I installed the varidrive belt last night and had to have my wife help
me get the motor/drive assembly back into the machine this morning, then
I had to do some other Stuff.

This evening I started doing the Clausing Cringe..bleeding the hydraulic
lines and pump for the Vari Drive..and I got the thing up to about half
speed..and then it went limp on me. Pulling the lines..I found that the
pump wouldnt pressure up very much.

So I pulled the varidrive pump and broke it down..and sure enough..the
o-rings and seals had failed. Which is not terribly surprising,
considering that it was made in the mid 1970s, and hasnt been run for
the past hummm...10 yrs or more.

I had all the o-rings, but the piston ring ..what I thought was an
o-ring, inside the bore..is actually a cup seal..or a backless "O-ring"
that has a skirt around it that faces the pressure side of the piston
and opens up and seals around the piston. about 1.25 x .125x .125

I dont have one. And Im not going to find one at the AutoZone. I
might...might find one in Bakersfield..but its one Ive never seen
before. Laying in the groove, looked like a square profile seal..but is
open on the backside and it had failed enough not to allow enough
pressure to build up in the pressure side of the piston/cylinder of the
drive controller.

Question...think an o ring will do the job? Or should I hunt down the
proper seal next week?

Obviously Im not going to get the lathe in full operation until I
replace that seal. Tried to gentle it out..and it started to
disintergrate..so it was well past time

Any suggestions? Or should I just bite the bullet and wait until I find
the proper seal?

I know some of you have rebuilt Clausing hydraulic vari drives
before...so I thought Id ask

Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)