SF 600 problem - Any help or advice would be appreciated

[John F]

I bought a used SF 600 that worked fine, but was filthy looking from spending the past 15 years in a very dirty shop. We flowed a head on the bench before buying it and it worked just fine. I closed the manometer valves and layed it on it's back in a pickup truck to get it home. When I got it home I spent a couple days cleaning it. I had all the manometers off and took apart and cleaned the valves - basically just cleaned everything I could.

Well, now I seem to have a problem with the bench. I can't get the test pressure manometer to read more than about 5". The motors seem to be operating properly (seems to suck and blow like mad) and the incline manometer works properly too. Just can't get the test pressure to read like it should.

Anyone have any advice or insight?

[Mouse]

Are you having trouble getting more than 5" while flow testing a head or calibration orifice?

John

[John F]

This is with the calibration orifice on it.

[bruce]

My guess would be maybe you got fluid in your manometer lines somewhere giving you an air bubble between?

[John F]

The test pressure manometer has two lines attached to it - one at the top and one at the bottom. Is the bottom one used during exhaust testing and the top one used during intake testing? The diagram in the Superflow manual shows the top tube hooked up to the test pressure manometer and the bottom valve of the manometer open to the atmosphere.

Would you suggest that I remove all the lines at the valves and blow them out to make sure there is no gage oil in them?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[maxracesoftware]

just give it 1 more full-turn open on the plastic "90 deg Angle"
vauum hose connector

you probably didn't quite open it enough like it was before



thats happen to me before
after i added a tiny amount of Gauge Oil

[John F]

Just wanted to thank you all for the help. Turned out to be a kinked hose. The lower hose on the right vertical manometer got kinked behind the mounting plate. Works great now!

[John F]

Unfortunately I seem to have another problem with my newly purchased bench and I'm looking for more advice from you all.

Superflow's manual says at 25" the bench should show about 80% at on the inclined manometer with the test plate on and the range set on four (intake). My bench shows 80% at only 15.5". At 25", the inclined manomer is maxed out past 100%.

In the trouble shooting section of Superflow's manual, they say to cover both holes in the orifice plate, set the range on 1 (intake), and then run the test pressure up to 25". They say that the incline manometer should rise slightly initially and then settle back to zero. Well, mine shows a steady 25% on the incline manometer at 25" and doesn't settle back to zero.

I tried to call Superflow for their help in diagnosing the problem, but they wouldn't even talk to me about it! They would only talk to me about it on the clock if I payed them for their time!

Would any of you all have any insight or advice you could offer me? (off the hourly clock hopefully!)

[John F]

Do you think the specific gravity of the gage oil may be wrong? The previous owner did have the oil out of the manometers in the past and I don't know for sure what he might have in them. When I got the bench, it had blue oil in one of the vertical manometers and red oil in the other.

The only other possibility I guess would be a massive leak somewhere. Any ideas?

John

[Thomas Vaught]

That is exactly opposite of what it should be.

Red in both of the vertical manometers and blue in the inclined manometer for a SF600.

Tom V.

[larrycavan]

[John F]

Just to be clear - there was blue oil in the incline manometer, blue oil in one of the vertical manometers, and red oil in the other vertical manometer. I've been trying to opperate the bench with the red vertical manometer, so the color of the oil is correct, but I'm wondering if the oil may be diluted with someting that would change its specific gravity. The character I bought the bench from had the incline manometer off and was frantically adding oil when I arrived to look at it. The guy was in a desperate situation, needed money and had to sell it, so who knows what he put in there for oil. I'm going to replace all the oil in the manometers to see if that helps.

Regarding Superflow - I was so upset with them I had to hang up on them before I really lost my temper. After thinking it over, I think perhaps the guy on the phone didn't know much from a technical standpoint and he choose not to talk to me about my problem as a way to avoid embarrassment or something. From a public relations standpoint, I would doubt Superflow would think very favorably of the guy's response. ####, after that conversation, my view of Superflow changed entirely.

I'll let you all know what happens when I change the oils.

John

[Mouse]

Look for leaks in your tubing at the point that they slip over fittings. They can crack at these points and the cracks are very hard to see.

[larrycavan]

[Thomas Vaught]

I am thinking Larry about mentioning those issues to him during our next conversation as it is always good to keep people informed on that kind of thing.

Tom V.