hydraulic fluid indicator clear, then milky after operating

jasonp

New member

Equipment
mx5100
Jul 26, 2010
2
0
0
ontario
hi all,
did a search, but came up with nothing handy... so here goes...

the hydraulic indicator on the back of my mx5100 (the glass 'viewer' on the back by the PTO) is clear with the bubble at the top as it should be according to my dealer. after turning on the tractor and running it for a bit, it turns milky white (no bubble). loader works fine. stays milky for quite a while after shutting down tractor, but will be back to normal a while after.
something to worry about?? my dealer didn't seem too concerned, but doesn't seem right to me.

thanks for any help.
 

kuboman

Member
Dec 6, 2009
725
4
16
Canada
Sounds like you have water in the system. Should be changed. Water is not the best fluid for a hydraulic system.:eek:
 

Sam427

New member

Equipment
L3410 GST, FEL, Bush Hog, Box Scrape, Spreader
Nov 6, 2009
194
5
0
Snellville, Ga. USA
hi all,
did a search, but came up with nothing handy... so here goes...

the hydraulic indicator on the back of my mx5100 (the glass 'viewer' on the back by the PTO) is clear with the bubble at the top as it should be according to my dealer. after turning on the tractor and running it for a bit, it turns milky white (no bubble). loader works fine. stays milky for quite a while after shutting down tractor, but will be back to normal a while after.
something to worry about?? my dealer didn't seem too concerned, but doesn't seem right to me.

thanks for any help.
My L3410 did the same thing when I got it. They build up condensation when you just use them for brief period, the fluid never gets hot enough to evaporate the moisture. When you park it for a few days, the moisture separates from the oil and it looks normal. The water should settle to the bottom after several days or a week, so you could pop the drains and get most of it out, then stick the plug back in when clean oil starts coming out.

If you only use it briefly you will probably continue to have the problem. Once I started using mine for 4 to 8 hours at a time, I never had the problem again.
 

jasonp

New member

Equipment
mx5100
Jul 26, 2010
2
0
0
ontario
is it just a matter of buying new fluid, draining, then adding the new stuff?
thanks for the reply!
 

manualf150

New member

Equipment
BX2200, 60" MMM, LA211 FEL
Jul 18, 2010
37
0
0
Vernon, NY
It's either water, or air getting into the system foaming it up. I've noticed some bubbles in my SUDT, especially after changing it. I've heard it eventually goes away.

One thing you can do is drain it into a very clean container, and let it sit out for a couple hours and keep an eye on it and see if there's much water in it by mixing it up with a screw driver or some other object.

Or if you feel scared, then dump it, and put fresh in, along with a new filter and clean the prefilter.
 

Sam427

New member

Equipment
L3410 GST, FEL, Bush Hog, Box Scrape, Spreader
Nov 6, 2009
194
5
0
Snellville, Ga. USA
is it just a matter of buying new fluid, draining, then adding the new stuff?
thanks for the reply!
If it isn't due for a service, you could just drain a little out after the tractor sits for 4 or 5 days, then top it back off. If it's close to time to be serviced, I would just dump it all and put a new filter on.

If you only drain part of it, you need to drain a little from all the drain points, usually 3 or 4 on most trans.