Cracked pump housing on pressure washer

[RBardwell]

Made my first mistake let someone borrow the pressure washer. They said it was leaking on the pressure side of the pump right where the hose is threaded to the housing. So they took out the brass fitting put a copious amount of thread tape on it and really tightened it back in there. This caused the small crack in the housing to become a very large crack and the pump will not maintain pressure now. It is a cast housing any thoughts on a way to fix it?

 

[RBardwell]

Any help out there? Dont know much about rhese things can it be fixed or am I SOL?

 

[Dieselnut59]

I would say it is more expensive to fix than it would be worth. I bought a nice made in Italy 4000 psi pump from Northern Tool. I mated it to a L70 Yanmar diesel engine. It has been awesome. They sell pumps to match your application.

 

[B.G. Smith]

If it is cast iron it can be brazed. Only problem would be thar any parts of the pump that would be damaged by the heat would need to be removed. It could also be welded with a SS rod which would create less overall heat. Depending on shape and accesability, it might also be repaired with some epoxy type cement and some fg tape. bg

 

[GHarman]

If it is Cast iron, dont use SS rod! Use nickel rod. Remove the guts. V the crack and stop drill the ends of the crack. The rod is stronger than the C. I. so there is no need to have 100% penetration (nickel rod is flexible compared to the C. I. ). There are several methods to make this repair. one is to preheat the whole thing and weld, the other is using a SMAW process with short beads and peaning the deposit on an ambient temperature part. I prefer a preheat using the SMAW process and pean, on small parts. Nickel rod comes in various forms and the quality of the repair is dependent on your experience level. I have found that Rockmount/Nassau alloys seem to work the best, but are very expensive. Heres a link. Hope this is helpful. GregH



Rockmount Research Alloys,Inc.

 

[RBardwell]

If it is cast iron it can be brazed. Only problem would be thar any parts of the pump that would be damaged by the heat would need to be removed. It could also be welded with a SS rod which would create less overall heat. Depending on shape and accesability, it might also be repaired with some epoxy type cement and some fg tape. bg

elaborate on this fg tape what is it? If the epoxy route does not work then I will go over to northern and price a pump. Thank you all for the replies.

 

[TBartlett1]

I learned my lesson long ago to not lend tools other than a hammer or a wrench and even then I make a note and have them sign it. People tend to forget.

Some people will borrow anything rather than buy it.

I've also gotten the (I don't want to buy it just borrow it for a day) I say tough ----!

I bought mine you can buy yours.

Most of what I have was purchased for a project.

I borrowed an airless paint gun against my wishes from my brother in-law and trashed it because he didn't tell me it needed an additive with latex paint. Cost me $250 for repairs.

I returned the repaired paint gun and then purchased my own to finish the job.

Some people (friends included) don't have a clue about how to use or take care of your tools.

Sorry about the expensive lesson!

 

[B.G. Smith]

elaborate on this fg tape what is it? If the epoxy route does not work then I will go over to northern and price a pump. Thank you all for the replies.

Fiberglass tape or cloth to strengthen the patch. bg

 

[Skydiver]

Cat pumps make me happy.



Triplex Piston Pumps and Plunger Pumps

 

[WCPoe]

Just a heads up. -------------------These pumps can crack when left outside in freezing temperatures and have water trapped in the pump. -----------------

Mine has a quick disconnect at the pump housing and I just unhook the hose and pull the rope starter through a couple of revolutions to discharge most of the trapped water. If it starts up quickly shut it down because the water is required to lube and cool the pump.

:{ My neighbor's has cracked the same as yours around the discharge outlet as he was not aware of the freezing issue. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Skydiver]

Good point and very true WCPoe. I got luck last winter when mine stayed out one night at 29F. I waited until the temp was over 50F before I cranked it. Said a little prayer, all was well.

 

[Dieselnut59]

Just a heads up. -------------------These pumps can crack when left outside in freezing temperatures and have water trapped in the pump. -----------------

Mine has a quick disconnect at the pump housing and I just unhook the hose and pull the rope starter through a couple of revolutions to discharge most of the trapped water. If it starts up quickly shut it down because the water is required to lube and cool the pump.

:{ My neighbor's has cracked the same as yours around the discharge outlet as he was not aware of the freezing issue. Just my 2 cents.

I do the same thing before storing mine ANYTIME, not just in freezing temps (although mine is stored in my shop). I hold down the decompression lever, pull the rope a few times and pump out the water. When I bought my pump, I called Northern Tool and talked to a representative for their opinion. I told him I wanted a good quality, oil lubed pump that was not made in China. I do not remember the brand name of this one right off hand but it is made in Italy. I hooked one up to a Yanmar L60 engine for work and another to my L70 Yanmar engine. Seems like the pump was in the price range of $250. I also bought the wand, nozzles and hose from them, along with the quick couplers. It works great.

 

[jwgary]

Some people will borrow anything rather than buy it.
I’ve also gotten the (I don’t want to buy it just borrow it for a day) I say tough ----!
I bought mine you can buy yours.
Most of what I have was purchased for a project.

My motto, "You're not doing a job right if you don't have to buy a tool to do it. " :-laf

 

[BimmerAgent]

New pump

There are replacement pumps available if your engine is good. I have one of those Sam's club Devilbiss Pressure Wave units with the cast piston pump and a Honda engine. I thought I had drained it, but the pump cracked. The repair shops told me to buy a whole new washer, which made me more determined to find a fix since the engine was good. So I did some searching on the web and found a direct bolt-up replacement axial pump that is oil cooled, not water. Cost about $120, bolted right up, and works better now than it ever did. Might be an option for you if you're happy with the engine. Bruce