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Author Topic: Seal issues with Fleischmann 140/2 boiler  (Read 924 times)

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Re: Seal issues with Fleischmann 140/2 boiler
« on: March 17, 2026, 11:50:51 am »
Well, I have searched extensively, and did find this video.  He shows the type of seal that his boiler has (along with his broken water gauge).

He has just two round seals on the glass gauge.  That seems a bit odd, since it does not do anything to seal the screws holding the gauge and cover in place.

On this one (which seems to be a 130/2 not a 140 as I was told), the screws, which are M2.5, are somewhat loose, probably due to corrosion of the brass.    They don't seal in their holes.   

The owner's recollection is that the seal was a larger one-piece seal that had holes for the screws and holes for the gauge glass. I don't know.  The linked video is the second reference to seals only on the glass, although the other source does not ahow the original seals.

I am very tempted to upsize the screws, since they are so loose, re-tapping the holes to the next size that will work with the existing hole size as a tapping size.  The metric sizes start to get a bit coarse in thread, so I am considering a US 5-44 screw size, or possible a 5-40.

At that point, I could use Loctite 542 or 242 on the threads.  The screws now are loose enough that I question the idea of sealant.  And one of the screws is a new one, so it is not corroded under-size like the remaining original screw is. It's the threads in the boiler (and the backer piece) that are corroded. 

There is still the question of the stiffening strap going in with the dimples on it fitting into the boiler dimples, or in reverse to hold a seal between the two dimples.  I have not found any video of disassembly that could show the way it is as it is taken apart.  There was a Kieth Appleton of a vertical boiler engine, but that one has sealing gobbed all around (maybe auto body filler) and so had nothing to show.  I could not see if there was also a rubber washer under the strap.



The Appleton video that shows the gauge closely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZzC18E9n3g&list=PLDV_TkPc48REWPAtopdh4Aq4YLH4P_h92&index=2