Hey Karl,

Even "EDM carbon" is self-lubricating as necessary. Try cleaning and
just re-assembling, no additional "lube" of any kind.

Not quite what you describe, but we used air-check timers with a 2"
or a 3" carbon piston (2 sizes.depending on need) in a Bakelite
housing, and after the annual cleaning (dry!! just wipe and blow
clean) re-assembled with out any further. Any attempt to "make it
better" always resulted in a hang up later on, or a change as to
operation.

Biggest cause of dirt was that drawn through the felt pad acting as a
filter to atmosphere.

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.
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On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 14:35:53 GMT, "Karl Townsend"
remove .NOT to reply wrote:

There's a little air pump on my torpedo kerosene heater. It wants to bind
and stall, kicking out the overload. I just found out a replacement heater
is $300.

I took the whole thing apart. Its just a hockey puck, made of EDM carbon
graphite, with four sliding vanes sitting off center in an aluminum chamber.
I cleaned everything, finishing with Brake Clean. Then put it all back
together and used just a dab of dry graphite lube on all the surfaces.

"The Kid" tells me he did the same thing three times last winter.

Any suggestions? I'm thinking of using my graphite magent on my surface
grinder and shaving a thou off each face of the hockey puck shaped impeller.
Good Idea? Or will the extra clearance kill it?

Karl