Servicing a Jabasco!

Zagato

Zagato

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Are their any instructions on how to do this?

Reading past threads apparently there is one seal that is likely to need replacing but you have to buy a whole new kit costing nearly as much as the bog in the first place just fot this seal!
 
You can buy a service kit for about £25, a complete new pump for about £65 or bigger chandlers will often have individual seals or joker valves if you know which one needs replacing. The instructions are with the kit or you can get the diagrams off the Jabsco site.

I would go for the kit and replace the lot or if you are feeling really flush (:D) buy a pump and a kit, replace the pump, then service the old one and you have a spare for next time and it is just a case of swapping them over.
 
Servicing is dead easy but often the most tricky thing is getting into a comfy position to undo the screws. Buy a pack of dosposable plastic gloves (or marigolds). The service kit contains full instuctions or they should be available on the Jabasco website. Be careful not to overtighten screws into the plastic base as they can easily be wrecked.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/document.do?docId=772
 
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When refitting the screws, gently wind them anticlockwise until you feel them drop into their original thread - then you can tighten them safely. Otherwise, you'll be buying a new heads! Plastic doesn't behave like wood so a cross threaded screw will simply leave a gaping hole with no grip.

Rob.
 
Zagato said:
I think I have read about people putting a smear of vaseline/grease on one of the seals but may not be right!?
Click to expand...

I usually coat all the seals and o rings with Vaseline, it holds them in place during fitting, and a generous coating round the plunger o ring and on the inside of the pump tube keeps things running smoothly for quite a time. You can undo the plastic cap that the plunger shaft goes through and re apply from time to time without dismantling or removing the rest of the pump.
 
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rob2 said:
When refitting the screws, gently wind them anticlockwise until you feel them drop into their original thread - then you can tighten them safely. Otherwise, you'll be buying a new heads! Plastic doesn't behave like wood so a cross threaded screw will simply leave a gaping hole with no grip.

Rob.
Click to expand...

The holes on mine stripped, so I tapped them out to 8mm, and fitted S/S studs instead.
 
Quite a few of the parts can be bought separately in several of our local chandleries. If the unit is used regularly and properly flushed through, then servicing is not a particularly odious task. I updated my old pump last year, just replacing the top and there was little but a bit of crusting around inside.

Oddly enough, the new piston was stiff and squeaky to start with, in spite of regular oiling, so I left it dry for a couple of months and it works smoothly now.
 
rustybarge said:
+1

Olive oil doesn't affect the seals, just pour into bowl every couple of days, otherwise you will be replacing the plunger every year.
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For what it's worth, dont put any oils of any sort in if you have a holding tank that's not emptied very frequently, it leaves a film over the top of the contents and excludes air, not a good thing for non smelly helpful bacteria but a good thing for smelly dirty bacteria. An anual dose of the right grease on the plunger seal is all that is needed, vaselene and the like don't last long in my experience, water pump grease lasts about a season. If you damage the screw threads there are a few areas where you can open the hole a bit on the other side and insert a rivnut (not clinched obviously) and use a machine screw instead of the special screws provided, I've repaired a few like that for people that wouldn't buy new parts.
 
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Full or part service depends on what fault you have. If back filling usually the joker valve. If loads of calcium in plastic tube you may need to gouge out or replace that also. When removing or fitting the outlet pipes they are easier to fit if you have a heat gun as it makes them pliable.
 
jhawkins1966 said:
Full or part service depends on what fault you have. If back filling usually the joker valve. If loads of calcium in plastic tube you may need to gouge out or replace that also. When removing or fitting the outlet pipes they are easier to fit if you have a heat gun as it makes them pliable.
Click to expand...
heat gun is a bit fierce hair dryer or boiling water and cloth are safer.
 
jhawkins1966 said:
Full or part service depends on what fault you have. If back filling usually the joker valve. If loads of calcium in plastic tube you may need to gouge out or replace that also. When removing or fitting the outlet pipes they are easier to fit if you have a heat gun as it makes them pliable.
Click to expand...

There is no known fault but It hasn't been used for a couple of years so I thought it could do with a service. I can't test it as it's on the hard and it's easier to do there than on the mooring.
 
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