Guaranteed, Assured, Hydraulic System Troubleshooting Solutions....

....But Only if One Really Cares!

Spoiler Alert: Figuring Out a Hydraulics Problem Requires Effort

I have been in a number of meetings or conferences of recent, where someone voiced an expectation that somewhere there must be a list of simple, guaranteed solutions to system problems. In some cases the system in question was an industrial process, and in other cases it was a hydraulic system that was the subject. I'll focus on a hydraulic example, but in reality the process system issues are no different.

The Big Dream

The person expressing this expectation usually describes simple if-then scenarios where if the symptom is X, then the solution will be to replace component Y. I suppose this wish is reasonable enough if a person is using the modern automobile as a reference. Many of us are familiar with the electronic control module that outputs an error code and illuminates the check engine light if an oxygen sensor becomes fouled. Many other simple component failures such as a loose fuel filler cap will cause a fault code of some type, and/or display a warning message on the instrument console. I've seen these warnings displayed in my personal vehicle and on displays in heavy construction and mining equipment.

The Dream Unrealized

But in many machinery systems this simple fault detection and solution system is not so easy to deploy. You would need a lot of sensors, and sophisticated, expensive ones at that. In the case of my personal vehicle there was no simple system to inform the technician that the intermittent noise in the drivetrain was a gradually failing clutch release bearing. It took the dealership a number of months, over numerous visits to figure it out. How did they figure it out? Eventually after several different technicians had test driven my vehicle, one of those technicians correlated the symptoms to a particular factory service bulletin that he had read.

You Learn if you Really Care

Powerful observation and analysis skills are hard won and developed over time (though it doesn't take forever), in the mind of a dedicated technician, a technologist, or an engineer who cares to figure out most if not all of the cause and effect loops for a certain type of electrical or mechanical system.    

Hydraulic Fault Finding

In the case of a hydraulic system fault, a slow lifting cylinder could be caused by a pump that is no longer displacing the needed amount of flow. The pump issue though, could be caused by a prime mover that is not turning at the right speed, a coupling that is slipping, worn internal pumping elements, or a fault in a pump displacement controller. There are even more possible causes for the flow issues associated with the pump. Then there may be many more possible issues and causes elsewhere in the system, and of course within the cylinder itself.

Without a sensor measuring every single variable and parameter in a system, along with an electronic controller programmed to read and interpret the signals, one is left with a very old fashioned processor, the human brain, to deduce the cause for a fault.

Knowing 'Normal'

In the case of the slow cylinder, figuring out if the fault originates at the pump, at a valve or along another parallel path in the system, or at the cylinder itself will be easiest for the person who has always been a care-ful observer of normal noises, normal temperatures, normal control signals, normal vibrations on hoses and valves etc. 

There really is no golden chalice of troubleshooting solutions given to the keeper and maintainer of a hydraulic system. If that maintainer really cares, the system learning comes somewhat naturally, if not easily. That person then becomes the troubleshooter with assured and guaranteed skill. 

 About the author: Carl Dyke resides in Central Alberta, Canada and collaborates daily with the team of very passionate individuals who create & deliver the products and services of CD Industrial Group Inc. 

Carl grew up looking after the machinery and equipment used in timber and lumber processing. After some early career years spent in public education, a unique enterprise was born. Carl and team spend their days demystifying complex machinery, creating interactive art and software that aids learning, and conducting instructor-led maintenance training and consulting, globally, for a wide range of heavy industries.

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