Aaarumph! B.O.A.T., yet again. But at least I had some pasta...

[MapisM]

Apologies for the cryptic title, but I thought to post also something trivial, on top of one of the usual technical issues...
Let's start with the latter anyway - it's a mobo forum after all, 'innit?

Last season, I had some erratic troubles with the hydraulic flaps.
Most of the time, they worked flawlessly. But occasionally, for no apparent reason, they didn't move one bit.
When pressing the buttons, the electric motor always started normally with no strange noises, and each of the 4 electric valves (left/right, up/down) also worked as usually, but the pressure gauge on the pump unit was stuck to zero.
So, it was reasonable to expect that the problem wasn't electric, but rather somewhere in the pump.
Long story short, below is the pump body opened.

The bad news is that according to a pump specialist, the groove which is highlighted in the pic was formed by the inner gear, possibly due to running dry, and that is enough to make the pump cavitate, without building up any pressure.
The same chap suggested that the external body alone is not available as a spare part, hence the pump should be replaced.

Now, aside from not understanding how and when the pump ran dry, considering that the oil level has always been close to the max, I would be curious to hear if anyone more knowledgeable than myself on these components (i.e., probably most forumites!) agree on this diagnosis.
And if so, also any suggestion on suppliers of these things would be most welcome, since it would be silly to replace the whole controlling unit, with its motor, valves, etc. - I am attaching also a pic of it, just for reference.
Thanks in advance for your help!

Oh, but you might wonder why having some pasta could be such a consolation, considering also that in IT a decent pasta dish isn't exactly hard to find.
But as it happens, yesterday a small restaurant nearby organized an evening focused on a type of pasta which we never tried before.
So, after a day spent at the yard fiddling with flaps and other stuff, we couldn't miss it, could we?

And it turned out to be a great discovery indeed.
So much so, that a bit of googling revealed that just a few years ago, the thing was even covered by the BBC.
An interesting and unusual reading, for those of you who on top of boating appreciate also VERY peculiar (but excellent!) food... :encouragement:

 

[Portofino]

An alloy wheel repairer will fill the dent ,they weld cracks / holes etc in alloys .
Then either hand grind it back and finish or if a bit lacking in hand eye coordination send it to machinist to finish .

 

[jrudge]

An alloy wheel repairer will fill the dent ,they weld cracks / holes etc in alloys .
Then either hand grind it back and finish or if a bit lacking in hand eye coordination send it to machinist to finish .

Given it is a non critical bit of kit I would try Portos suggestion unless very difficult to remove. The post was short which helps !!!!

 

[MrB]

MapisM, did you get a photo of the pasta? The article just describes it but if you know of some pics of the process i would be grateful. (I like making pasta)

It's ok, I found a you tube of Paola Abraini making it :encouragement:

 

[colhel]

I reckon I could bore it out and put a liner in. My only concern would be if there's enough room inside the O ring seal

 

[vas]

Now, aside from not understanding how and when the pump ran dry, considering that the oil level has always been close to the max, I would be curious to hear if anyone more knowledgeable than myself on these components (i.e., probably most forumites!) agree on this diagnosis.

based on my experience with my port g/box not building up pressure for engaging the forward disks, a similar groove (if not smaller) was to blame.
So yes, I agree with the diagnosis

no suggestion on a solution though, first time I see a twin cylinder like that...

cheers

V.

 

[tico]

P
Who is the manufacturer of the pump, is it marked on the outside?
A goodly number of such pumps are made by your countrymen (IT)

 

[MapisM]

Thanks everybody, it's interesting to learn that these oil pumps can be so sensitive to wear.
That's what I was more curious about, because I was fearing that the fault might actually be elsewhere.
I don't think that repairing the existing body would be much more cost effective, anyhow.
After all, in spite of the thread title, I believe/hope it's far from being a matter of another thousand, also for a new pump.

So, I think a replacement is the way to go, though I'm still in doubt about the possible reasons for such wear.
I'm going to replace the oil in the circuit while I am at it, but other than that, I can't see what else I could do in the future as preventative maintenance...

Ref. the trivial part of the post, this is for Mr.B: one example of how that type of pasta can also be used to make desserts, with amazing results! :encouragement:

 

[MapisM]

P
Who is the manufacturer of the pump, is it marked on the outside?
A goodly number of such pumps are made by your countrymen (IT)

The only recognizable stamp on the pump body says "RIVA", which obviously has nothing to see with the Aquarama builder.
I would think that it might come from Riva Calzoni, but at the end of the day I guess it's just a matter of finding a replacement with similar specs and dimensions that can fit in the rest of the controlling unit...

 

[colhel]

Your life control valves are Atos and they make pumps too.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Pasta sounds fantastic but can a food really become extinct, I mean apart from a Mammoth Burger or Kentucky Fried Dodo?

The meal sounds like a perfect example of serendipity and I look forward to seeing filindeu pop up restaurants and food trucks in the near future - just need to get Rich Stein to do a feature....

 

[MapisM]

Just a quick update in case anyone might be interested, and for future reference.
Today a shop dealing with industrial oleodynamic components confirmed me that in the pump range of this producer there is a model which is 100% interchangeable with mine, available at 150 quid or so.
Which makes any repair possibilities not really worth exploring, I reckon...

 

[MapisM]

I look forward to seeing filindeu pop up restaurants and food trucks in the near future - just need to get Rich Stein to do a feature....

Well, I can predict anything but the future...
But I'm skeptic about the materialization of your scenario, for the reasons explained also in the BBC webpage I previously linked.
Famous chefs, and also Barilla (the largest industrial pasta producer worldwide) tried to replicate the thing, and gave up.
Apparently, it takes an incredible mix of passion/application/experience and last but not least time, forming a market entry barrier which makes all Apple products look like disposable Chinese junk in comparison!

Even that restaurant which arranged that dedicated dinner (based in Cagliari, the largest town in Sardinia) had to invite one of the very few ladies from the Nuoro area who are still capable to prepare the thing, because even in Sardinia this skill doesn't exist anywhere else - go figure...

 

[tico]

P
Try also pumps from Casappa, also IT manufacture. We have used them for many years on forklift trucks . I suspect that the body will be vv similar or interchangeable. It is, after all, an aluminium block machined to take a pretty standard pair of rotors

 

[MapisM]

I'm resurrecting this thread to report about the happy ending.

The problem was actually solved, with the pump replacement, already several weeks ago.
Yet another case of the forum working its magic, I must say: tico not only has been extremely helpful with the identification of the pump specs, but eventually also sourced a compatible replacement and sent it to me.
Saying that he impressed me would be an understatement, thanks a lot for everything!

The reason why I'm following up only now is that due to some last minute inconveniences, I've only been able to make a proper test yesterday, during the transfer of the boat from my usual yard to CF. And the new pump works beautifully!
Gut feeling tells me that the flaps now also move a tad faster than before, btw.
I guess that's either due to a tad higher power of the new pump vs. the original one, or to the fact that the old one was already beginning to wear out when I bought the boat. Impossible to tell for sure, but the equipment is now as good as new, which is what really matters.

So, many many thanks tico. I hope you will give me an opportunity to reciprocate, whenever you will have time for a Sardinian break, coming to see your pump at work in a nice environment! :encouragement:

 

[AndieMac]

I'm resurrecting this thread to report about the happy ending.

The problem was actually solved, with the pump replacement, already several weeks ago.
Yet another case of the forum working its magic, I must say: tico not only has been extremely helpful with the identification of the pump specs, but eventually also sourced a compatible replacement and sent it to me.
Saying that he impressed me would be an understatement, thanks a lot for everything!

The reason why I'm following up only now is that due to some last minute inconveniences, I've only been able to make a proper test yesterday, during the transfer of the boat from my usual yard to CF. And the new pump works beautifully!
Gut feeling tells me that the flaps now also move a tad faster than before, btw.
I guess that's either due to a tad higher power of the new pump vs. the original one, or to the fact that the old one was already beginning to wear out when I bought the boat. Impossible to tell for sure, but the equipment is now as good as new, which is what really matters.

So, many many thanks tico. I hope you will give me an opportunity to reciprocate, whenever you will have time for a Sardinian break, coming to see your pump at work in a nice environment! :encouragement:

Good result from some great networking.

 

[tico]

P, Your comments are too kind, it was a pleasure to help.
It just shows that amongst all the doom & gloom we all are part of an extended boating family.
Hope you have many happy hours!