Swapped out my old hydraulic oil for synthetic last month

Used to change hydraulic fluid every 6 months on those old Otis units, but after switching to synthetic I'm pushing a year with cleaner oil samples. Has anyone else seen better wear on their pumps after making the switch?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookekelly8d ago

Hang on, gotta pump the brakes a bit on the synthetic oil thing. You're right it lasts longer, but swapping from conventional to synthetic without a super thorough flush can actually loosen up old sludge and crud that the conventional oil was holding together. Had a buddy do this on an old hydraulic press and it started leaking from seals it hadn't leaked from in years because the synthetic cleaned out all the gunk. You really gotta make sure the whole system is squeaky clean before you make the switch, otherwise you're just asking for trouble with varnish buildup and seal failures down the road.

lindaw128d ago

Does a thorough flush risk damaging seals even more if they're already old and crusty?