How to get the best out of Hydraulic Start Systems
You made a great decision by installing a Hydraulic Starting System on your engines. It’s an ultra-reliable starting method as it doesn’t depend on electrical power. Although it is a very low maintenance starting system, there are a view checks we recommend you carry out to ensure it remains in great working condition.
Maintenance of your Hydraulic Starting System
We recommended the following inspection routines when the machine is at ambient temperature. If you do spot any issues during the inspection please refer to the troubleshooting section of your manual.
Daily
- Check system pressure at the pressure gauge. It should read 21MPa (3000 psi) as standard when the system is fully charged. Please note, it is normal for the pressure to drop slightly as the system cools down, however this should stabilise. If it continues to drop inspect for leaks or refer to the troubleshooting guidelines in the manual.
Weekly
- Check oil level. This should be at the low-level mark when accumulator is at system pressure. A sudden drop of the oil level with no signs of external leakage in the system could indicate the loss of the accumulator gas pre-charge pressure.
- Visually inspect all hydraulic connections and hoses for leaks. If you need to re-tighten connections it should never be done with the system under pressure. You must release system pressure by loosening the bleed screw on top of the hand pump. Once you are satisfied that no pressure remains, re-tighten the fitting or replace the damaged hose or component. Then tighten the bleed screw on the hand pump. Pump the system up to 21 MPa (3000 psi). Inspect that the leak has been eliminated.
- In the unlikely event that a leak should develop between the motor body and port plate, re-tighten the 8 bolts for starter motors as follows:
Quarterly
- Check accumulator pre-charge. The manual describes how to do this. Alternatively, a simple method is to shut the engine off, release system pressure via the bleed screw on top of the hand pump then re-tighten the bleed screw and actuate the hand pump. The pressure will rapidly rise and then stabilise. This pressure corresponds with the accumulator gas pre-charge. If this pressure rapidly rises to 21 MPa (3000 psi) it indicates that the accumulator has lost part or all of its gas charge.
- To check the unloading valve integrity the engine has to be running. The cut out pressure of 21 MPa (3000 psi) is confirmed at the daily inspection (see above). Open the hand pump bleed screw to reduce the system pressure slowly. Note the pressure reading as the mechanised pump starts to recharge the starting system. This pressure should read between 16.8MPa (2400 psi) and 18.9 MPa (2700 psi) depending on the recharge ratio 80% std. (90%optional). Re-tighten the bleed valve. The pressure should rise to 21 MPa (3000 psi) at which point the valve should unload.
6 Monthly (or every 2,000 engine running hours)
- After approximately 1,500 starts the filter element (part no: FP08-08-40) has to be replaced. Very dusty environments may require more frequent replacement.