Vacuum pump teardown

[Nero]

Well today I'm supposed to be cleaning up my garage. So I did what any sensible male in their 30s does and didn't do that.

Instead I tore apart a known bad vacuum pump to see how they worked and wanted to share. Surprisingly they are very simple, and may explain why some of the no named ones go bad so quickly.

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First I took off the pulley adapter housing. Turns out its full of lube of some sort. Maybe 'new ones' dont have lube in them and the cam lobe is failing? Food for thought.

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Then I used a dremel to cut off yhr rolled crimp lip and separated the two halves. This one failed cause it was full of water and corroded. But oddly thr diaphragm was still in good shape.

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Anyways. Back to cleaning I suppose.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

First I took off the pulley adapter housing. Turns out its full of lube of some sort. Maybe 'new ones' dont have lube in them and the cam lobe is failing? Food for thought.

This is actually been discussed around here, and guys were taking them apart brand new and finding them basically empty. Fill them up with gear oil and send it! It's a good idea. Thanks for the autopsy!
Mmmmmm Wilton vice...

 

[Nero]

Mmmmmm Wilton vice...

This Wilton vice is horrible, it's super loose.

Got an old school Wilton I finally bolted in place of it, here, oogle at it

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[IDIBRONCO]

It would be great if someone could figure out how to rebuild these with new diaphragms. Before the lack of lube failures of late, the early failures seemed to be from bad diaphragms that only lasted a few years.

 

[rreegg]

This Wilton vice is horrible, it's super loose.

Got an old school Wilton I finally bolted in place of it, here, oogle at it

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I'll sometimes check out the harbor freight dumpster area for things that are tossed or returned. Recently saw one of their vices out there, about this size, and the casting was cracked solidly in two across the main body. sort of curious what it was being used for - anyway hope this works out well for you haha

 

[XOLATEM]

the casting was cracked solidly in two across the main body.

Probably not enough alloy in the cast iron...

I'll sometimes check out the harbor freight dumpster area for things

I am so glad to hear you say that...I used to dumpster dive at my old job...and I have used a lot of stuff that I dragged out...

I used packing material as insulation for a well box that I built last year...to keep the temporary water system from freezing...the packing material was the spray expanding foam that is shot into a bag and the bag was in a flat form...
I gathered a bunch of that stuff and used it and saved the money I would have spent on insulation and time and fuel getting it together...plywood and screws were salvage items, as well.

Sometimes I get ribbing and looks from my thrifty ideas but it saves the money and time for more worthwhile pursuits...

Go get'tem, @rreegg

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Probably not enough alloy in the cast iron...

Maybe. I can say that they aren't made to press in ball joints. Years ago, my boss had me and another guy try to press new ball joints into one of his daughters many vehicles. I don't remember the brand, but he insisted that it would hold up to using a 3' cheater on the handle even though we wanted to go use a press. Long story short, the press worked faster even though we had to drive a couple of blocks to get to it.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

This Wilton vice is horrible, it's super loose.

Got an old school Wilton I finally bolted in place of it, here, oogle at it

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That was the vice I was over...isn't it in the background of the first pictures? Or you have TWO old Wiltons?!

Maybe. I can say that they aren't made to press in ball joints. Years ago, my boss had me and another guy try to press new ball joints into one of his daughters many vehicles. I don't remember the brand, but he insisted that it would hold up to using a 3' cheater on the handle even though we wanted to go use a press. Long story short, the press worked faster even though we had to drive a couple of blocks to get to it.

Concerning using a vise as press: I may, or may not, have broken the round center bit that contains the threaded rod inside a pretty solid bench vice: Grizzly Bench Vise. I won't say I was standing on a 2ft bar or anything like that, because lawyers.
While that pissed me off, I did have the thought to cut a deep "V" into the crack, and took as stab at welding the darn thing, even though I'd never done multi-pass welding before and knew it wouldn't be very good. Worked well enough to keep it outside as my ugly work vice! I need to start keeping a plastic bag over it... I have to lube it every time I go to use it.

Ugh I need a shop press so bad...but only once or twice a year so I've never bought one.

And while we're admitting things we aren't real proud of, I knew I'd ordered that vise from Amazon, but when I checked my orders, I couldn't find it. Took me 10 minutes to realize I was typing "vice and not VISE".

 

[Nero]

@The_Josh_Bear I didnt realize it was in the first photo. The red one is also a Wilton, but a much newer one. It's now comfortably resting on the floor in a get rid of pile.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Ugh I need a shop press so bad...but only once or twice a year so I've never bought one.

Same here. Naturally when I do get one, it will be one from HF.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

Same here. Naturally when I do get one, it will be one from HF.

At least it's just I-beams and a bottle jack... putting a fancy name on it doesn't make it better. If I get one someday I'll mod it to be electric over hydraulic cause that's awesome!

 

[KansasIDI]

At least it's just I-beams and a bottle jack... putting a fancy name on it doesn't make it better. If I get one someday I'll mod it to be electric over hydraulic cause that's awesome!

We have one in the shop at work that is electric over hydraulic… massive thing, 15-17 foot tall. It will bend anything that you can fit in there with ease

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I'll mod it to be electric over hydraulic cause that's awesome!

Yes they are. I've only seen one and I wasn't allowed to use it since I was 18, but it sure looked cool.

 

[Nero]

I have a harbor freight one, it's been working just fine for the years I've had it. Used it for wheel bearings, pulleys, leaf spring bushings, you name it.

 

[Rdnck84_03]

I have the HF 20ton, I have seriously over worked it on a few things before (press until the jack starts bypassing, heat with a rosebud and beat the hell out of it. I repeated this process for a couple of hours before finally defeating it) Press still works like new.

I would definitely like to have the electric or air over hydraulic, would definitely make it easier to hold heavy awkward parts until the press makes contact.

James