JCB 3C2 - Hydraulic service - Air bubbles and blanking plate?

[Yozza]

Thanks to you good folks I now know what JCB 'special' hydraulic fluid is. I bought 20l along with a new hydraulic filter and set to work, after admiring what was a fairly substantial bolt holding the filter housing together I notice the fluid (about 10l) draining looked a very light pink as it appeared to have a lot of air bubbles

I fitted a new filter but when I removed the old filter it had a home made blanking plate fitted to the bottom end of the filter with a hole big enough for the big bolt to fit through, as it has a spring supporting the plate, is it there just to make sure the filter doesn't fall down? Should there be a plate there, regardless of it being homemade or genuine? If so, do any of you good people know why or even seen this before?

I re-assembled with new filter with fresh oil, all 20l went in and still no sign of a level on the site tube inside the cab. (I assume I can't recycle the original oil I took out via a strainer, or would that be a cardinal sin, should you always use new/fresh oil?)

My hydraulic knowledge base is very small but I'm hoping to increase it with your help

With regard to the air bubbles, should I investigate the suction strainer and give that some TLC to make sure it isn't struggling? If so how much fluid can I expect out of the tank and will the plate seal need replacing?

Are there any other areas I should investigate?

Lots of questions, thanks in advance for any assistance.

Yozza

[mambo]

Does this picture help?

Untitled-1 copy.jpg

Tank holds 195l
You should use a new gasket

Hope this helps you until someone more knowledgeable comes along