Quote:

While the rams don't care, the pump does.

I can't find my paperwork, but the guy that rebuilt my pump specified filling only in one instance. Filling at the wrong time blows out some pump seal, or over fills the resevior and blows out that seal.

Regardless, the only way to air it out is to run it up and down a bunch. Give it a rest inbetween otherwise it starts to smoke.

A fan on it might not hurt. It isn't meant to do a lot of rapid cycles.

Then pull the plug and top it off. Really wish I could remember. I seem to recall filling it with the top down, but again don't remember for sure.



I don't see how it would matter either way. the way the pump/resevoirs are, is that as you run it one way, the pump is pulling fluid from the resevoir to extend the ram, however, at the same time, as the ram extends, the fluid on the top side of the piston is being pushed out, and flows backwards into the resevoir. (where the air bubbles will now float to the top) then as you lower the rams, the pump now runs in reverse, and sends the fluid to the top side of the ram, again, as it uses fluid from the resevoir to lower the ram, the fluid on the bottom side is now being pushed back into the resevoir, so there are no seals or anything to be "uncovered" while it's running.

I had the privlege of tearing one of these down once when it wasn't working properly. from what I saw looking inside of it, was that it really won't matter which position things are in when toppping off the resevoir...what I did see, was that they were idiots for spec-ing brake fluid as the hydraulic fluid to use, aside from how it eats paint when it leaks, it also holds moisture. the reason for the inoperative pump was because the brake fluid picked up moisture and rusted the entire system out. the resevoir, pump, and cylinders were filled with scale rust.

replaced everything with new stuff and filled with ATF. PS fluid would work as well.

**Photobucket sucks**