Rebuild or Replace?

[Indygunworks]

Turns out I only live 4 miles from MSP seals... took my stuff in there and got fitted w/ new seals right away. Got two rebuilt, and 4 more pulled off and cleaned up ready for seals... Ill go in tomorrow to get fitted for seals for the remaining 3 that are not like the others. Here is a photo of what the old seals I pulled off look like.

 

[Dave M7040]

The nut you have the pipe wrench on is an important once to always remove if the cylinder is creeping but not leaking externally The seal, accessed inside the piston once you remove the nut, although just a simple O ring, was always the one to fail on my equipment. There was no external leak. The oil was just bypassing the piston going between the piston and the main push rod. In the beginning, when the problem would first appear, I was changing the seals on the outside of the piston which were a bit expensive and did not realize there was an inexpensive seal inside the piston. Once I removed the piston I would find the O ring broken. I would take care in torquing the nut and even staking it but the O ring would still manage to fail.
Dave M7040

 

[Indygunworks]

I have been greasing the **** out of that little O ring, and reinstalling the piston w/ a twisting motion being sure not to put that little O ring in bind. None of the O rings pulled off the end of the piston shaft have been damaged yet though. the rod seals and outer bladder seals have been mostly pieces though... I am surprised she was even holding pressure at all given the condition of these seals.... Its fun to rebuild, and sure as **** beats the 500 per cylinder I was being quoted.

Some of the shafts have some minor pitting from rust, and a fine gouges that I stoned the high spots down, so I doubt I will ever eliminate 100 percent of the leaks, but I bet I see one **** of an improvement from the 12 inch pressurized streams that were coming out of some of the cylinders. I will probably get rid of the "drifting" I have been noticing as well.