pump oil help

[mjwalsh]

I've been using Cat Pumps since the Cat 400 (don't know the year), they went to the 410, then 420 then the 430. The 430 was is the same body as the 400, but just kept changing the front sleeves and pistons.

Kevin,

From your experience, is there a market out there for some "like new" 430 Cat Pumps & brand new 430 parts still in their original sealed state? The reason I am asking is that we recently inventoried those of ours "in storage" thinking maybe there are buyers out there. There is no longer any reason for us to keep them ... taking up needed space.

We also have always kept using the recommended Cat oil & changed at the recommended hours for our Cat 310s.

mike

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Cat pumps are easy sales on ebay.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I can’t remember when the last time I changed the pump oil. It’s been a longtime

Geez, and I thought I was just a slug! (Or perhaps my SS just wasn't as busy as some.) Thanks Randy, Ghetto and Wash Me.

We never change the oil. I was envious of a guy with hour meters on all pumps and a chart showing when oil was changed r rebuilds done.

Took over the SS 6 years ago. Had some Generals and some Cats on the stand. As te Generals went bad with leaks I changed them for the Cats. Just changed on eof the last Generals. One still left. Never change oil and think I've never yet had a Cat I put in go bad.

I know it's probably the right way to do changes and rebuilds, but I can't help but wonder what the cost (Labor) parts and payback is.

Kind of like changing brushes on Vac Motors. By the time a motor goes it looks pretty corroded from a few years of moisture etc. Can't help but wonder if putting in Brushes or changing pump oil would be like changing an engine on a car with 250,000 miles. Everything else is pretty well worn at that point.

 

[Greg]

I recommend changing oil a couple times a year, regardless of hrs.. I do not see any benefit in not changing oil.

Greg Thoennes
Tech.Support
Arimitsu Pumps

 

[Kevin Reilly]

Hi Mike,
I think I.B.

 

[Kevin Reilly]

Hi Mike,
I think I.B. is probably right. eBay or Craigs list. I don't know of anybody (at least in my area) that are using them anymore. I've been straightening out my warehouse and found one.

 

[MEP001]

I do not see any benefit in not changing oil.

The only obvious benefit to NOT changing the oil would be to save money on oil.

 

[Kevin Reilly]

The only obvious benefit to NOT changing the oil would be to save money on oil.

Well, let's see. A pint of Cat oil is $7 or $8 bucks & divide by 6 months you're maybe $1.25 a month cost. But to drain the pump sitting on the platform in the machinery room is a real pain consequently we don't do it until we have a problem with the oil changing color and increasing in the sight glass.

That tells me it needs new seals and it's time to pull it off the platform and go thru it.

As I mentioned we do not run our pumps beyond 900 psi; use pressure regulators not un-loaders with rubber shock hoses and so they run smooth and give us years of service without a break-down!

 

[Earl Weiss]

The only obvious benefit to NOT changing the oil would be to save money on oil.

And time. Heck, lots of stuff I don't do. Drain Home water heater a couple times a year, turn all water supply shutoffs a couple times a year, vac motor brushes, clean vac bags, pump oil changes, pump rebuilds.

And then there is that thing about which way the toilet paper goes on the holder. I don't care, I just put it on. Works the same either way.

 

[Reds]

I'm in Randy's camp too. I don't let it go forever, but I don't change it often. When I followed the scheduled oil changes as per JC control panel messages the oil always looked like new. I feel that those pumps don't have the heat or combustion byproducts to contaminate them like a vehicle motor, so I do change it, but not often. I also watch the sight glass to make sure that the oil is not getting cloudy due to water getting past the seals. Every oilchange the old oil has been crystal clear

 

[MEP001]

Every oilchange the old oil has been crystal clear

Same here; I do it maybe every two years. I put ball valves on them all and I rinse the bay with hot water to get the oil warmed up and it drains in about 30 seconds. A measuring cup makes refilling it a lot easier than trying to use the sight glass. So not counting warming the oil, it takes maybe 10 minutes to change 8 pumps.

 

[Randy]

30 plus years ago when I first got into the car wash business I would religiously change the pump oil every year. After the second or third year I noticed that the oil I was draining look like the oil I was putting in, Clear and Clean. I had a sample analyzed by the lab at the place I worked at. They found the sample to have a small amount of Iron in the sample. I stopped changing the oil then. I do check the oil level in pumps, if it is cloudy, milky or discolored I’ll change it but haven’t had to. In 32 years I’ve lost one crankcase to a bearing failure. I run my pumps at 1400-1500 psi with a 1505 nozzle.

 

[mjwalsh]

I would think that temperature variations in equipment rooms could be a factor for slight moisture etc. lessening the oil's ability to lubricate. Also if there was a tiny bit of filings from wear ... the damage would be less if oil was changed.

We are closed after 10 PM so we let 3 of our pumps drain & then in the morning we put the plugs back in & fill with the exact amount of ounces. Pretty straightforward.

mike

 

[MEP001]

I would think that temperature variations in equipment rooms could be a factor for slight moisture etc. lessening the oil's ability to lubricate.

You don't think it's moisture in the air causing moisture in the pump oil?

 

[mjwalsh]

You don't think it's moisture in the air causing moisture in the pump oil?

The point is that some equipment rooms may have more consistent temperatures & less humidity meaning the oil may stay good enough in those cases. I was just thinking that some of us may have a greater need to change the oil ... especially in a more northern colder climate.

It is hard to argue with trusty Randy's actual experience but maybe our friend was lucky. Just maybe ... more samples of data might be in order ... especially from Greg of Arimitsu &/or other manufacturers rep's perspective & experience.

mike

 

[rph9168]

I think Mike has a point. A guy I knew never changed the oil in his car. As it got older all he did was add more. He drove that car for almost 150,00 miles before it gave out. While I certainly would not do that myself it worked for him.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I think Mike has a point. A guy I knew never changed the oil in his car. As it got older all he did was add more. He drove that car for almost 150,00 miles before it gave out. While I certainly would not do that myself it worked for him.

If he kept adding it he was "Changing the Oil".

 

[Waxman]

I think Mike has a point. A guy I knew never changed the oil in his car. As it got older all he did was add more. He drove that car for almost 150,00 miles before it gave out. While I certainly would not do that myself it worked for him.

150k is where i buy cars. maybe it worked out for him but maybe with oil changes he'd still be driving it.

 

[Kevin James]

I assume you're being a smartass, but if not I just grab whatever is unbranded and cheapest.

No MEP1 I’m not being a smartarse. I asked this question because different ATF fluid has different additives and properties. Using Dexron in a transmission that calls for another type ATF will make the seals leak. I didn’t want to run the risk of ruining the seals in the Cat pump by using the wrong ATF. But since you don’t seem to really know we’ll stick to what we’ve been using and not try some secret sauce or do any lubrication experiments.

rph9168 I don’t think you can compare a gas engine to a car wash pump that doesn’t have an type of combustion contamination.

 

[MEP001]

Using Dexron in a transmission that calls for another type ATF will make the seals leak.

Using the wrong ATF in a vehicle's transmission will usually cause functional problems before it has any effect on the seals. Regardless, when buying whatever is cheapest and mixing it with ND-30 to clean water out of the crankcase, I doubt it makes any difference what type it is. I did it for many years to many hundreds of pumps and don't recall any coming back for oil seal failures (or crankcase failures for that matter).

But since you don’t seem to really know we’ll stick to what we’ve been using and not try some secret sauce or do any lubrication experiments.

The original poster was looking for an alternative to shipping oil and for something that will work in different pumps, and I gave a suggestion that I know works. I wasn't trying to convince anyone to not use Cat oil if that was their preference.