It's leaking......

[gearsoup]

Monitor 441. Bought it used a couple seasons ago. Rebuilt it last year. Been running ok, more or less. I cleaned out the oil filter at the tank, the filter in the fuel pump and it's been working. Every now and again, all lights will be blinking and I've had to press the primer button; I can hear and feel a click when I press it.

I came home today to the tray filled with K-1. Obviously, I've gone outside and turned off the fuel supply. Just wondering what my course of action should be. I'll start tonight by taking the pump out (or attempting to at any rate).

Does it need a rebuild, and does such a thing exist? I read in a few spots that perhaps the float got stuck and it's just emptying out, but I don't know if that was a valid answer or someone just spitballing....

[gearsoup]

Well, with mixed thoughts on it, I tore it apart. Yeah...not a lot too it really. The inside of the lifter pump had a lot of sludge in it. I cleaned that out nicely. The float and needle seems to be functioning as expected. I took a Q-Tip to every nook and cranny I could get to. I want to put it back together, but something concerns me...
There is no gasket between the cover that I removed and the pump bowl. It seems to me that a gasket should be there, no? The cover has a groove all around it, but I believe that is for the bowl to fit into

[HayZee518]

fuel flow to the sump is gravity feed [no pressure to speak of] so a gasket is not needed. what I have done, and you could try is, take the pump off the plate and position it so it don't touch the float anywhere but goes nearly to the bottom of the sump. Just let it hang on the cappillary tube. This way you'll be able to see what happens when the unit calls for high heat and where your K-1 goes. If the bowl empties out with little kero coming in, your feedline is blocked somewhere. could be the screen in the bottom of the sump is clogged. use gumout to clean it.
if the kero in the bowl goes higher than the mark on the side of the sump, your needle valve is not functioning - or the float is hanging up somewhere inside.
when the pump primes it'll go clunk once then start to go thump, thump when its pumping.
check to see that your cappillary going into the combustion pot is not clogged with carbon. a one eighth drill screwed into the cappillary by hand will remove any carbon deposits.

[gearsoup]

When I took the lifter pump out of the bowl (bowl cap was still on) I could see the float lifted up to the magnet. This suggests to me that the FLOAT is functioning. It does not tell me if the needle is working properly. IF it's not, what can I do to address the needle? Clean it, replace it?

I will lift the pump up when I get home tonight and see what there is to see.

On second thought though....if the needle is malfunctioning and the kero is just coming up and up, pulling the pump up, I should see kero coming out the hole. Yay, this is gonna stink.....

[hawkins111]

If the fuel keeps coming in and puts the float on the magnet, you have a problem with the valve and seat. The valve is not shutting off the fuel. The sludge in the sump has gotten on the valve and seat. You will have to clean the valve and seat. Be very careful putting it back together. If you make a mistake the fuel will spill over. Tom

[gearsoup]

I apologize for not coming back to this thread and posting a follow-up. I put everything back together and I have zero leaks. I fired it up and it ran for a full week without any issues. Now I've got issues, but I suppose I should start a separate thread for those. Would rather not combine issues/discussions

[HayZee518]

doesn't matter - its all in the same area - monitor heaters. what sort of leak are you experiencing? sump overflow?

[gearsoup]

Leaking issues are resolved. It was so gunked up with sludge it wasn't even funny. Cleaned it out real good, put it back together, no more leaks. Yay!
Ran fine for 1 and a half weeks. One afternoon, I'm sitting at the computer programming my next job (I have a small CNC machine shop in my garage) and it started to feel cold. I went over to the Monitor and burner status lights are blinking. I turn it off and then back on and it worked fine. Shrugged my shoulders and went about my business. Next morning (a Saturday) I go out to the_very_cold_garage. Lights are blinking, it won't start. I turned it back on and observed. I did not time each event, but here is the steps it went through (hopefully I"m listing in the proper order): Clicked on. Igniter got warm (judging on how the burn pot felt on the outside) Fuel pump made a dull clicking noise, (which it always made) burn ring showed a nice blue flame. Burned for a few minutes, then the circulating fan (the one that puts heat into the room) kicked on. Burner status lights go out. Flame goes out (I believe, but the window is sooted, so it's hard to tell) then the status lights come back on, all blinking. I let it sit for a bit, then tried it again.
Couple days later, I tried it again, and it seemed to work just fine. This past week I've had no issues at all. Until this morning.....
Things are the way they were before it's temporary co-operation.

I took apart the burn chamber window (the large one, not just the small glass) Of course, the gasket fell to pieces. Need to find a replacement for that....anyways..
I took the burn ring out. That is in very nice condition (as it should be since it's one season old) Sooted up on one side, but otherwise good. No warping or anything.
The burner mat was in many small pieces. I found this odd, since this unit was rebuilt last season. I acquired all components as a kit from Hickory Home off Ebay. (complete new burn pot as well)
At any rate, I will start with replacing the mat. Aside from the igniter, do I need to remove EVERYTHING from the unit, or can I do an adequate job through the front opening?

Hayzee, I've seen your posts about McMaster burn mat. I will get that on order. What about gasket material?

[hawkins111]

If you are getting a new pot it will come with a burner mat installed. Yes, you will need to flip the chamber over and work from the bottom in order to get the pot out. Either way, new burner pot or just a new mat you should remove the burner from the chamber. Be sure to clean the window so you can see the flame. If you are getting stuff from Hickory get all the gaskets as well. Tom

[gearsoup]

Let me clarify: Last year, I got a new pot and rebuild kit from Hickory. I rebuilt the unit at that point, I think it was Feb 2013 This year, the mat is desperately in need of replacing. At any rate, I think the answer is still the same. Yay for a teardown again....

[FordMan59]

What about gasket material?

I use McMaster-Carr part number 9323K21 for gasket material.