3 Common Symptoms Of Hydraulic Gear Pump Problems

Making sure that you keep your hydraulic system operating as it should requires proactive maintenance. This means that you need to keep an eye on your entire system’s operation, but also the individual components that makes this up. If your hydraulic layout is suffering from any issues, make sure to check your hydraulic gear pumps and other components.

3 Common Symptoms To Keep An Eye Out For!

If your system is suffering from any of these symptoms, then that could be a clear sign that you need to repair, clean, or replace parts of your system. Never let your system run if it’s suffering from any of these problems – they are a real indicator that something is wrong and could result in serious damage to your hydraulics.

1. Abnormal Noise – If your system is suffering from abnormal noises, then that could be caused by aeration or cavitation. Aeration is the technical term for when your hydraulic fluid is contaminated by air. If this occurs, then your system is likely to create a loud, aggressive banging or knocking as it compresses and decompresses the fluid. Other potential symptoms of aeration could include liquid foaming, erratic actuator movement or even the failure of hydraulic gear pumps.

Cavitation occurs when a particular component isn’t receiving enough hydraulic fluid. This can cause the pressure in one part of the system to fall below the vapour pressure required by the hydraulic fluid. Cavitation can cause metal to erode, which can then contaminate the system’s fluid supply and dealing lasting damage to a range of hydraulic components.

2. High Fluid Temperature – If the temperature of the hydraulic fluid is too high, then that can cause lasting damage to seals and accelerate normal degradation of the fluid itself. This means that the operation of any hydraulic system at temperatures which exceed the ideal of 82^OC needs to be avoided. It can also cause separate components of the system to change temperature at different rates, resulting in high levels of damage.

High temperatures can be caused by anything that reduces the system’s capacity to dissipate heat. Most systems will rely on their hydraulic reservoir to reduce their fluid’s heat, so it is essential that you make certain the fluid in the reservoir is monitored and maintained at the ideal level.

Commonly, this issue is related to a build up of dirt and debris within attached filters. If your system is undergoing this issue, make sure that you thoroughly clean every component before replacing them.

3. Slow Operation – One of the biggest indicators that there is something wrong with your system is if its performance seems to drop. This can either manifest itself as a slower average operation, or even a longer cycle time. It is important to remember that, in a hydraulic system, flow is the thing which determines actuator speed and response. Logically then, a loss of speed and efficiency equals a loss of flow.

Most commonly, there issues are as the result of external or internal leakage. Leakages such as a burst hose is usually obvious and, therefore, easy to find and deal with. However, internal leakage can actually occur within the hydraulic gear pump, or any attached valves or actuators.

Fortunately, when there is an internal leakage, the drop in pressure creates heat, so an infrared thermometer is an invaluable tool in this situation. A hydraulic flow-tester can be just as useful, and perhaps even more accurate, so if you are concerned with internal leakage it is best to be thorough and use both measuring devices.

Get In Touch With Flowfit, For High-Quality Hydraulic Gear Pumps And More!

Here at Flowfit, we are proud to offer a range of hydraulic gear pumps and other essential components to ensure that your hydraulic system can operate at its peak efficiency. The best hydraulic features will last for longer, and are more likely to survive system malfunctions.

For the best hydraulic equipment and system components, get in touch with Flowfit Online today at sales@flowfitonline.com. If you’d like to talk to one of our specialists directly, get in touch via 01584 876 033 and we’ll do our best to help you!