sand to move and then topsoil to wrap up and tailings to move so I'm understandably nervous about doing any damage. Machine seems to work just fine even with the heavy, wet sand.

Love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

 

[Henro]

Does it show proper level on the dip stick now? If so, I would not hesitate to use it, but would check level periodically.

If the level drops again, you obviously have a leak somewhere. If level holds constant perhaps you over filled it and some leaked out somehow.

But that should not be the issue now if the dipstick shows normal fill level.

 

[Henro]

Just an afterthought. If you park the tractor on something that will show where the oil is dripping from this could help you to zero in on where the leak is. Solution could be as simple as tightening up a fitting.

 

[ravenseye]

Just an afterthought. If you park the tractor on something that will show where the oil is dripping from this could help you to zero in on where the leak is. Solution could be as simple as tightening up a fitting.

Thanks. As of this morning, it still shows very high. I get the impression the leak occurs during operation of the tractor. It's from under the right side ("passenger" side) rear fender. Can't see much from below except hard lines and it looks like it's coming from above the fittings and running down very slowly.

 

[DustyRusty]

the passenger side or right side is where all the hydraulic lines converge into the control that is on your right side. You have to remove the rear right wheel to get under there to check it. The plastic panel is bolted on from underneath, and you need to remove the plastic covers on the handles if you want to remove the plastic cover.

 

[ravenseye]

Thanks! I figured I'd have to pull that cover on the fender and I appreciate the tips. The dealer finally called me back late yesterday. They think I overfilled it but pointed out that I had been using it hard in 93 degree heat when I was trenching and that may have contributed to the issue. I'll use is sparingly and keep checking until I can get a chance to pull the wheel off. They're loaded so I imagine it will be heavy!

 

[pjoh784350]

2021 machine still under warranty? If you have a leak with "normal" fluid levels I'd have the dealer pull all the necessary fenders etc. to find it. Why mess with a brand new machine?

 

[ravenseye]

Just an update. Dealer was going to be able to come out until after labor day and I got tired of waiting. Pulled tire off and cleaned everything off. Took the two 10mm fasters out that held the shroud around the handles and controls to get to the top of the pump. Ran the engine and watched the leak. Once I found the leaky fitting, I discovered that the nut holding it to the pump was loose. I removed all of them, checked the o-rings and tightened them all back up. Ran it for 15 minutes with no leaks. Here is a pic of the cleaned area with an arrow showing where the loose fitting was. It is deceiving because it looked like the one below it but because it was leaking, it was clean and the dirty one underneath looked bad. Anyway, all is well that ends well. Thanks all for your help!

 

[Russell King]

You should probably get the level of fluid down if still high.

Suctioning out of fill hole should work

 

[whitetiger]

ook the two 10mm fasters out that held the shroud around the handles and controls to get to the top of the pump. R

Actually, that is the 2 spool loader control valve, not a pump. The pump is located on the Left Rear corner of the tractor.

 

[ravenseye]

Actually, that is the 2 spool loader control valve, not a pump. The pump is located on the Left Rear corner of the tractor.

Thanks. Still learning.

I did a complete drain and fill along with a new filter. Cleaned the screen too which was surprisingly clear of junk. Fill line is 1/2 up the hash marks now.