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Liftavator/CEMCO Lula questions

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(@MooreJJ1)
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We were sent to troubleshoot a Liftavator LULA, it has a CEMCO controller and CEMCO tank unit with an RV100 valve. The jack and car frame are made or subcontracted by Liftavator. This unit is an inverted hydraulic unit.

The problem we’re having is when the car runs up it will randomly and abruptly stop mid-flight, the pump will stay running and the valve coil will stay energized, until the controller either goes into low oil or trips an overload, whichever it decides to do is random also.
On cartop inspection it will act the same way, stop abruptly, randomly, and will also allow the pump to keep running, let off the inspection buttons and try running up again, the pump will still respond and the car will stay stationary, leading us to believe it is not an electrical circuit cutting out. If we bump the car down on inspection, not even long enough to move the car, just enough to relieve pressure, then try running up it will move up again. Then randomly and abruptly stop the same way. This doesn’t happen at the same spots in the hoistway, or have any equal distances between when/where it decides to stop. Also, it doesn’t do it on every trip, you could have 5 runs of the hoist way with no incident, and then it does it. Or you could have it happen repeatedly on every run, then all of a sudden you’ll get 2 runs without issue again. There is random scraping/clunking noises coming from the jack, but they are intermittent. There is no scoring on the piston, the packing is not leaking. And there is nothing covering the intake of the pump. We’re left thinking this might be a valve issue, or it may have something stuck inside the jack. Do these inverted units have roller skates on the top of the piston that could be deteriorating and getting wedged? (Similar to the TK/Dover inverted units?) or could this be a valve issue? Any insight would be appreciated, this thing has us scratching our heads.



   
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(@Montana)
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Definitely sounds like you've got something inside the hydraulic system. You might have to just start tearing it apart to find out. I had an old Montgomery silencer do that to me one time. I also took a call that ended up being a rag that accidentally got left in the oil line after a repair crew changed out some vic gaskets in the pit. Does it have a removable jack bottom up on the cartop like the Dover IVO's?



   
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(@MooreJJ1)
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Topic starter  
Unfortunately, this does not have the cap that comes off the top like the IVO’s. It would make life a lot easier if it did. The only way I see to get into the jack would be to land the car as low as possible, unhook the cylinder from the car frame, and chain fall the cylinder up and out, and hope the packing clears the cross head to a point that we can unscrew it, and then hope we have enough pick to get the cylinder off the piston. Hanging the car is not an option, there isn’t enough overhead, and there’s no escape hatch to get off the cartop.



   
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(@Master of none)
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Make sure the overspeed valve is installed correctly (not backwards)



   
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(@Norcan)
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Yes I’m with Master of None. Sounds like overspeed valve is backwards. Some of them are made in Germany and are stamped Z for cylinder direction on one side of the overspeed valve and T for tank on the other side. Usually an arrow indicating direction of flow that you want to control.



   
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(@NY Guy)
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Couldn’t agree more with Master and Norcan! Happened to me during a test. Mechanics didn’t realize the T and Z on the rupture valve and just installed it. 50/50 they get it right!

Merry Christmas all!,,



   
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(@Sinbad)
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I am tasked with a 5 year test on one of these, roped hydro. Anybody got any suggestions on how to perform it? I was told to land it on a pipe then kick the pipe out. Sounds kinda crazy, gotta be a better way no?



   
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(@Bowtiedrooster16)
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Yeah don't do that lol. Take a 5-6 foot 2x4 and a bottle jack. Pump the bottle jack all the way up put the 2x4 on top and land the car on it where that foot is that actuates the safeties. Right where the shackles attach. You're landing the car so the ropes go slack but the springs can't push down and put it on safeties or trip the slack cable switch. You don't need to much slack in the cables. Once the car is landed on that set up you kneel down and open the bottle jack valve and the car will drop an inch or so and go on safeties. If it sketches you out to be under it you can attach the jack handle that fits over the release valve to a paint roller extension pole or something to be outside of the hoistway but most guys just stay in there cuz the car is still attached to the cables it can only go down as far as the slack you gave it.



   
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(@Bowtiedrooster16)
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Sometimes they set on safeties hard and the pump won't pull it up and off so you can just take the bottle jack and 2x4 and put it under one side safety block or part of the sling that has a nice flat spot near a safety block and give it some help then try and run up



   
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(@Sinbad)
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I thought that might be a little crazy. I'll do it your way, sounds safer. Thanks for the help!



   
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