Thought I had seen it all: Hydraulic Head fun

[snakehunter1964]

I bought 5 non-runners and after finding 3 hydraulic heads defunct. Unfortunately, with 2 of the HHs, the plunger got damaged on removal. They were that stuck. But on the 3rd one, here is what I found.

Now, the magic question is where I get a spare clip?

 

[patracy]

Ambac.

 

[m-35tom]

the one in the picture will not be any good, need whole HH

 

[snakehunter1964]

the one in the picture will not be any good, need whole HH

Wow, that stinks. Why can't I just remove the clip and use a new one? The plunger appears to be in good condition and it's just the clip that's bent.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[m-35tom]

well, you can check it fairly easily, but the drive piece looks like it got damaged because the plunger would not turn. the plunger must look bright and polished, like it is chromed although it is not. wash the HH and the plunger in clean solvent and see that the plunger goes into the HH. next hold the plunger tightly in your hand for 5 to 10 seconds. now it should not go back into the HH until it 'cools down'. of course ambiant temp where you are may work against you, but you get the idea. if the HH is 70° and the plunger is 90°, the plunger is too big to fit.

 

[snakehunter1964]

After hours of searching, I still don't know what to call the rascal. Nevermind that when I go to Ambac, they have no prices and only parts numbers which I can't cross reference.

Are we whining yet?

 

[m-35tom]

since that part is a part of the HH and it is not really considered serviceable you may not find it available. how was the fit of the plunger in the HH? you can always make a new drive piece or repair the old one.

 

[snakehunter1964]

Plunger worked just as you mentioned. There is some slight discoloration that matches the holes in the head so I think I will continue to have problems.

After further investigation, I finally found a post where someone found the part number from AMBAC: GU404360 and costs about 8 bucks.

One member here said he used valve lapping compound and techniques and it resolved a sticky plunger. Since there doesn't seem to be any physical damage I will give this a try. Only costs 8 bucks and a couple hours of time. Since I have 3 of these with similar maladies, it could save me 1200 bucks for replacement HHs.

Thanks for the advice. Hope I can return the favor one day.