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Help with my Clark forklift

JC Sparks

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
Messages
9
Location
Ohio
Occupation
Industrial Machine Shop and Industrial Surplus Sal
I recently bought a used Clark forklift and I do not have a manual for it. The pic attached looks to be the filler cap for the engine oil but my question is. The cap is on top of what looks to be a reservoir. When I take the cap off I can see a gear inside but no oil. Is this reservoir supposed to have oil in it ? The dipstick show the the oil level in the engine is good. Could it be the power steeringDSCN0510.JPG DSCN0509.JPG pump??
Thanks for any help.
 

gtermini

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 29, 2015
Messages
198
Location
Amity, OR
I believe that's the engine oil fill. It's right on the accessory housing behind the hydraulic pump. I had an older Clark with a flathead that was similar. I'll admit to accidentally dumping hyd oil in there thinking it was the hyd reservoir fill when I fist got it and was dealing with a leaking pump suction hose. Hyd fill is on the passenger right side with the engine bay door open. The black plastic breather unscrews. There may or may not be a dipsitck next to it. The one I had, the dipstick fell off in the tank at some point during its life. Hyd oil level should be checked with the forks down. It's should be a ways down from the top of the tank to allow for expansion and sloshing. There's a funky molded hose for the suction on the tank that flexes with engine vibration. Watch it for a leak if it splits. You have to dump the reservoir to change it if you don't have a way to pull vacuum on the tank to hold the oil in.

Steering is handled by the main (and only) hydraulic system via the orbital motor under the steering column. If you have issues with it steering like your drunk (wander all over the place), first check under the drivers side where the end of the steering cylinder attaches. It has a rubber bushing on the solid mount end that will crumble and fall out with age. That will allow the cylinder to have about an inch of back and forth slop that'll make the steering wheels go crazy.

The brakes are not a pleasant repair on that model. The wheel cylinders and everything are inside the transaxle and the axle must be pulled out and split for service. Parts aren't that easy to find, and most of the clark numbers have changed since any parts manual was published. The parking brake is a simple block shoe on a drum in the transaxle. There isn't much to go wrong with it besides the cable. I was able to fit a generic actuator cable to the handle and brake shoe lever to regain a working park brake.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know.
 

TD24

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
295
Location
MS
Occupation
RETIRED (Mostly)
I believe that's the engine oil fill. It's right on the accessory housing behind the hydraulic pump. I had an older Clark with a flathead that was similar. I'll admit to accidentally dumping hyd oil in there thinking it was the hyd reservoir fill when I fist got it and was dealing with a leaking pump suction hose. Hyd fill is on the passenger right side with the engine bay door open. The black plastic breather unscrews. There may or may not be a dipsitck next to it. The one I had, the dipstick fell off in the tank at some point during its life. Hyd oil level should be checked with the forks down. It's should be a ways down from the top of the tank to allow for expansion and sloshing. There's a funky molded hose for the suction on the tank that flexes with engine vibration. Watch it for a leak if it splits. You have to dump the reservoir to change it if you don't have a way to pull vacuum on the tank to hold the oil in.

Steering is handled by the main (and only) hydraulic system via the orbital motor under the steering column. If you have issues with it steering like your drunk (wander all over the place), first check under the drivers side where the end of the steering cylinder attaches. It has a rubber bushing on the solid mount end that will crumble and fall out with age. That will allow the cylinder to have about an inch of back and forth slop that'll make the steering wheels go crazy.

The brakes are not a pleasant repair on that model. The wheel cylinders and everything are inside the transaxle and the axle must be pulled out and split for service. Parts aren't that easy to find, and most of the clark numbers have changed since any parts manual was published. The parking brake is a simple block shoe on a drum in the transaxle. There isn't much to go wrong with it besides the cable. I was able to fit a generic actuator cable to the handle and brake shoe lever to regain a working park brake.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know.
 

TD24

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
295
Location
MS
Occupation
RETIRED (Mostly)
Get the model and serial number from the data plate or from RH side of frame.
With those,you can contact any Clark dealer and order any manuals you desire for your machine,
operators, maintenance, and parts.
It appears to be a Clark, C 500-S30 (235 series) / Continental Y112 engine / 83 - 130 standard upright. The engine
oil filler cap ( Ref above) has been left loose, the inner gasket is missing, or you have blow by
 
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