How to rebuild a strap-type radial pressure pump on an Excel XR2600 washer

[goodfellow]

Never fails -- I was washing the deck and half way through the pressure washer pump lost pressure. It went very fast; one minute I had pressure and the next just a trickle. Not surprised because these things are notorious for seal failures and they are no longer available. They have been replaced by a new design universal pump and they are available for this washer for about $85 from Amazon.

That said, I decided to give it a shot  -- nothing lost but an hour of work if it doesn't hold a rebuild. So let's grab a beer and a cigar and have a "go" at it.

Here's the culprit -





T-40 Torx bolts hold the entire thing together, and I removed the main shaft by wedging the cam with a prybar and loosening the bolt. Then the top pressure section is removed by loosening the four manifold Torx bolts on each side revealing the seals.







Next the cam and cam follower can be removed







Next the top and bottom straps and the left/right pistons and the radial arm ring are removed







The valve assembly is next -- just a plastic cover, a spring, and a flat metal valve







Here's the entire pump apart = -- LOL



The rebuild seal kit sells for $70 -- not worth it, so I'll rejuvenate the old seals by soaking them in lacquer thinner to make them swell and using Permatex Gasket Maker #2 to aid the old seals in making a good bond. My grandpa used to make old seals usable again using this technique and for the most part it worked.



The valve assemblies were covered with a bit of grease and reinstalled





The pistons were also covered in grease and reinstalled with their seals and some more Permatex sealer on the main seal to help it bond.





The cams, bolt and straps were reinstalled and we'll let this thing sit overnight for the Permatex Gasket Maker #2 to cure.



Done --





Tomorrow I'll reinstall on the engine and we'll see if grandpa's old seal tricks worked. If not we can always order the Universal pump off Amazon -- no problem.

Hope this helps some of you when you find yourself in a similar situation. These pumps were in millions of pressure washers and parts are very hard to find these days.

[muddy]

Nice job Ray!

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[goodfellow]

Thanks Tim -- it seems to hold; for now. Not "counting my chickens" though because these pumps were/are truly a POS when they get a few hours on them.

[fatfillup]

Ray, good luck but I don't hold much hope.  As you stated, they were junk when new and haven't improved with time

[goodfellow]

Ray, good luck but I don't hold much hope.  As you stated, they were junk when new and haven't improved with time

True Phil -- it's a band-aid and I ordered a new universal pump this week. The rebuild is working for now, but I don't expect it to last very long. I was able to finish the wood deck and washed the rear patio concrete deck with it, but it's definitely not up to full capacity as far as pressure is concerned -- probably the seals around those plastic piston assemblies. Either way -- it'll get a new pump (found it for $65 on ebay), and will keep this old one as an emergency spare.