Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Here is a poor little engine that needed to be saved.  I have a water pump B-43 but it has the oscillating piston with reversing lever.  This engine doesn't have a B-43 label over the power connector nor is it stamped under the base with anything.  Though I know it is a 43, just don't really know if it was sold as B-43 or No.43 but does has all the "newer" designs of a No.43.

As you can see from the eBay photo there is a big hole where the whistle base screws in.  Luckily I had donor parts to fill the hole (I wished I could sweat better) :-)  The heater was in good shape too, which is crazy with how rusted the little guy was.  Oh, as I was flushing out the tank all kinds of dead bugs and cocoons came out - YUCK!!

The pumper, at first, I thought was going to be a loss.  The bottom was so clog with hard water deposits I didn't think the check ball would ever free up, much less move freely.  But my trusty CLR cleaned it right up but it took nearly 3 hours soaking.  I kind of got it to pump water after everything freed up but most times it would not.  In the end the problem was the little spring for the inner check ball (photo attached of the original spring).  I got tired of fiddling with it and I modified one of my stainless steel springs for the inner check ball.  That worked like a champ.  Then I fixed up the sight glass seals and give it a good oiling.

I really see no point in trying to clean it any further or repaint it, unless I was going to figure out how to re-plate the nickel.  So I am going to call this a "survivor".  That all said, I think it is running pretty good, all things considered.

  Well.....you beat me for the engine.  The third
'pumper' 43 I've seen on ebay since I bought mine
9/14/20.  It had a blown heater but the boiler bushings
were all good.  I replaced the heater with my first
cartridge heater install, 400 watts, so it ran well
and looked pretty good, but still no working pump.

  I've run it a bunch over the years but the pump
was still jammed.  It would not go up/down and the top
knob/shaft just spinned, even with the top knob and
fitting removed.  Thankfully, the knob has a metal
insert so that is good.  The ball-bearing (dirty)
and spring fell out as I removed the pump so that
was good.  The bottom tube is clear up to the valve
body, another plus.  So, the whole pump body is
soaking in CLR.  I suppose that the jam is above
the check valve - I hope the CLR works.  Should I
be seeing bubbles come up?

Thanks for the pix, they were an inspiration,
Wayne

 

So was it you that I was bidding against?  Right after I won it, because I wanted that style, I actually got another one coming in really good condition from a off eBay seller (that offline deal wasn't final).  The eBay seller for this one said someone wanted post close of the auction but he couldn't come to agreement or something like that.  I wasn't trying to back out but for some reason he mentioned some other bidder wanted it and I suggested I could back out.  It was weird timing - either get the eBay one and end up with two or pass on the eBay one and end up with nada.

If the build up is inside of the shaft you wouldn't necessarily see bubbles.  Even with mine being clogged at the bottom where the check ball I didn't see much bubbling.  I'd remove the knob and slip nut too.  It is interesting you can rotate the shaft but can't pull it (I assume it is fully down).  It doesn't travel much past the center (where the ball is at) - I couldn't image what is keeping it from moving up.  I wonder if some kind of other debris has got in there and jammed it up.  I do know you can't pull the shaft out from the top, you have to remove the pipe from the center.  I never been able to unscrew them, so I assume the shaft drops from the bottom.

@komet163b / Wayne -

Here are some more photos and I am adding photos of the check ball's size on from my digital calipers (never know when someone is trying to replace their check ball).

The first photo is where I put in a tooth pick - this is so you can see how far up the shaft goes until it hits the top of the hole for the ball.  You can see that I have the o-ring still on and that would be the stopping point for the shaft to the top of the pipe.

The next photo is to show, if you look real close, the shaft coming down halfway through the hole.  I can't spy anything on the bottom of this shaft that could bind, so I am thinking the problem is further up on yours.  But I am just guessing.  Not sure if these photos will help you but they can't hurt either ;-)

Last photos is just the size of the ball, in MM, Inch, Faction.

From the top of the pipe to the top of the shaft (knob off) about 1.25~1.26 inches.  I am not sure what "catches" it from coming out but I don't think it is anything from the bottom of the shaft.  Has to be some other kind of a "catch" but what it is a mystery to me!  Perhaps at some point someone else will figure out how to unscrew the pipes from the center, without fudging up the finish!  Getting them a part is a mystery to me.

So was it you that I was bidding against?  Right after I won it, because I wanted that style, I actually got another one coming in really good condition from a off eBay seller (that offline deal wasn't final).  The eBay seller for this one said someone wanted post close of the auction but he couldn't come to agreement or something like that.  I wasn't trying to back out but for some reason he mentioned some other bidder wanted it and I suggested I could back out.  It was weird timing - either get the eBay one and end up with two or pass on the eBay one and end up with nada.

If the build up is inside of the shaft you wouldn't necessarily see bubbles.  Even with mine being clogged at the bottom where the check ball I didn't see much bubbling.  I'd remove the knob and slip nut too.  It is interesting you can rotate the shaft but can't pull it (I assume it is fully down).  It doesn't travel much past the center (where the ball is at) - I couldn't image what is keeping it from moving up.  I wonder if some kind of other debris has got in there and jammed it up.  I do know you can't pull the shaft out from the top, you have to remove the pipe from the center.  I never been able to unscrew them, so I assume the shaft drops from the bottom.

I did not bid on it.  Two is enough for me.  I have the one you have and one that has the manometer on it.

Congratulations, Rich, you brought that one back from the brink! [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Paula

  Thanks for the pictures and encouragement.
I tried CLR and I do not think it made any
difference.  I could pull the rod in and out
about 2mm, so I just kept pulling and fussing
to get it to a 4mm stroke, then a rest and more
of the same to about a 7mm stroke.  Not leaving
any stone unturned, it is now soaking in 30%
vinegar.  Twenty minutes didn't seem to do any
damage, so I'll check it again at an hour.  Then
more of the fussing.  Resistance is futile!  I
will prevail over this uncooperative Empire pump!

  I did discover that there is a second ball check
valve in the top portion of the lower tube.  That
one is working well.

Wayne