Cat 530 cavitation...
- Thread starter Twodose
- Start date
MEP001
Well-known member
Do you mean in the area where the high-pressure seals seat, or the outlet valve seas? Either way, there is no "always" of where they wash out.
It is more common for the outlet valve seat area to get washed out.
It is more common for the outlet valve seat area to get washed out.
Twodose
Active member
Right, so the top 3 valves are the high pressure and the lower valves are the inlet, low pressure.
I don't think i have ever seen cavitation on the inlet side of the pump.
I don't think i have ever seen cavitation on the inlet side of the pump.
MEP001
Well-known member
Cavitation isn't the washing out of the manifold, it's when the inlet flow of liquid being pumped is restricted to the point that it forms vapor pockets. If the pump is being eroded on the inlet side, it's probably due to cavitation.
Twodose
Active member
I am talking about where the valve seats on the high pressure or outlet side. I thought the term washout and cavitation were the same.
MEP001
Well-known member
I can see where that could happen, since "cavitate" could easily be a verb that means "to create a cavity."
It's definitely more common for erosion to happen on the high-pressure side, but I've had it happen on the inlet side too.
The manifold can be sleeved for a lot less than a replacement one, and the repair is supposedly permanent in that it won't ever wash out again.
Cavitation is pretty amazing to watch in slow motion, I mean real slow. What happens is tiny bubbles form that have no pressure, so not really a bubble in the traditional sense. When the bubble collapses, a tiny shock wave is generated, and that's what blasts the interior surface and "eats" it away.
Twodose
Active member
I talked to Bob Dehoff at IDS today and he said that washout and cavitation are the same thing. I'm going to call Cat tomorrow to see what they think.
I.B. Washincars
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No, they're not. Cavitation is the cause in most cases, washout is the damage.
From Wikipedia - Cavitation is the formation and then immediate implosion of cavities in a liquid.
Saying they are the same is like saying that low oil pressure in an engine is the same thing as that connecting rod sticking out the side of the block.
Last edited:
Twodose
Active member
I didn't say it he did.
MEP001
Well-known member
You can call Cat, and they're going to sell you a new head. Bob Dehoff at IDS may have the terminology wrong, but they have the process to repair your old manifold for about half the cost of a new one.
Twodose
Active member
My issue was that I had a pump that failed in a short time under optimal conditions, I wanted to know what was the probable cause, since I didn’t know that cavitation and washout occurred under different conditions, I wanted to know the correct term for the pumps failure, so I could try to correct the problem so it does not reoccur in such a short time.
After talking to Cat, it is all about as clear as mud since the head seems to be washed out rather than cavitated, and there is no real definitive answer as to what may have caused the head to washout.
After talking to Cat, it is all about as clear as mud since the head seems to be washed out rather than cavitated, and there is no real definitive answer as to what may have caused the head to washout.
MEP001
Well-known member
The reason for the washout is obvious to me: the pump was run for an extended period with a bad valve o-ring.
I guess I didn't realize this whole time that you were looking for the cause of manifold failure since you only asked about which side will always wash out. Either way, the sleeved manifolds won't wash out again.
I guess I didn't realize this whole time that you were looking for the cause of manifold failure since you only asked about which side will always wash out. Either way, the sleeved manifolds won't wash out again.
Twodose
Active member
I think the head may have been bad from the beginning since that particular valve had a v notch in it about a week after it was installed, can't argue with Cat because they will always blame it on something else, i installed 3 530's at the same time and had problems with only this one, but thanks for the input.
MEP001
Well-known member
If it had a v-notch in it a week after it was installed, it probably would have been a good idea to contact Cat about it then. It also wouldn't have hurt to mention that in your initial post.
JustClean
Active member
Once I looked at the valves of a normal working pump I discovered that 2 of the 6 valves had broken o-rings. Of course I replaced them but then I was wondering about my other pumps and if that could be the reason for a future washout...
Should I all check them regularly?
MEP001
Well-known member
If the pumps aren't pulsating because of bad o-rings, they're turning faster than necessary. That speeds up wear of the seals, uses more electricity, and of course can lead to washed out manifolds. I've worked on washes where the pumps were turning so fast that it had to lose an entire gallon per minute of flow through a broken valve o-ring before the pump would pulsate or lose pressure. After I replaced the pulleys with the correct size for his needs, he stopped having to replace manifolds at least once a month.
