530 Cat New Problem

[Wally]

This pump is close to 20 years old and started pulsating. I`m currenly running 12 of these and I`ve had similar things happen to some of the other pumps but had never been into this one. I pulled the head and found one of the seals had gone bad, the head looked good, no wash out grooves. I opened a new seal kit and put all of the seals in starting with the thickest one first with the garter spring down with a light coat of oil and tap it in with a similar size socket. Took the small screws out of the front end of the plunger, they still had the white material on that is similar to locktite that the factory uses and replaced the small o-rings. Had the head completed with everything tight and clean. Now the problem starts. The head didn`t want to go on over the plungers. I`ve always wiggled it a little while pushing sometimes turn the pulley just a little and it would slide on. yesterday it wouldn`t happen. I tried everything even a piece of wood tapped with a hammer. Finally I went to Lowe`s and bought a squeeze clamp like a cabinet maker would use and clamped it to the back of the pump and to the head. It went on but now I`m thinking it is running too tight. It has a different hum to it than the others. This seal kit was made by Cat and had been sitting on the shelf for a few years. I could take an individual seal and it would slide over the plunger ok but when the head was assembled it did not want to go over the last seals in the head. I`ve never had this happen and was wonder if anybody else has.

 

[MEP001]

It's normal for a 530 to go on tight - I used to carry a rubber mallet to get them back on. The seal casing compresses the seal and makes it fit tighter than a seal by itself over the plunger.

 

[Wally]

Mep, Your probably right as usual on this. One time in the past I had a pump making a new noise and I opened it up and one of the seal case was loose. When I put the pump together last week I tightened the seal case with the tee handle really tight.

Now I`m wondering if I should open it up and loosen it some. What do you think?

 

[MEP001]

They're supposed to be tight. There are torque specs in the manual:

http://www.catpumps.com/select/pdfs/5-15FSvc.pdf

 

[hoyeman]

ok call me stupid if i didn't figure it out but when I first saw that there was specified torque and I looked at the t handled, specialized tool I thought it was a joke one of the cat technitions slipped in there. Is there a specialized torque wrench also?

 

[MEP001]

The torque specs can only be used with a torque wrench. There is a 1/2" drive seal case socket to use for that.

 

[Plow Guy]

Wally, I reviewed your post about your 530 Recently, you mentioned you put your seals in with a spring first, I have yet to work on a 530, but I am very familiar with the 310. Your seal without a spring is your high-pressure seal and goes in your head I install them first with the split on the bottom. it looks like you're 530 has a Teflon backup ring that goes in before your case seal. Please torck your case seal many people don't.I then installed the seal with this spring in the case seal. You should not be able to see this spring once installed. anyway what I'm getting at is you may have reversed the installation order of the seals.

 

[MEP001]

Your seal without a spring is your high-pressure seal and goes in your head I install them first with the split on the bottom.

I can only assume he put them in their proper places, otherwise the low-pressure seals in the high-pressure spot would've failed right away.

it looks like you're 530 has a Teflon backup ring that goes in before your case seal.

There's no extra Teflon ring in a 530 - seal replacement is identical to that of a 310.

 

[Plow Guy]

Mep, Thanks for the help. I went to cats web site, then to the 530 Data sheet, Item Number 121 is the o-ring for the case seal. thanks again. I am looking for a used 5cp. I would like to make a cut-away. It an be junk, but complete. does anybody have an old one?

 

[Plow Guy]

P.S. When you are pounding on the Head with a rubber hammer, check to be sure the oil pan does not fall off. Don,t laugh, it happens!

 

[MEP001]

Cat has cutaways - I don't know what or if they charge for them.

I've had that stupid tray fall out a bunch of times.