[AT] Hydraulics Help

[drupert at seanet.com]

I have a question - Is there a relatively easy way to determine if a
hydraulics problem I am having is in the Valve or in the Cylinder.

The Bucket on an old Loader I have has a double acting Cylinder.  Once the
Bucket is curled up (i.e., the Cylinder is retracted) the Cylinder will
slowly start extending on its' own and will be fully extended in a couple
of minutes.  The external leaking - although annoying - is relatively
minor.  I am thinking that maybe the seal on the Piston in the Cylinder is
bad allowing the Piston to move through the fluid.  If the Valve is the
problem I guess I am not sure what the failure mode could be.

I am hoping the problem is the Cylinder as it will be the easiest for me
to fix but I don't want to waste time there if the problem is somewhere
else.  Any ideas on how to nail this down ... I am guessing someone has
run into this before.

Thanks -
Dudley