oiltight banjos on pilgrim pumps

[chris wastell]

Does anyone have any tips or remedies for making the banjo unions to pilgrim pumps oiltight please? Ive tried fibre washers, o rings and bonded washers but cant seem to eliminate the weep. The faces all look good.

[Dripfeed]

Hello Chris Ihad a pump a few years ago that had the thread for the banjo bolt in the body that was not at ninety degrees to the sealing face I cured this by filing the face to suite the thread. I have found a small blow hole in a best and lloyd pump from a vintage J.A.P.motor [ worth a look ] . Dowty washers may be worth a try. Regards Dripfeed.

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Hello Chris,
You could try PTFE plumber’s tape on the threads, but of course you have to be very careful that none of it can get into an oilway! It is too risky to try any silicone sealing compound as it would be very likely to squidge out into an oilway.
Regards, Brian

[efr215]

Loctite 574 — been using the stuff for years on all sorts of jobs, sealing joints, gaskets, you name it and it has never failed me. Availabe in 50ml tubes, keeps well and cleans off easily.

In this instance a thin smear either side of a soft washer and I’d offer odds that you can fit & forget.

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Hi again,
I think that it would be a good idea to put a micrometer around the periphery of the mating surfaces on the banjo in order to make sure that they are parallel to one another. If it has been away for replating the polisher may have overdone it and destroyed the symmetry of it, or just simply rounded off the surfaces, reducing their contact areas. Also make sure that the dome nut isn’t bottoming on its threads before it has fully compressed the sealing washers.
Brian

[chris wastell]

Thanks for the replies. The unions were all “virgin” but I suppose that needn’t count for much so I will check them with a mike. I already turned the bolts down as they were too long. I will definitely give the Locktight a go. Thanks.

[Bob Mather]

After two unsuccesful attempts to stop the oil weep on the feed banjo, Loctite 574 sounded promising but I could not locate any. Loctite informed me the new number is 518. Talking to a stockist down in Adelaide he said that because fibre washers were used, Loctite 515 was better. Armed with Shellite to degrease the fittings, Loctite 515, primer/accelerator 7649 because of the cold weather (It’s winter here) and two slightly undersize fibre washers, I was ready. In my opinion, the reason the banjo leaks is that there is only a very narrow bearing surface between the flats of the hexagon and the shank of the bolt, hence the undersize fibre washers which I gradually opened out until they were a tight fit on the bolt to get the absolute maximum bearing area. All went well and there is now no oil leak.
I have come across two types of banjo connection to the pump, one using a hollow bolt, the other has a hollow stud in the pump with a cap nut below the banjo.

Regards,
Bob Mather.

[chris wastell]

Thanks Bob, thats good to know. Due to pressure of work I haven’t managed to get into the garage to do the job yet. I had decided to use underside fibre washers for the same reason as you did. Hopefully I will do the job in the next couple of weeks now… Perhaps it will stop raining by then! 😕

[efr215]

“Loctite 574 sounded promising but I could not locate any. Loctite informed me the new number is 518.”

Changed the number did they? Said it lasted, ‘aint bought any for ages! Still I’m pleased to hear that it’s sorted. 😀

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