RobVG
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2009
- Messages
- 1,028
- Location
- Seattle WA
- Occupation
- 17 excavators and a stewpot of other stuff
We got a new ZX135US this summer and I did the first service on it today.
http://www.hitachi-c-m.com/au/products/excavator/medium/zx135us-3/feature_5.html
This is what Hitachi says: "The ZAXIS-3 series meet customer demands for simplified maintenance....Wide doors give access, from ground level, to the fuel filter, water separator and engine oil filter."
To put it politely, it's missleading. Access doors on the old Zaxis are bigger and the compartments are more roomy. On the 135 there is no water separator so to speak, there is primary canister with a clear plastic drain bowl and a paper element. Same with the secondary.
Luckily the machine came with the "special" wrench to remove the plastic bowls. They are a Pita ( I wish we could swear on HEF because I have a few more choice words I'd like to use on this) to remove because there isn't much room to use the wrench.
One good thing is the solenoid pump will fill the filters to bleed them but I used the hand pump too just in case. No problems there. The thing is, on the older Zaxis it only took a few minutes to change and bleed the spin on filter.
Now the oil filter. Again there's little room for the ring wrench which that fits on the bottom of the filter. Once again, it appears that they like to put the filters on with a wrench at the factory. Last time I had to use a chain wrench. This time a half inch breaker bar just twisted the wrench. Had to stick a cheater bar between the legs of wrench and it still put up a fight. At least the oil doesn't flow out when you loosen the filter but you're still going to spill.
The drain valve on the oil pan is kind of cool but it has fine threads and you have to be careful when attaching the drain hose or putting the cap back on. The drain is also at an angle, not straight down like the picture.
There is no evidence of shortened intervals except for the hydraulic oil change.
End of rant-
http://www.hitachi-c-m.com/au/products/excavator/medium/zx135us-3/feature_5.html
This is what Hitachi says: "The ZAXIS-3 series meet customer demands for simplified maintenance....Wide doors give access, from ground level, to the fuel filter, water separator and engine oil filter."
To put it politely, it's missleading. Access doors on the old Zaxis are bigger and the compartments are more roomy. On the 135 there is no water separator so to speak, there is primary canister with a clear plastic drain bowl and a paper element. Same with the secondary.
Luckily the machine came with the "special" wrench to remove the plastic bowls. They are a Pita ( I wish we could swear on HEF because I have a few more choice words I'd like to use on this) to remove because there isn't much room to use the wrench.
One good thing is the solenoid pump will fill the filters to bleed them but I used the hand pump too just in case. No problems there. The thing is, on the older Zaxis it only took a few minutes to change and bleed the spin on filter.
Now the oil filter. Again there's little room for the ring wrench which that fits on the bottom of the filter. Once again, it appears that they like to put the filters on with a wrench at the factory. Last time I had to use a chain wrench. This time a half inch breaker bar just twisted the wrench. Had to stick a cheater bar between the legs of wrench and it still put up a fight. At least the oil doesn't flow out when you loosen the filter but you're still going to spill.
The drain valve on the oil pan is kind of cool but it has fine threads and you have to be careful when attaching the drain hose or putting the cap back on. The drain is also at an angle, not straight down like the picture.
There is no evidence of shortened intervals except for the hydraulic oil change.
End of rant-
