MY BREAKER IS MAKING MY MACHINE OVERHEAT! WHAT’S WRONG?

This is a question we get several times a week. Almost always it is from someone that is running their breaker on a different machine or just got a breaker and is running it for the first time. It seems the breaker will generally run fine for a short time, then gradually run somewhat slower and weaker. The operator then notices the hydraulic oil temperature has skyrocketed.

There are very few ways a breaker can cause extreme heating of the hydraulic oil and they will nearly all result in a nonfunctioning breaker. If a breaker has seen many hours and the hydraulic oil is not as clean as it should be the piston could be worn and cause wear to the cylinder. This will allow oil to pass through the gap between the piston and cylinder rather than moving the piston. The oil bypasses at high speed which causes the oil to heat up but the breaker will be non-operational since the piston won’t move. Another possibility would generally only happen to a European breaker with valving in the head. If one of the valve spools becomes stuck in exactly the right place in the bore it can allow high speed bypass which will heat the oil up. Once again, the hammer will be non-op.

Far and away, the most common cause of overheated hydraulic oil is the machine itself. The breaker has been installed on a machine that has not properly been set up yet to run a breaker or the tech that set it up is unfamiliar with breakers. Nearly always we find the relief on the hydraulic circuit for the breaker is set so low that oil constantly goes through the relief valve at high velocity which heats up the oil quickly. Usually the breaker runs great while the oil is cool then gets weaker as the oil gets warm until you can’t comfortably touch the oil reservoir and the breaker is slow and weak.

The solution is simple. Either have an equipment mechanic reset the relief or do it yourself if you are comfortable with the procedure. Generally the relief will need to be set to 3000 psi but check with the specs for your particular breaker. DO NOT TRUST THE COMPUTER OR LET THE TECH ADJUST VIA THE COMPUTER. It is very common for the computer readout to be off by 10%, we occasionally see the readout off by up to 25%. Use an actual pressure gauge that is properly certified. Once the relief is properly set, you will be pleased by the performance of your breaker and your machine will thank you. Pro tip- while setting the pressure for the circuit, have the flow checked to be sure your hammer is getting all the oil it wants so it can hammer to its fullest potential.

Finally, if it turns out your circuit is already properly set, check to see if the ball valves are fully open or that there is no obstruction in the hose quick couplers. Generally if either of these causes are an issue the breaker’s performance will be hindered rather than causing heat.