If you’re disassembling the cylinder to replace seals, don’t waste a perfect opportunity to do a thorough inspection of all the parts. Check the rod for chrome cracking and look for any pitting or scoring. If the finish is not uniform all the way around, it could indicate that the rod is bent and needs to be replaced. Check the rod for straightness with an indicator and vee blocks.
Don’t forget wear bands and other guide bushings when doing hydraulic cylinder service. Replacing seals is good, but replacing the guides and bearings is better, and rebuilding and re-machining surfaces to get the right tolerances is the best. Have new rods and/or barrels made when they show too much wear. Make the most out of your equipment’s down time.
Frequently replacing seals can indicate bigger problems and fixing those issues will become more expensive the longer they’re not addressed. When the piston seal is compromised, check the barrel closely for a bulge or severe scarring. When the rod seal fails prematurely, the rod could be bent, missing chrome or otherwise damaged. Or, the rod gland bearing is out of tolerance.
Beware of using screwdrivers and sharp-edged tools for seal replacement. Metal tools can nick the seals or scratch the finish of the shaft and render all your repair efforts useless. Always choose the correct tools for replacing seals.
Be careful – some cylinders contain high tension springs or pressurized gasses that assist in operation. They could be dangerous if you’re inexperienced or unprepared. When a gland or other part of a cylinder feels tighter than it should be, it could be due to being under pressure. Do not disassemble a cylinder or other component unless you have a firm working understanding of its internal makeup.
When ordering seals, don’t just measure the old ones. They can shrink or swell during operation. Or worse – an inexperienced mechanic could have installed the wrong ones last time. Always measure the seal grooves for best results. A common mistake is using imperial seals when they should be metric.
Test hydraulic cylinders with clean oil to the system pressure they were designed for. Testing with air can be dangerous due to its compressibility, therefore, component damage or failure and bodily injury can occur.
I found it helpful when you said that you can use clean oil to test hydraulic cylinders to the system pressure they were designed for. This reminds me of auto repair shops that need to have custom hydraulic systems fabricated for them. I could imagine how your tips could help them in preparing the replacement hydraulic seal.
Shammy, thank you for your comment and tip for the usefulness to auto repair shops. Something for us to consider sharing with our Automotive customers.
Hi there! Just to be clear, you did mention that we must use screwdrivers carefully when replacing our cylinder seal to prevent further damages, right? If that’s the case, I believe my husband should just call a mechanic or technician to carry out some proper maintenance work soon. One of the machines at his workplace failed to function properly because its hydraulic system broke down.
Jody Sheaffer
November 15, 2022 at 12:56 pm - Reply
We can help. Tell him to give us a call. 717-243-3329 and talk to the Service dept. Thanks.
Thanks for mentioning that hydraulic cylinders need to be inspected often. My husband was telling me yesterday that he’s worried that his hydraulic cylinder is broken. I told him that he should take it to a mechanic to see what the issue is.
Thanks for mentioning that replacing hydraulic seals often can indicate a bigger issue. I noticed that my hydraulic system isn’t working properly, and I think the seals need to be replaced. I’ll have to contact a hydraulic repair company this week to look at it.
I found it helpful when you said that you can use clean oil to test hydraulic cylinders to the system pressure they were designed for. This reminds me of auto repair shops that need to have custom hydraulic systems fabricated for them. I could imagine how your tips could help them in preparing the replacement hydraulic seal.
Shammy, thank you for your comment and tip for the usefulness to auto repair shops. Something for us to consider sharing with our Automotive customers.
Hi there! Just to be clear, you did mention that we must use screwdrivers carefully when replacing our cylinder seal to prevent further damages, right? If that’s the case, I believe my husband should just call a mechanic or technician to carry out some proper maintenance work soon. One of the machines at his workplace failed to function properly because its hydraulic system broke down.
We can help. Tell him to give us a call. 717-243-3329 and talk to the Service dept. Thanks.
Thanks for mentioning that hydraulic cylinders need to be inspected often. My husband was telling me yesterday that he’s worried that his hydraulic cylinder is broken. I told him that he should take it to a mechanic to see what the issue is.
Thanks for mentioning that replacing hydraulic seals often can indicate a bigger issue. I noticed that my hydraulic system isn’t working properly, and I think the seals need to be replaced. I’ll have to contact a hydraulic repair company this week to look at it.
Very nice explanation