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KIA SKT2LMS- Leaking coolant from base of turret, above center in Y

npolanosky

Cast Iron
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Location
USA, FL
I've had the KIA lathe up and running for some time now and I'm starting to push it a little harder. I have a 1" 5xD drill in the turret with through coolant holes, and I'm having some trouble with it chattering like mad and not evacuating chips. I don't have as much coolant pressure as I think I need, and that's likely because half of my coolant is exiting the base of the turret. Some tool positions leak more than others, so I think I probably just have a bad seal somewhere- I am assuming there's a big O-ring surrounding the curvic coupling that needs to be replaced.

How involved is removing the turret face? I purchased this machine used and everything probably needs a good cleaning. I continue to be astounded at the crap I find in every hose, cavity, and ledge. Will I need a hoist or just a strong friend?

In addition, I am reading about .003" (high) out in Y at 4" from the turret face, though the X is dead straight. Is there an easy-ish way to adjust the Y alignment? When I go to X0 the pocket ends up about .026" off center, but I can correct for that in my tool offsets. If there's a good procedure to bring that in to zero I'd love to hear it though! Would I just add a gridshift to X?
 
Edit- Got X dead on with gridshift. Set the machine to metric mode, indicated X0, noted the difference between software zero and indicated zero, divide by two because it's in diameter, multiply by 1000, and add or subtract that number into param #1850. Now X0 is actual X0 and I don't need to indicate every single drill.

Y is still high by about .004" according to my measurements. I wonder if someone shimmed the trucks at some point, or if there is another adjustment I am missing.
 
I don't know about Kia's specifically, but to adjust the Y a lot of other brands I know bolt the turret face onto the main shaft. Bolt a boring bar holder onto the turret, crack the bolts loose, and beat on it until your indicator reads 0. Your X will move a bit, so you'll have to touch off your tools again.

Do you have a parts manual for the machine you could follow the coolant path from?
 
Very likely that there is crap in the coolant "valve" at the turret interface that has chewed the supposed seal between the turret and "valve". Some machine require the turret to be removed to access the "valve". Others can remove it from the back side. I have both styles on my machines. And they all leak, some more than others.
 
I had two of those SKT's and they where good machines but that little bastard seal always had me trying to figure out something better. On the bottom of the turret there is a pipe plug. take it loose (careful, that spring will go zipping out the ass end never to be found). get a nose picker (the long scribe with a hook on the opposite end made by general tool and fish around. There is a small UHMW bushing in there. Just make a few of them and keep the face nice and flat. simple fix to a poor design. all it takes is one chip to make it through that cheesy screen they call a filter and that bushings/seal is toasted.

just wait till the hydraulic return line for the sub chuck cracks!!!
 








 
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