How often do you guys change your pump oil?
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MEP001
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I change the pump oil about once a year, compressor about every six months. A lot of people never change their oil.
How often should you change yours? At the manufacturer's recommended interval.
How often should you change yours? At the manufacturer's recommended interval.
Damoni88
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washnvac
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MEP001
Well-known member
I'm assuming you mean when you have a leak do you change them all. Myself, no, if a piston oil seal leaks I change all three, if a shaft seal leaks I only change that one unless I have to tear the pump down to change it, then I change them all.
I used to change my Cat 310 pump oil religiously every year. I got to looking at the oil and the oil we drained out looked just like the oil we were putting in. I sent a sample into a lab for spectro analysis testing and the sample analysis came back with minimal metals in the oil. Now we change our oil every 5 years, unless it has water in it or it milky then we take corrective action. We only change the pump seals when the pump begins to pulsate and normally is years. We still have Cat 310 pumps in service from the early 80’s
JGinther
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I find it simplest to change the pump when the oil goes bad.
Earl Weiss
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I don't change the oil.
I use ISO 68 which is essentially the same as Cat Pump oil, but more readily available (for me) and cheaper. It isn't the same as 30 non-detergent. You might get a sludgy build up if you used 30 weight for a long time.
Definitely.
SparklesSS
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Are you referring to the high pressure, low pressure seals?
MEP001
Well-known member
You shouldn't get any buildup from non-detergent oil. FWIW though, I use either Cat oil or a mix of three parts ND-30WT and one part transmission fluid (I always use it in General pumps since they're the most prone to failure that lets water into the crankcase). I started using that mix in customer pumps I repaired that had water in the crankcase, with instructions to change the oil after a week. I've been back to those washes months to many years later and saw the same pink oil in it because they had never changed it. I've been using the mix for 30 years in hundreds of pumps and have never seen any issues, and even saved my truck engine with it after it blew the intake manifold gasket and had pushed five gallons of coolant and water into the crankcase before I figured out where it was disappearing to.
Greg Pack
Wash Weenie
MEP, Why that blend and what magical properties does it possess?
MEP001
Well-known member
An old mechanic told me about it years ago for removing water from a car engine. I tried it on a General pump that had been shooting water out the dipstick/breather and after just a couple changes it was clean. After my truck's intake manifold let go, I changed the oil with the mix every day for a week after driving about 60 miles, after which it had no sign it ever had water in it. It also cleaned 300,000 miles of sludge out of it.
