# Precision Matthews PM-728VT Mill Leaking Way Oil



## chipinator (Jun 11, 2021)

Hello.  I hope everyone is staying well.  I have a brand new Precision Matthews PM-728VT mill that I haven't had an opportunity to use yet.  I filled the tank with Quick Slide 68 way oil in preparation for use.  I noticed that when standing in front of the mill, oil is pooling onto the drip/chip pan near the front left mounting bolt.  I can't determine where the oil is leaking from.  Anyone have any ideas why this may be occurring?  Where it might be coming from?  Any guidance would be most helpful.  Thank you.


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## Tom1948 (Jun 12, 2021)

I  have a 727v with no problems so i am not familiar with your model. However, contact pm and i am sure they will advise. I found them great to work with.


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## chipinator (Jun 12, 2021)

Hey Tom1948.  Thanks for replying.  I actually emailed PM with pictures a couple of weeks before posting here, albeit not the greatest seeing Quick Slide 68 is clear, and of course a description of what is occurring.  PM wasn't definitive on what could be causing the issue and that basically I would have to do some inspecting to find out the source.  They were supportive on if/when I found the issue and that parts would be available to fix.  Man I don't want to disassemble this thing!  That's not going to be a good day if I have to!


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## mksj (Jun 12, 2021)

It seems to be a common problem with bench style mills, most likely because of gravity causing the oil to seep from the pump to the oil lines. It may be some dirt or a seal at the pump, but the typical fix would be to add a low pressure cracking check valve. These open with low PSI, and then close once the pressure is relieved. You would need to determine the tubing size or thread of the oil line going into the pump. See previous thread on the PM-833 and I also have seen this reported with some knee mills.








						PM 833TV One shot question
					

Since I received my 833 it has leaked the oil from the one shot system.  It took about 2 weeks and every bit of it leaked out.  I did not pinch any lines when I set it up, I was very careful about that.  I can not find a leaking fitting but if I had to guess based on where it is, I think it is...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## Tom1948 (Jun 12, 2021)

Thats a bummer chipinator.  My mill does not have that. I know you want and expect things to work as they should but can you settle for hand lubricating things until pm can figure it out? I believe they will put forth the effort to get to the bottom of it. They have too much at stake not to.


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## chipinator (Jun 12, 2021)

Hey mksj.  Thanks for the reply.  Interestingly, the way oil is not pooling or dripping around the pump/reservoir but down onto the front left mounting bolt; it's gotta be coming from the X or Y axis somewhere.  I'll do some searching around for a "low pressure cracking check valve" and see what I can come up with.  Thanks for the post as well.  I'll definitely read to see what I can learn.

Tom1948 - I haven't used the mill yet.  I had set it up on its stand, filled the reservoir, gave it a couple of pumps to make sure the ways were indeed being oiled which they are and began another project that I needed to complete before beginning to use the mill; small garage, trying to make space.  I don't believe PM will be able to figure it out as their email reply basically stated that I would have to do the inspecting to find what's causing the issue but they were there for parts when I do find the root cause.


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## Bwolf (Jun 12, 2021)

Pretty funny to read this since I just discovered the same thing on my new 728 this morning. Had a large puddle in the back right, but best I can see is it’s coming from the left front and running back since the stand isn’t level yet. Cleaned it up and currently watching to see where it’s coming from. The amount of oil seemed excessive considering I really haven’t given the one-shot any use.

just logged on to try to find a plumbing drawing to see where the one-shot lines go. Though I had a loose fitting, but so far those seem dry.

I didn’t even fill the oiler. Just working with what it arrived with.


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## chipinator (Jun 13, 2021)

Hey Bwolf.  Thanks for taking time out to read the post.  My cursory look included the oil line fittings and they looked dry as well.  I was wondering if anyone else may be having the same issue or not.  As soon as my other projects get completed, which I'm very close on, I'll be able to take a closer look.

Have you considered contacting PM to report the issue?  I suspect there may be more seeing this same issue that haven't read this post.


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## MarkZ (Jul 15, 2021)

Put me down as another instance of the same thing. Over the course of a month or so, the entire reservoir has emptied into the chip pan via either the x or y axis pipes/fittings.

Has anyone found a cause for this?


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## wrmiller (Jul 15, 2021)

I have a different mill (PM935) but I had an issue similar to yours in that the next day after using my mill, I noticed that the oil level in the reservoir was noticeably lower. I did the simple solution and put a valve on the output of the reservoir. So now I open the valve, give the lever a pull or two (I like lots of oil on my machine's ways and screws) and then shut the valve. Now my mill is unable to siphon oil out of the reservoir.

As Mark said, you may have a worse situation where gravity is causing oil to bleed down to the ways. The valve would rectify that. Or, you could use a one-way like Mark suggested.


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## koenbro (Jul 21, 2021)

I have the same experience with a practically brand new PM-728.


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## andrewgr (Jul 21, 2021)

I just noticed the same thing with my new 728-VT this week.  I soaked it all up with a towel, then there was a bunch more the next day.  Rinse and repeat.  I haven't investigated any further yet, I'm such a complete novice that I really have no idea what I'd be looking for, and the prospect of actually disassembling it is intimidating.


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## charlesbullis (Aug 28, 2021)

My 728 one-shot oiler is leaking like a sieve. PM knows about the issue, but can offer no guidance. Apparently almost all the PM-728V have this problem.

Has anyone tried disassembling the oiler to diagnose? I placed paper towels under it to identify how the oil is exiting the oiler (out through the bottom slot where the lever enters).


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## charlesbullis (Aug 28, 2021)

I spoke with PM about this. They acknowledge the oiler has a leak, but offer no guidance on a fix. I'm hesitant to disassemble, especially since they do not currently have replacement parts for it. This is a real bummer.


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## charlesbullis (Aug 28, 2021)

This photo reveals the position of the leak. After a few days the towel is completely saturated.


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## chipinator (Aug 29, 2021)

My original post is spot on for me.  As you would be standing in front of the mill, I placed paper towels all along the left side of the mill under the oil reservoir all the way to the front under the table.  Indeed, it's leaking from the front left somewhere.  I can't tell where and I've had a flashlight looking.  It looks like it may be coming from underneath the table somewhere.  I don't think I'm going to find the leak unless I disassemble it and I'm not a mill mechanic.  I'm not looking forward to this at all!!!  I wish I could just ship it back to PM and have them fix it or ship me a new one without this issue.  If they knew this was an issue, then they should not have sold the mill until it was fixed in their warehouse.  For the amount of money I paid for the entire setup, I expected more.  I really do like PM products, however, just a little frustrated at this issue.


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## Cletus (Aug 29, 2021)

May I suggest a phone call to PM and a chat with someone from their technical department.  Surely some dialog would lead to a resolution of the issue.


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## charlesbullis (Aug 29, 2021)

I spoke with them first. I think they are caught between a rock and a hard place, as are many importers. Tough times.


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## chipinator (Aug 29, 2021)

I have actually spoken to them twice and they are willing to replace any faulty parts but that means that I have to disassemble and do the detective work of finding where the leak is coming from.  I'm not a mill mechanic and this is my first mill.  I guess I should keep my expectations low.


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## 7milesup (Aug 29, 2021)

chipinator said:


> I have actually spoken to them twice and they are willing to replace any faulty parts but that means that I have to disassemble and do the detective work of finding where the leak is coming from.  I'm not a mill mechanic and this is my first mill.  I guess I should keep my expectations low.


You are going to machine parts on this mill, correct?  
If you are, then i would hope you have a modicum of mechanical abilities. Take  the thing apart and figure it out.  They are not complicated at all.


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## chipinator (Aug 30, 2021)

I do have a modicum of mechanical abilities.  However, when you buy a brand new product, the expectation is that it should be free of defects.  When I buy a new car, if it has an issue, I take it back to the stealership to get it fixed.  If I buy something that turns out to be broken, I take it back and exchange it.  If there was a video on how to disassemble and reassemble this exact mill, I might consider taking it apart.  The point is, I shouldn't have to.  Now you'll say, "Then live with the issue."


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## 7milesup (Aug 30, 2021)

Not saying to live with the issue at all, but you may have to work on it to get it to the level that you would like.  For some reason, I knew the subject of cars would come up.  Cars are made for the masses that expect perfection when they get in and drive away, and for the most part that is what they get.  The modern car is really a modern day engineering marvel.
To me it sounds like the pump assembly is leaking internally and allowing it to run into the distribution lines?  If that is the case, they should at least replace the pump and see where it goes from there. 
FWIW I have a new 1440 lathe made in Taiwan.  All is not perfect on that either unfortunately, but for the price point we are buying these machines at, I can work on it some.


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## Carbuilder (Jun 12, 2022)

Having the same issue with my PM-728VT pretty much since new (leaking). Then the oiler just stopped working, would not build up any pressure. And that tin cup thing that is under the oiler handle kept flopping down and spilling oil out of it. I sent PM a picture and they said they hadn't heard of that issue. Then a day or so later (this is early 2022) they said they are aware of a "factory" issue with the oilers and they would send me a replacement when they came in.

Just got the replacement. Not sure if it leaks or not, since it doesn't work! Does not build up any pressure. I took the Z-axis oil line off at the top, pumped the handle many times, no oil coming out. I just emailed them again to ask if they tested any of the new pumps or just sent them out.

Rick


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## Carbuilder (Jun 13, 2022)

Got a reply from PM that it is likely not the pump but a faulty check valve in the elbow. I took the elbows off and pumped it.....nothing. I just emailed them to let them know, and also to point out that it couldn't possibly be the check valve. That would mean the pump would not pump any oil out and would be trying hard to, so a lot of pressure on the handle. There is no pressure and not a drop of oil coming out.

Edit: I have to apologize to PM (and I did). The issue with this second oiler was not (really) their fault). A little more investigation and I found that I didn't have enough oil in it! But, in my defence, I had it about half way up the sight glass and when looking inside it, that was not enough to cover the oil inlet. So the sight glass in not at all in the correct place and filling it half way up the glass is not enough to get the pump working.

So as long as this one continues to pump and doesn't leak, things are good.


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## Toro5xi (Jun 21, 2022)

chipinator said:


> I have actually spoken to them twice and they are willing to replace any faulty parts but that means that I have to disassemble and do the detective work of finding where the leak is coming from.  I'm not a mill mechanic and this is my first mill.  I guess I should keep my expectations low.


I understand your frustration but have come to accept that I will have to be able to diagnose problems with equipment from time to time.  The electrical contactor, basically a large relay, went out on my 728 a few months after using my mill.  The replacement contactor did not work at first so tech support sent me an electrical diagram for the 728.  The diagram highlighted I needed to transfer some terminal jumpers from the old part to the new.  A little frustrating but works perfectly again.


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## chipinator (Aug 27, 2022)

UPDATE...

Precision Matthews sent me a new oiler which I installed, filled and tested.  Guess what???  No more oil leaks.  Your mileage may vary.


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## maticulus (Aug 28, 2022)

Mine arrived with an obvious leak while on the pallet. During a table range and freedom of movement check, part of the table end (hand wheel mount) contacted the oil line "T" fitting on the machine's right side where it is mounted in proximity, damaging the oil line. PM supplied replacement parts to correct it. Later I finally discovered the leak present on arrival, was the result of the 90 deg fitting on the top side of the column, which was not screwed in tightly and was leaking from the the thread area.

    Ultimately in order to eliminate the leaks, some of the line ends would need to have a piece of tape wrapped around them for a snug fit in the port (table supply) and all fittings would need to be checked and possibly thread sealed to solve the problem. If air can't be kept out of the lines, it's not a one shot oiler, as it has to be pumped until the air is out of the lines.

    I'm happy with the machine and don't see it as a real problem. I have a PM1228 on order and am hoping for no surprises like the one barnbwt experienced here; https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/pm-1228vf-lb.61532/


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