Fork lift problems

Sorry to post off topic but I couldn't find a forklift group.

I have a Toyota ELECTRIC forklift (TCM) 2 ton. Recently the brake petal has lost its resistance and now goes straight to the floor. However I didn't see any fluid loss.

My question really is

I removed the footplate cover and to my surprise found a filler which says OIL. I notice this is now at the low point. However what oil is this? Brake fuild? Engine oil 10/40 remember this is an electric forklift.

Any help or advice on maintaining this machine greatly received.

Reply to
david.cawkwell
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If it says oil, it's not brake fluid.

Suggest you try and track down a manual. The oil is likely hydraulic oil

- power steering fluid works, but hydraulic oil is not hard to come by, though it does come in several viscosities - thus the manual would be good. Does this thing leave a puddle where it's parked?

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Seems to me that you're low on fluid, shoes out of adjustment, system is full of air or master cyl. is bypassing. You'll have to norrow it down.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Looking at it yes. Oil is for the hydraulic oil. Which I've now topped up. That means that the reservoir I thought was for hydraulic oil was actually brake fuild. Ooops. I've been puting hydraulic oil in the brake fuild reservoir.

Still haven't lost any of that so I'll have to look at the pads I suppose.

snipped-for-privacy@tesco.net wrote:

Reply to
david.cawkwell

Then you've probably ruined the seals in the master cylinder. It's a good bet the wheel cylinders and hoses are all shot, too. My suggestion is to bleed all the hydraulic fluid out first, using new brake fluid (going through a whole quart would not be out of line) so that none remains in the metal lines, then replace all the rubber parts--hoses, master and wheel cylinders.

Someone else might suggest that this doesn't go far enough and that you're better off replacing absolutely everything. And they may be right.

--Glenn Lyford

Reply to
glyford

Assuming this is not a troll...it would appear that you have one of the following issues

  1. Blown master cylinder seals
  2. Blown slave cylinder seal
  3. Broken line.

Trace the brake pedel linkage to the master cylinder. Look for a filler port. If its marked "oil" it would likely appear someone lost the original cap and stuck on something that fit.

While not an expert..Ive never seen a lift truck that used anything other than brake fluid for a pressure medium

If the pedal goes right to the floor, yet you dont see any leakage, Id rebuild/replace the master cylinder. In fact..I have to do that in the very near future on an elderly Towmotor forklift for a client. Same symptoms.

Gunner

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment is to gullshit in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration, knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

Reply to
Gunner

Well, that explains why the brake pedal goes right to the floor.

Oil instead of brake fluid is only going to affect the rubber parts. The cast iron master and wheel cylinders and steel lines will be fine if thoroughly cleaned out. After you disconnect and remove the hoses and cylinders, a simple flush-out and blow-out of the steel lines, and full rebuild of the Master and wheel cylinders (with a solvent tank wash-out) should suffice.

I would go through and replace all the rubber hoses because of the contamination - and how old is the forklift? If it's over 15 years old, you want to change the wheel hoses on general principles anyhow, just on time.

And then make a big permanent sign for the brake fluid reservoir.

I don't think forklifts are going to have a split braking system and a brake failure sense switch, but if it does there are seals and a shuttle piston inside that, too.

My initial thought was that a forklift isn't going fast enough to really worry about brakes, but if there's someone standing in the way between you and the wall, and you can't drop the load on the floor to act as a big skid...

-->--

Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

I bet your master cylinder seals are hosed. Used to fix hilos when I couldn't pass it off to the next shift. The pistons seals tend to swell up.

Wes S

Reply to
clutch

Most forklift trucks don't have a tank... You put the fluid right in the master cly...

Reply to
kbeitz

Gunner sez:

"it would appear that you have one of the following issues"

I have on two occasions seen a "balooning" brake line as the cause. Check to make sure the original brake line hoses haven't deteriorated to the point that they swell up in balloon fashion, effectively absorbing pressure from the master cylinder. Symptoms are the brakes appear more or less normal under moderate loads and fail under heavy stopping pressure. I even had a "new", metal braided rubber, Chinese hose do this to me.

Bob Swinney

PS: Tom, very sorry to hear of your loss in another post.

Reply to
Robert Swinney

I know what you meant to say, but this says that the lift ram and others use brake fluid! (Hydraulic oil is a pressure medium, I'm sure you'll agree.) I just know that you wouldn't want anyone to pour brake fluid into their hydraulic oil reservoir.

I can't speak for lift trucks, but I do recall that the JCB 3CX (180 degree backhoe/loader) with which I was familiar used hydraulic oil in its brake system. I remember it well because it seemed very strange to be pouring anything other than brake fluid into the nylon reservoir. The reservoir was labelled accordingly, as well as the instruction manual confirming that brake fluid was not to be used for the brakes. Regards Ian

Reply to
iange

I've seen a lot of fork lifts and have never seen anything but hydraulic oil used in them. Hyspin 30 seems to ring a bell as a typical hydraulic oil. The main characteristic of the oil is to be non foaming.

Reply to
Tom Miller

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