Komatsu PC60-7: Yet ANOTHER Hydraulic Line Failure Today

[Welder Dave]

Hopefully he comes to fix it like he says on his Facebook. My post above was to try and nicely ask him when he can install the hoses and stipulate you've been very patient.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

All I can do is keep fingers crossed. He had completed several smaller jobs for me early this year (March-May).

As for the lines, I think it's an age-related thing. They're ALL over 20 years old now, and likely all about to go. So since the cab is off the machine, I decided to have him replace all the lines that can't be accessed without removing the cab/flooring.

The delays totally shelved my plans to cultivate some of the land for vegetables and a section for chicken coops. It's way too late to plant now. All this will have to wait til next year, but now the wife's SUV transmission went unexpectedly at 139K miles and our regular mechanic advised us it's not worth fixing due to extent of the rust and age of the vehicle. So we spent two weeks trying to find a decent used car. Couldn't find anything that seemed worth the asking, so she went for broke on a new SUV. So any money for projects is gone now, since I'm contributing 1/3 of my pension for her car payments.

I just hope **** doesn't come this winter, because we're not prepared, except for electricity, and on that front, my neighbor brought over his JCB forklift/backhoe and we got the generator moved. Here's a snapshot I took while I was building the block walls around it.

 

[Welder Dave]

I'm a little lost and confused. I thought that money and finances were pretty tight and now your wife buys a brand new SUV? I thought you were using money from her 401K and now your pension is paying for a new SUV. What am I missing?

 

[Acoals]

I'm just glad my parents were prepared for Y2K . . .

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I'm a little lost and confused. I thought that money and finances were pretty tight and now your wife buys a brand new SUV? I thought you were using money from her 401K and now your pension is paying for a new SUV. What am I missing?

So am I. I've long been an advocate of buy old used vehicle and repair it. But this is CT and everything rusts out to unsafe drivability in 20 years. That was the case with the Explorer. We'd spent just shy of $10,000 on unexpected vehicle repairs this year including towing and being stranded. Wife had had enough of used cars breaking down.
So we looked at a bunch of used 7-passenger SUVs (we have a large family, inlaws, + sister/brother in law) and many were asking in the $38K range for used with low mileage and no warranty.
We looked at a few new SUVs too, in the $40K and up range, but none felt right and seemed cheap/plasticy and sluggish acceleration on highway.
Since our daughter got the steal of a deal on a 2012 Mazda CX9 two years ago, my wife had been looking for a CX9 for the past two years, a 2015 or older model (we test drove the newer 4 cyl models and they don't have the get up and go that the V6 has). She could find nothing like the $5300 deal my daughter got in 2022. The car was spotless, despite 192K miles. We did have to put $4800 into it for new brakes, exhaust and tires, but it seems to drive well. Sadly, we could not find another car like that, even at double the price.
So the wife had been lusting after the CX90, which I considered a pipe dream. But at our age, we might not be alive when they hit the used car market at an affordable price, plus the cost of used car repairs are no longer in the hundreds, but now in the thousands of dollars every time we brought our old car into the shop. And our shop charges less than the dealers do.
It's that fear of being stuck on the side of the road and having to call a tow truck and then being surprised with "you're car is not worth fixing" that led her to finally decide to get a new car with a warranty.
She borrowed $20K from her 401K to put the downpayment. The tough part is the insurance is so high. We're shopping for another provider now. Thankfully, my daughter just landed a part time job and will finally be able to pay us some room and board and contribute to her auto insurance which is on our policy.
It's the first time in my life that we've bought a car with less than 30K miles on it. The wife plans to take all the overtime her boss gives her and with my daughter contributing her share, we'll figure a way to make this work. The deciding factor is we no longer have a $700+ electric bill, as we went off grid 2 years ago. So that money isn't going to Eversource anymore and can be used for the car payments.

 

[Pepe]

Unless youre by the sea I wouldnt say your hydraulic lines are old " 20 years unless you have cheap connections or not using the right certified pressure hoses & the hydraulic co has the right machines. I have my old Welsh friend who has the first Kato in my town & had it well over 30years. It still has the old hoses on it and works fine although he has changed a few--must ask him & get a pic. I run a 1992 Nissan Datsun 4x4 ute & it never misses a beat. The D27 diesel motor is perhaps the best diesel made by Japan during that era & its done over 420,000 kms and still runs strong. Body wise OK, & no rust as look after it & it sits outside??? Their resale is good cause they are good??

 

[Welder Dave]

I'm sorry but I don't think you're nearly as hard off as you make it sound. I'm sure there are good used SUV's available for much less than new that still have warranty or an extended warranty could be purchased. Seven passenger SUV's are expensive and then you want the bigger engine that will use more gas... What other options did you get? A struggling family doesn't go out and buy a brand new vehicle in one of the higher priced categories. There are vehicles much less expensive than 7 passenger SUV's. I hope the guy comes to fix your mini-ex but don't make it sound like you're going to end up homeless. Nobody likes expensive repairs.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

The wife and I are pretty much done with use vehicles. Nothing but rust buckets and money pits. We can't afford a new car. Heck, we can't afford a used car either. There are no $600 decent car deals anymore. My '68 Caddy cost me $600 in 1980. I got 7 good years out of it before rust and a failed piston ring sent it to the junk yard. It's a challenge when you have your inlaws, sister and brother and children. 7 seat capacity was a requirement.
But $10K in repairs spent on vehicles this year got me thinking it's no longer economically sensible to own an old vehicle. The few 4 year old cars we test drove had problems and I don't trust the dealer to fix them properly before sale.
The other thing is, we're old, and we're going to die soon. After living a life of near poverty, I wanted my wife to have something nice for a change.
As for the gas, it gets better gas mileage than the Ford, probably because it's a hybrid electric.
Now here's the sickening part:
I was headed into the city with the wife and daughter to straighten out a time card error at my daughter's work at the mall. We were driving on a divided highway on a "mixer" where a bunch of interstates come together in the middle of the city at 11:13 am, when out of nowhere, comes running a buck, across the highway, all lanes and collides with the rear passenger door of our new car. The odds of seeing a deer in a major city on the interstate in daylight hours is just about nil. All my past deer encounters were on country roads between midnight and 4 am. So now we're in it for our insurance deductible and a wait of perhaps a month to get it fixed. It was clearly a message from God: "Human, I hate you."

With that said, now onto the excavator:
Mechanic was here last week and again today to finish up. He got the machine back together, but while filling up with hydraulic fluid and running the engine, he noticed that the level stopped increasing. Another line burst. As far as he can tell, it's in the bottom of a bundle of lines and he can't tell which one. Said the whole thing is going to have to be taken apart. I said I think he ought to replace all of the lines as they are popping faster than he can repair them at this point.
The bill for today's work ended up more than $500 over his original estimate in June. And then he's going to work up an estimate for the next step.
At this point, I'm out of money, unless I skip property tax payment in January and use that money to pay him.
I think I broke the $10K mark just on repairs to this machine in the past 3 years. I had planned to get it running, fixed up nicely and put it on the market to pay down my hospital debt. But it's looking like it may be another six months until these other lines get replaced, based on how long it took to get the existing work done.
It has been a terrible year. I've got a major tooth infection and the oral surgeon says it's got to come out, but I have to be off blood thinners first. Cardiologist said he can't take me off them for even a day. Day after TG I have that tooth removed and hopefully I won't have to be hospitalized to stop the bleeding.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I checked out the excavator yesterday and just started it up. Without lowering the safety lever, it's spewing a steady stream about 1/2" thick out the bottom of the cab. I'm trying to figure out which hydraulic line would be pressured with the safety lever up. Any ideas? Mechanic said it's buried in a bundle of lines and he can't see where the leak is coming from.

 

[materthegreater]

Unless youre by the sea I wouldnt say your hydraulic lines are old " 20 years unless you have cheap connections or not using the right certified pressure hoses & the hydraulic co has the right machines. I have my old Welsh friend who has the first Kato in my town & had it well over 30years. It still has the old hoses on it and works fine although he has changed a few--must ask him & get a pic. I run a 1992 Nissan Datsun 4x4 ute & it never misses a beat. The D27 diesel motor is perhaps the best diesel made by Japan during that era & its done over 420,000 kms and still runs strong. Body wise OK, & no rust as look after it & it sits outside??? Their resale is good cause they are good??
View attachment 324770

They probably don't use road salt where you drive your ute

 

[materthegreater]

Mark, I'm wondering if there's an issue with the system reliefs on your excavator and it's over pressurizing the hydraulics. I can't think of any other reason that so many hoses would blow without the machine being used hard.

 

[Pepe]

They probably don't use road salt where you drive your ute

Ah!! you’re right no salt on our roads?just loads of witches hats/road works/ pot holes ….

 

[Mark A Weiss]

Mark, I'm wondering if there's an issue with the system reliefs on your excavator and it's over pressurizing the hydraulics. I can't think of any other reason that so many hoses would blow without the machine being used hard.

If it's something that came on suddenly, perhaps, but it's all the old, rotten hoses that seem to be failing. Many of them sat in sludge that the previous owner never cleaned out. The rubber deteriorated where it came in contact with decayed leaf sludge that built up. Given the age of the machine, many lines are cracking and ready to go at any time.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I don't know if the mechanic who worked on my machine is ever going to come back and finish this project. The machine's back together, but I don't know if he reconnected the lines properly or the line the blew immediately was just rotted like so many others in this machine.
This process is taking far too long. I need to find a mechanic who can finish the repairs to the hydraulic lines. I need to sell the machine and pay my medical bills, but it's a loss unless it's running. Plus I need to move some heavy concrete blocks before it snows. I can't keep relying on my neighbor, or hiring someone when I have nearly $37K into a machine that I own.
Any suggestions for a reputable mechanic who won't leave things hanging for four months? I'm in the greater Danbury CT area.

 

[Acoals]

There is a Mechanic on here with a screen name of TOM V who is somewhere in Connecticut . . .

 

[Mark A Weiss]

There is a Mechanic on here with a screen name of TOM V who is somewhere in Connecticut . . .

Thanks. I'll try and see if I can send him a private message.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

The former owner did not take much care of the machine. When I got it, there were packed, rotted muck of decayed leaves down in the engine bay and all around the hydraulic manifold on the outside. I've replaced a couple of rotted pilot lines myself.
But these latest failures required a crane to remove the cab to access under the floor and outside of my tools and ability.
The mechanic texted me back that he will need another $1500-2000 to replace lines and he may have to remove the swing to access it.
The wife and I have decided to put the machine on the market. I have north of $10K into it. Paid $27.5K for it from another owner. But I have $182K in medical debt from the heart attack and hospitalization (didn't pay for medicare part B as my SS retirement is only $1067 without that additional deduction) and have had over $10K in MAJOR car and truck repairs this year. I wanted to finish up cultivating some land, putting in chicken coops and growing some vegetables before I sell that machine, but just getting it to run for even a day has been out of reach this year.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I finally brought a high end mechanic with a good rep onto the project.

Recap: prior mechanic said he'll have to pull the swing to access the burst lines.

Last week, the new mech came out, got those two lines out in about 40 minutes. Had new lines built and sent an employee to install them today. He noted that the machine would not swing to the right but only left.

The machine has hydraulic pressure now. I tested it shortly after and found that it can boom up/down, but no swing.

I am wondering if, due to the loss of so much fluid, the swing motor or associated valves got air bound? If so, is there a way to purge the air. I can't find any "purge" valve when searching the shop manual.

 

[B&B]

I finally brought a high end mechanic with a good rep onto the project.

Recap: prior mechanic said he'll have to pull the swing to access the burst lines.

Last week, the new mech came out, got those two lines out in about 40 minutes. Had new lines built and sent an employee to install them today. He noted that the machine would not swing to the right but only left.

The machine has hydraulic pressure now. I tested it shortly after and found that it can boom up/down, but no swing.

I am wondering if, due to the loss of so much fluid, the swing motor or associated valves got air bound? If so, is there a way to purge the air. I can't find any "purge" valve when searching the shop manual.

I have a customer with a Trojan loader and every time it blows a line relating to the pilot controls it has to be bled at several points by disconnecting lines until fluid comes out and then it'll work fine until the next line goes.

 

[Mark A Weiss]

I have a customer with a Trojan loader and every time it blows a line relating to the pilot controls it has to be bled at several points by disconnecting lines until fluid comes out and then it'll work fine until the next line goes.

My gut feeling is that I've got a big air bubble in their somewhere. The system had lost 90% of its fluid, so air HAD to have gotten in. I conveyed my thoughts to the mechanic. Hopefully he will resolve it soon.