leaking pump head/ no pulsation

[RockyMountain]

I have a Hawk 400 pump (Hotsy) that was leaking oil and water at the bottom of the head (I think right where they come together). The pump works great and there is no pulsation. I replaced the seals at the plunger and this seemed to take care of the oil leak, but now even more water is leaking. Is this likely the packing seals? Could they need replaced without pulsation being evident? Could the check valves cause this leak? Thanks for all thoughts!

 

[MEP001]

Check valves cannot cause a water leak. Low-pressure seals keep the water in the head, high-pressure ones make the pressure. If the low-pressure seals are bad, it will cause a water leak without a loss of pressure.

 

[RockyMountain]

Thanks, will do.

 

[RockyMountain]

Replaced the seals and the packings and still have a pretty bad leak. Is the pump worn out or is there anything else I can try?

 

[MEP001]

Does the pump leak water all the time or just when it's running? You could have a plunger seal leaking or a cracked plunger, which will cause it to leak when running but it will slow or stop when it's off.

 

[RockyMountain]

There is no leak when it's off, only when running. The plungers are in good shape too. I have replaced all the seals, but I guess there still could be a problem there.

 

[MEP001]

Did you replace the seals on the plunger bolts? You may have a hairline crack in a plunger.

 

[RockyMountain]

Sorry for the delay. Did not replace the seals on the plunger bolts, but will next. Can a hairline crack be seen by the naked eye?

 

[MEP001]

I don't know with Hawk pumps. With General where it's fairly common you can usually see them, but they almost never crack in a straight line so it stands out. I have pulled off a few that didn't look cracked until I cleaned out the rust and could see the crack inside. The big tell will be if there's water inside, or if the plunger is stuck on the piston. I've had to smash stuck plungers to remove them just to get at the oil seal.