What are the most important hydraulic system troubleshooting tools and techniques?

First rule of troubleshooting...verify the complaint. Does a problem truly exist. Always starting with a thorough visual and operational inspection. Implement cycle times and pressures. One oil sample taken correctly can tell you a lot...is the oil: Discolored Burnt Contaminated Visible metal Crackle test for water

1. In order to be safe and ensure the system will not hurt you, you must Know the System first. There could be stored energy that could injure you!

Before even applying any diagnostics to any type of system first question should be - can it kill me right now? Always debrief and check if the system is disabled. And start asking as many questions as possible: What happened? How did the issue manifest? When? What were the conditions? Better have as much information as possible, then disable any actuators and triggers that may cause bodily harm when you first approach the system for a visual inspection.

Make sure you have got your complete PPE Understand the schematic diagram of that machine Make sure you know how to de-energize the system and know of any store pressure eg accumulators Check for visuals any leaks on hoses and all fitting which are lose . If the machine is running carefully listen for noise near the the hydraulic pump for cavitation. Check your fluid level on resevour screen . Use your gauges to check for systeem pressure for most Cat should be around 400-500 psi .

A calibrated gauge is important, which you as a diagnostic technician should always have a calibrated hydraulic gauge on you for any pressure related issue that may occur. Lots of gauges are also the signal for larger elements in the whole system and they may send false signals.

In my years of working in design and troubleshooting of hydraulic systems, a flow meter was often the most needed and least used tool due to the cumbersome and messy nature of implementation. These facts along with the increasing need to monitor flows in the era of IoT and Smart machines were the genesis of our development of the Cartridge style Flow Transmitter (CFT) Covered by 2 existing US Patents and more pending, this breakthrough technology is making it easier than ever to “Know the Flow” in hydraulic systems. Flows up to 125 GPM with output choices of 4-20 mA, .5-5 & 1-10 vdc and now J1939 CAN-bus give DGD Fluid Power the products to meet the needs of the industrial and mobile hydraulic markets.

I carry a stethoscope in my truck to help pin point noise problems . finding the exact point where the noise is being generated helps in coming up with a solution. I remember one time that a customer was getting a very loud noise on a new pump and he was not able to find the problem. We inspected the pump and found no problem or failure. On our test bench it worked fine.- I then asked the customer what speed he was running the pump and duplicated that on the test bench- the noise was terrible- I doubled the speed and the noise cam back, same when I tripled the speed. I turned out that the unit was being run at the resonant frequency of the pump.

Since logic analysis is not something that is always available for dozens of reasons, you try and recreate the problem of at all possible, have the operator proceed with the task while you safely observe the gauges, pumps, shafts and other elements. If applicable have a volt meter, flow meter and other diagnostic tools available running as well while you utilize the best tools you have - your expertise and knowledge

Diagnosing hydraulic systems could be as simple as a small leak or as complicated as a small air bubble in a 24 foot hose. That’s where a high-quality questioning with the user comes to play anything they might divulge could help you diagnose the situation, and remember the human factor is always at play with hydraulic failures

I believe keeping it simple and remember fundamentals, schematics are very important. The basics of flow and pressure and distinguishing which is the problem is the beginning of proper troubleshooting. A knowledge of the function of components is an extra plus. Patience is a virtue and very useful in troubleshooting.

O esquema hidráulica facilita na percep??o e funcionamento de um sistema hidraulico , tenho essa ferramenta na resolu??o de falhas a possibilidade de resolver é maior .