Repairing a Silca Track Pump
Huey
there is no seal on the piston, as it easily falls down when I pull the
handle up. I would like to open it up to check it, but I have not had any
success in getting into it. Has anyone got any advice?
I don't know the model name - it has a black metal body and a black plastic
handle.
Thanks,
Huey
Eric A Holeman
Huey <hueym...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>I have a Silca track pump that has suddenly stopped working. It feels as if
>there is no seal on the piston, as it easily falls down when I pull the
>handle up. I would like to open it up to check it, but I have not had any
>success in getting into it. Has anyone got any advice?
There's an oily-greasy leather plunger inside the pump. Sometimes after
long periods of non-use it stops sealing--maybe because the oil drains
from the plunger, but I'm not sure.
You can add a little oil to the little hole in the side of the pump and
that sometimes does the trick. Or, if you want to get inside the pump,
just remove the single screw near the top of the pump and pull the handle
and cap off. Spinning the plunger around in the old gunky grease
sometimes does it too.
I should caveat that all the saddle talk specifically advises against
oiling leather or applying any petro products to leather, but whatever
gunk was already in my pump seemed oily enough, so I figured a little more
wouldn't hurt.
--
---
Eric Holeman eholem1 at uic,edu Chicago Illinois USA
Carl Sundquist
flip it back down and reinsert it. It will work fine.
"Eric A Holeman" <eho...@icarus.cc.uic.edu> wrote in message
news:adc89r$f...@icarus.cc.uic.edu...
Mark Lee
it. I occasionally tighten the 2 nuts together and grease the piston so I
get a good seal again. But mine is the old orange metal Silca - 23 years
old? All I have to do to get at it is undo the plastic top and pull the
handle right out.
Mark Lee
"Huey" <hueym...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:0ahK8.3286$Hj3....@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
andrew G
sometimes in very hot weather the iron case expands more than the washer can
cope with.
otherwise, do as the other guys recommend, open it up, spread the washer,
oil lightly. replace.
Tim McNamara
> I have a Silca track pump that has suddenly stopped working. It feels as if
> there is no seal on the piston, as it easily falls down when I pull the
> handle up. I would like to open it up to check it, but I have not had any
> success in getting into it. Has anyone got any advice?
There's a cap at the top of the pump, with a screw or two on the side.
Remove the screw(s) and work the cap off. The entire plunger assembly
will lift out.
There should be a cup-shaped leather washer on the end of the rod which
sometimes falls off after 10 years of use. My hunch is that's what's
happened. If so turn the pump upside down and dump all the parts out
and put 'em back together. It will be obvious how it goes, just
remember that the cupped end of the washer points down to the bottom of
the pump barrel.
If the washer feels dry, flatten it out slightly and put a little grease
on it. You can readily buy a new washer at most bike shops, if the
washer is damaged beyond use.
Huey
it and break something. In the end all I needed to do was remove the piston
and reinsert it. The gasket/plunger must have been twisted or something.
Thanks,
Huey
"Huey" <hueym...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:0ahK8.3286$Hj3....@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
A Muzi
news:add6g1$vvbk6$1...@ID-119557.news.dfncis.de...
Sorry to be a wet blanket but whatever the reason for your pump not pumping
it was not because the steel sleeve was 4mm larger in ID due to ambient
temperature.
--
Andrew Muzi
http://www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April 1971
Steve Palincsar
Then it's the Pista. The Super Pista has a wooden handle.
There's a knob at the top of the pump that the pump shaft goes through.
Unscrew it. It's got a standard screw thread. Lift the handle and the
whole shooting match will pull right out of the pump barrel. The piston
seal or leather washer or pump head or whatever you want to call it will
be bolted to the end of the pump shaft. It's replaceable. You can also
often fix it by oiling it or putting grease or vaseline on it and
reshaping it with your fingers. You used to be able to get replacements
from bike shops and catalogs.
Dick Durbin
> there is no seal on the piston, as it easily falls down when I pull the
> handle up. I would like to open it up to check it, but I have not had any
> success in getting into it. Has anyone got any advice?
Yes, but you won't like it. Buy a modern pump that doesn't require so
much maintenance. I'm an old fart who got tired of waiting for my
friends who still have romantic attachments to Silca pumps to get
their tires pumped up. I have my tires pumped and am ready to ride
while they are still futzing around trying to get the head to stay on
the valve stem.
I sold my old Silca to a newbie with Euro aspirations about ten years
ago. I very much prefer function to fashion.
Dick Durbin
Tallahassee
Mark Lee
"Dick Durbin" <ddu...@tfn.net> wrote in message
> Yes, but you won't like it. Buy a modern pump that doesn't require so
> much maintenance. I'm an old fart who got tired of waiting for my
> friends who still have romantic attachments to Silca pumps to get
> their tires pumped up. I have my tires pumped and am ready to ride
> while they are still futzing around trying to get the head to stay on
> the valve stem.
>
> I sold my old Silca to a newbie with Euro aspirations about ten years
> ago. I very much prefer function to fashion.
>
yrs old. I've replaced the hose once. I tighten and grease the piston
maybe twice a year and have replaced the leather bit maybe once in all that
time. Every coupla years I put a new little rubber seal in the valve
attachment. That's with 5 bikes to look after. Seems like plenty of
function - dunno how much fashion.
Mark Lee
Mark Lee
> much maintenance. I'm an old fart who got tired of waiting for my
> friends who still have romantic attachments to Silca pumps to get
> their tires pumped up. I have my tires pumped and am ready to ride
> while they are still futzing around trying to get the head to stay on
> the valve stem.
>
> I sold my old Silca to a newbie with Euro aspirations about ten years
> ago. I very much prefer function to fashion.
>
andrew G
it is black
and was too hot to touch.
:
:
: Sorry to be a wet blanket but whatever the reason for your pump not
:
Roger Marquis
>Buy a modern pump that doesn't require so much maintenance.
No "modern" pump has a plunger washer any different from Silca's. All
washers need to be kept lubricated and all eventually need to be
replaced. I've had a Silca road floor pump since '75 and have only
replaced the washer twice.
--
Roger Marquis
http://www.roble.net/marquis/
Dick Durbin
> Every coupla years I put a new little rubber seal in the valve
> attachment.
Problem is, the seal gets worse every time you use it. Why put up
with that when a thumb-lock device never wears out?
Dick Durbin
Dick Durbin
> In rec.bicycles.tech Dick Durbin <ddu...@tfn.net> wrote:
> >Buy a modern pump that doesn't require so much maintenance.
>
> No "modern" pump has a plunger washer any different from Silca's. All
> washers need to be kept lubricated and all eventually need to be
> replaced. I've had a Silca road floor pump since '75 and have only
> replaced the washer twice.
That's interesting. Doesn't it make you wonder why you never hear of
anyone complaining about problems with new pumps? I haven't had to
make any adjustments, perform any maintenance, or replace anything on
my current pump in ten years. It still works as well as it did when I
bought it.
Dick Durbin
hippy
I have a 3 year old Blackburn mini-pump which works fine, as
well as a brand new Silca track pump and Zefal mini-pump. I
also have a $5 K-Mart pump which is maybe 5 years old and
still works fine (although to much lower pressures).
Just wondering, if modern pumps don't need anything replaced,
how come there are stacks of Blackburn pump spare parts in
most bike shops?
l8r
hip
"Dick Durbin" <ddu...@tfn.net> wrote in message news:4f3a7375.02060...@posting.google.com...
Tom Nakashima
I've had my Silca Track pump since 1981, and haven't replaced anything,
except for those rubber washers which goes into the brass head to hold onto
the tube stem. The pump has never failed and works as good as the 1st day I
bought it. I had never done any maintenance to the pump. I believe I paid
$23.00 for it back in '81, probably the best investment I ever made in a
bicycle related purchase.
-tom
"Mark Lee" <mark...@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:UdRK8.219014$o66.6...@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
Steve Palincsar
Given that the service life of one of those rubber seals is about 5
years, and it takes all of 30 seconds to change one, how much of a burden
is that? And how would you know the thumb-lock device "never" wears out?
By the fact that the rest of the pump has failed before 5 years? Those
Silca track pumps are about the most reliable, longest lasting you can
buy. Mine's about 30 years old now. I bought a "modern" style one for
my daughter that failed in less than 2 years, and I ride every day. She
used it maybe 30 times before it crapped out.
Tom Nakashima
Mine has the older larger brass head, compared to the newer slim ones.
I once installed the rubber washer backwards and it wouldn't seal around the
tube stem, reversed it and solved the problem.
-tom
"Steve Palincsar" <pali...@his.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2002.06.04.11....@his.com...
A Muzi
news:<UdRK8.219014$o66.6...@news-server.bigpond.net.au>...
> > Every coupla years I put a new little rubber seal in the valve
> > attachment.
"Dick Durbin" <ddu...@tfn.net> wrote in message
news:4f3a7375.02060...@posting.google.com...
> Problem is, the seal gets worse every time you use it. Why put up
> with that when a thumb-lock device never wears out?
Well, thumblock heads wear washers too.
Silca small bits are not only dirt cheap, they are available at nearly every
bicycle store worldwide, a benefit of designing something well once and
leaving it alone (a lost art!). The #24.1 washer has been used on that
pump since 1973 and the #323 washer since about 1978. Leather piston fits
all models from Day One.
Not to say others are not of good quality because some are. Reliability is
very high with Silca and no one can match their support at this point. Will
your pump vendor be in business a few years from now when you need a part?
And will that part be available or will they "improve" the design so the new
parts will not fit the old pumps? This is an aggravating and common problem
with both frame and floor pumps of many brands.
Lastly, changing a pump head is trivial, requiring only a 95c hose clamp.
Although the ususal swap is to add a Silca head to a lesser pump there's no
reason you couldn't slip a plastic thumblock head onto a Silca hose.
--
Andrew Muzi, whose 1973 Silca gets hard use regularly by many riders and
works just fine.
Dick Durbin
> years, and it takes all of 30 seconds to change one, how much of a burden
> is that?
I never got more than one full season out of one.
> And how would you know the thumb-lock device "never" wears out?
> By the fact that the rest of the pump has failed before 5 years?
I used the same Rampar (?) pump for ten years before giving it to my
son-in-law. The thumb-lock device never failed
> Those Silca track pumps are about the most reliable, longest lasting you can
> buy. Mine's about 30 years old now.
Yeah, I have a hammer like that. It's had two new heads and six new
handles. Most reliable one I have ever owned. ;-)
Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone. It's just that,
compared to other pumps I have used, my Silca pump took a lot more
attention than any other pump I have ever owned. I am glad to be rid
of it.
Dick Durbin
Dick Durbin
<snip of Andrew 'splainin' things to me>
I give, I give. I'm sure glad I didn't say anything bad about you
guy's favorite dog, girlfriend, or Momma.
Dick "chagrined" Durbin
Matt Temple
I thought the larger head (larger in diameter) was supposed to be
reversible in some way -- since I don't have anything with
a Schraeder valve, it hasn't come up. Is that the reason for
the difference?
Matt
--
=============================================================
Matthew Temple Tel: 617/632-2597
Director, Research Computing Fax: 617/632-4012
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute m...@research.dfci.harvard.edu
44 Binney Street, JF 314 http://research.dfci.harvard.edu
Boston, MA 02115 Choice is the Choice!
Matt Temple
I had a silca pump that got run over; I had a Blackburn pump with
a thumb lock which I couldn't stand. Two minutes with a Swiss
Army knife and a small worm-clamp later -- a very nice pump, with
smooth action and a very good chuck. I kept bending the
valve screw-end the thumb lock was to stiff. Once you get the
hang of the Silca chucks, thumb locks seem so ... overbuilt.
A Muzi
strident.
I noticed in another post that you owned a Rampar pump. Those excellent
pumps, made by Medai, were sold under several names for many years and were
the next thing to a Silca in quality, perhaps even better in the gauge
department. Sadly they closed in 2001, driven out by plastic pumps at lower
prices
--
Andrew Muzi
Dick Durbin
> > <snip of Andrew 'splainin' things to me>
> >
> >
> > I give, I give. I'm sure glad I didn't say anything bad about you
> > guy's favorite dog, girlfriend, or Momma.
> >
> > Dick "chagrined" Durbin
> I apologize if I offended. I just really love my Silca, sorry to be
> strident.
It takes a lot more than that to offend me.
David Damerell
>Andrew Muzi:
[foul quoting reformatted]
>>Sorry to be a wet blanket but whatever the reason for your pump not pumping
>>it was not because the steel sleeve was 4mm larger in ID due to ambient
>>temperature.
>it is black
>and was too hot to touch.
In that case, thermal expansion was not to blame for being unable to use
it to pump up tyres. At sensible temperatures, the expansion is trivial.
--
David Damerell <dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> flcl?