bicycle pump lube

[huffmuds9320]

My bicycle pump is probably more than 10 years old and feels like its sort of sticky with a bit of internal friction. This pump is made out of metal and has a wooden handle. I've taken apart the pump and the seal (rubber ring) still looks good. I use this pump to fill air in both bike and car tires.

I sprayed some WD-40 inside the pump cylinder and its smoother but doesn't seem to stay lubricated for a long time. I'm thinking of putting a little bit of grease in there such as Park Tool PolyLube. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[moribundman]

Slick Honey. It won't destroy the seals.

 

[tom slick]

silglide is what I'd use.

 

[moribundman]

I yield to the professional lubricator.

 

[tom slick]

are you callin' me greasy?

 

[moribundman]

It comes with the territory.

 

[tom slick]

true

 

[JHZR2]

dupont krytox grease is likely the right lube. $$$ though.

ou need it to be compatible with our pump seal.

Then again, probably something really cheap was used originally...

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
ou need it to be compatible with our pump seal.


Why does my lube have to be compatible with your pump seal?

 

[tom slick]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
dupont krytox grease is likely the right lube. $$$ though.

ou need it to be compatible with our pump seal.

Then again, probably something really cheap was used originally...



That was a 100% BITOG answer!!

 

[moribundman]

When it comes to reciprocating o-rings or any linier or rotational moving parts, the properties in Buzzy's Slick Honey has an uncanny ability to reduce friction which leads to overall gain in performance. Slick Honey grease is safe for all o-rings and plastic parts.

I paid about $12 for small bottle. I have seen nothing better for stanchion lubrication. Works great on fork pumps, foot pumps, and paintball guns.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: moribundman

Why does my lube have to be compatible with your pump seal?

lol... I have to remember to touch all the keys while typing...

 

[Shannow]

Picked up some silicon air rifle oil the other day ($6, $3 for delivery).

Would prolly work.

 

[machv5]

WD-40 is not a lubricant. It is actually an effective degreaser among other things which is why it doesn't work as a lube very well. WD-40 is short for Water Displacement Formula 40.
I too used to use it for oil on my bike chain until i grew tired of my chain squeaking and grinding every couple of days once it had flahed off its solvent. Years later my dad chuckled and told me it was a degreaser when he saw me reach for it to oil a hinge and years after that i heard BOLTR (awesome guy btw look him up) on youtube refer to it in long form.
I'm assuming it's being called duck oil by oldtimers is due to the water displacement attribute and has led to the misconception of it actually being an oil.

And old as this thread is i hope someone still finds my 2 cents usefull.

 

[machv5]

In addition before using any oil or vrease on a seal make sure that it is compatible with the material the o ring is made of. Some oils when applied to certail o rimgs can either cause shrinking, over expansion, among other things including the complete breakdown of the o ring entirely. I just used some plain olive oil on my pump and it actually made the o ring swell quite a bit as the material it was made of is unknown. I was suprised it expanded as much as it did and i was worried it would be too much b7t with some poking i got the plunger to go back into the tube. Im hoping that it doesn't go too smelly if it goes full on rancid. I thought olive oil would be the least aggressive thing i could use as lubricants went but i was almost wrong. It is working well now btw and has increased the pumps ability to push more air into my tires than it was. Before that if i pumped up my tire i would still have to hit the gas station and use their compressor to get good pressure.