Bill Tolan Phone, 800-525-9930

A.R. WILFLEY & SONS, INC. Regional Manager Direct, 303-889-7259

7350 E. Progress Pl. Cell, 303-549-0899
Suite 200 e-mail [email protected]
Englewood Colo. 80111 Fax 303-779-1777

Shop Repair of -
Wilfley Model AF Centrifugal Pumps
Table of Contents

1. Definitions and Terminology

2. Pump Part Definitions
3. Pump Reliability
4. Disassembly and Inspection
5. Repair Procedure / Straightness, Concentricity, Squareness
6. Fits and Clearances
7. Dynamic Balancing
8. Shafts
9. Fasteners / Bolts and Nuts
10. Gaskets
11. Assembly
12. Summary

5/31/06 1
The overhaul and repair of pumps requires a very different approach than the
manufacture or operation of pumps. By understanding what the pumps are doing
during operation, and knowing what is mechanically required to operate effectively, a
planned repair of the AF pump can be accomplished.

The following information is a general review of the specifications, tolerances,

materials, clearances and methods used in the repair of the AF pump. It is not meant
to replace the AF Operating Handbook, but rather a supplement to it. Any repair
technique should always consider the operating conditions and service of the pump.
Experience and direct contact with Wilfley should determine when deviations are
required.

1. Definitions and Terminology

TIR – Total Indicator Runout

Taken with a dial indicator, the amount of Runout in mills [0.001 inch] off a center line
or imaginary plane.

SAG - The error caused in an indicator in certain applications due to gravity or weight
– induced deflection.

Mil - .001 inch – One thousandths of an inch.

Tenths - .0001 inch – One ten thousandths of an inch.
Machine Finish – 125 RMS
Emery Polish Finish - 64 RMS
Ground Finish – 32 RMS

Medium locational fits - Shrink or expansion - .0005”/ inch of diameter

2. Pump Part Definitions

INBOARD – Impeller End
OUTBOARD – Coupling End
ITEM 4 - CASE WEAR RING – Keeps the liquid discharge from recirculating back to
the suction eye of the impeller.
ITEM 67 - CASE PLATE LABYRINTH RING - Reduces the pressure behind the
expeller, resulting in reduced thrust.
ITEM 38 - THRUST DRIVE SLEEVE – Holds the rear bearing, houses the bushings
and bushing spacer for the shaft. Drives the shaft through the governor springs.
ITEM 38A - THRUST DRIVE SLEEVE BUSHINGS – Centers the shaft in the thrust
drive sleeve. Note the shaft moves axially in the bushing at start up and shut down.
ITEM 38B - THRUST DRIVE SLEEVE BUSHING SPACER – Acts as a spacer
against which the bushings shoulder to allow the rear movement of the shaft

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NOTE; There is seldom reason to remove either the bushings or spacer unless visual
inspection indicates the front sleeve is damaged, or you get bits of carbon when you
stand it on end.
ITEM 16 - FRONT BEARING – Radial bearing takes the radial load from the mass
on the shaft and from uneven pressure distribution acting on the impeller.
ITEM 22 - REAR BEARING – Thrust bearing takes the thrust load from the forces of
the governor weights pushing back.
ITEM 17 - FRONT BEARING CAP OUTER – Controls Forward Travel of the front
bearing. [Must be dimensionally accurate to properly locate bearing]
ITEM 23 - REAR BEARING CAP OUTER – Holds the bearing longitudinally in place.
Shoulder must be snug against the bearing, if there is any gap the thrust drive sleeve
will not travel back during start up forcing the seal to remain closed.
ITEM 26 - REAR BEARING CAP INNER – Shoulders against the outer race of the
rear bearing

Note; It is not the intent herein to complete a detail list of AF parts, but to outline the
important subjects of those items that have the highest probability of causing
premature pump failure. For a complete list of parts please refer to the AF operating
handbook. Item numbers listed are found in the AF Operating Handbook.

3. PUMP RELIABILITY

There are five critical items to repairing and improving pump reliability -

• What is the life you should expect from the existing pump [ Contact Wilfley for
help with this question]
• Parts should wear out, not fail, you must maximize the life of the pump
components
• Good beginning information
• Knowledge of what the final repair condition should be.
• Plan your repair

4. DISASSEMBLY and INSPECTION

To start an effective repair, it is necessary to examine the condition of the existing

parts. This is accomplished by thoroughly cleaning the pump parts and then
measuring and recording all fits and runouts and calculating their clearances.

Next confirm the physical condition of parts by visually examining them for damage
and wear looking closely for concentricity problems, cracks, mechanical wear,
corrosion/erosion effects and bearing conditions. Based on the collected data plus
any input from Wilfley, you can prepare the repair procedure.

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INSIDE THE PUMP -

When you look inside the pump, the location of the damage is often more revealing
than the damage.

• What to look at: Any close fits in the pump i.e. where the rotating and stationary
parts are less than a 1/10” inch apart.
• What to look for: Polishing, wear erosion, corrosion, discoloration, or other
possible results of polishing.

EXAMPLE -

Rub marks on expeller and case plate lab ring. Rub mark on stationary and all the
way around the rotating part. This is due to misalignment, usually in the bracket.

If the rubbing is a spot on the rotating part and all the way around on the stationary
part, you have a bent shaft or bad front bearing.

5. REPAIR PROCEDURE

With the repair or replacement of any parts it is critical that the following three
principals be followed:
• Straightness
• Concentricity
• Squareness
If you do not maintain these three principals, you will not be able to maintain the
clearances during assembly.

STRAIGHTNESS

The pump shaft should be straight within .002” inches. This is best checked on v-
blocks with the bearing journal running in one of the v-blocks. Note that there is only
one bearing journal on the AF shaft. The shaft can also be checked between centers.
Checking between centers requires very good centers in the shaft and a careful
interpretation of the data. Always write the highs and lows of the indicator readout on
the shaft. Start at zero and read to either the high or the low. Do this on each and
every fit on the shaft.

CONCENTRICITY

If concentricity is not maintained, the clearances between moving parts will be

reduced. This problem is magnified the further the shaft runs through the bearing.

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Bearing bores should be within .0005” inches TIR. All other bores and fits should be
concentric within .002” inches TIR.

Check the shaft for runout after it is installed in the bearing housing. Check the runout
by mounting a dial indicator on the machined surface of the bracket and sweep the
end of the shaft close to the thread relief. With the rear outer bearing cap removed
mount a dial indicator on the machine surface of the frame with the stem located on
the thrust drive sleeve. Rotating the shaft by hand will show radial runout at the
impeller end of the pump. Observing both indicators will show whether the shaft is
bent. Lightly lifting the shaft may show a greater reading than shaft runout, indicating
wear in the bearings or a poor fit of the bearings in the housing.

Front bearing clearance .002” inches / side

Rear bearing clearance 0” inches
Shaft runout for Frame 1 and 2 Pumps should be .002” Inches TIR
Shaft runout for Frames 3, 4 and 5 Pumps should be .005” inches TIR

END PLAY -

With the dial indicator mounted on the pump frame face, and the stem located on the
shaft shoulder, attempts should be made to move the shaft from end to end. Typical
end play will be between .001 to .004 “inches.

BRACKET CONCENTRICITY / SQUARENESS -

Bracket inside diameters must be concentric within .001” inches. In order to properly
check this feature a lathe will be required. If a lathe is not available you can check the
front bore with a dial indicator mounted on the shaft, close to the threaded end,
sweep the bracket pilot with the stem.

After checking the concentricity of the bracket sweep the locating face of the bracket,
total indicator runout should not exceed .006” inches. If the readings of the diameters
or face exceed the TIR as listed this means either the bracket or frame has been
damaged or is warped. Remove the bracket and sweep the frame face and locating
pilot with the dial indicator close to the shaft shoulder.

Bracket Faces -

Bracket faces must be parallel within .002” inches TIR

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SQUARENESS -

If the faces of mating parts are not square and flat with the center line of the pump,
the internal pump clearances will not be maintained. This problem will show itself as
a concentricity or runout problem. The amount of face runout that is acceptable
depends entirely on each part, especially the O.D. and length of the parts, the
function of the face, the internal clearances allowed and the pump speed. Usually
you will find face runout when attempting to assemble the pump.

Case Plate –

Case Plate must be perpendicular to the shaft within .006” inches TIR. It is necessary
to check this part in a lathe.

6. FITS and CLEARANCES

Seals –

Normal shaft movement is 3/32” inches, seals should be replaced when it exceeds
5/16” inches.

Bearings –

In order to obtain the maximum service from a bearing, the shaft and housing must
be machined to the same exacting tolerances that are used in making the bearing.
For this reason always purchase original Wilfley manufactured shafts. One on the
bearings is fixed axially [thrust bearing] while the other is free to slide forward.

Ball Bearing Fits –

Both the bearing housing and bearing clearances should always be checked during
the assembly of the pump.

Ball bearing fits in the bearing housing need to be slightly loose for assembly. If this
looseness becomes excessive, vibration at rotational speed and multiple frequencies
will result. Do not install bearings with OD’s outside the given tolerance band.

FRONT FRAME BORES REAR FRAME BORE

Frame 1 - 3.1510 / 3.1520 Frame 1 - 3.938 / 3.939
Frame 2 - 3.5450 / 3.5460 Frame 2 - 4.332 / 4.333
Frame 3- 4.3320 / 4.3330 Frame 3 - 5.119 / 5.120
Frame 4- 4.7258 / 4.7275 Frame 4 - 5.9061 / 5.9070
Frame 5- 5.9070 / 5.9080 Frame 5- Inner Bore 7.087 / 7.088
Outer Bore 5.906 / 5.907
Note: The Frame 5 uses two [2] different rear bearings.

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RULES OF THUMB: BEARING HOUSING FITS –

• Bearing OD to housing clearance – About .00075 inch loose with .0015 inch
maximum.
• Bearing housing out of round tolerance is .001 inch maximum.
• Bearing housing shoulder tolerance for a thrust bearing is 0 to .005 inch per inch
of diameter off square up to a maximum of .002 inch.

SHAFT FIT -

A loose fit of the shaft to the bearing bore will give the effect of an eccentric shaft.
The objective of the shaft fit is to obtain a slight interference of the antifriction bearing
inner ring when mounted on the shaft. Do not install bearings with an ID outside of
the given tolerance band.

RULES OF THUMB: BEARING SHAFT FITS –

• Fit of bearing inner race bore to shaft is .0005 inch tight for frames 1 thru 2 and
.00075 inch tight for frames 3 thru 5.
• Shaft shoulder tolerance for a thrust bearing is 0 to .0005 inch per inch of
diameter off square up to a maximum of .001 inch.

Further inspection notes bearing bores -

Always inspect the front frame bore for grooving. As the front bearing is rubbing
between the outer race and bore during start up and shut down, this can create a
ridge or grove in the bore after some period of time. This will hinder both the opening
and closing of the seal, causing excessive leakage at shutdown and accelerated
wear at start up.

As an added note, be certain if ordering a bearing from a local vendor, that the
bearing width is the same as originally supplied by Wilfley. Bearing width is not a
standard dimension between bearing manufacturers. Too wide of a bearing will not
allow the shaft to travel forward the necessary 3/32” inch.

FRAME TO SHAFT SHOULDER –

Clearance from the machined face of the frame to the shaft shoulder face directly in
front of the radial bearing is critical for final positioning of the impeller.
Frame Size Dimension
1 AF 1.585 / 1.555
2 AF 1.718 / 1.671
3AF 2.031 / 1.979
4AF 2.280 / 2.245
5AF 2.248 / 2.277

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7. DYNAMIC BALANCING

All impellers, irrespective of their operational speed should be dynamically balanced

before installation if they are trimmed or repaired for any reason.

8. SHAFTS

A shaft should be checked for straightness if vibration readings indicate an out of

balance condition.

There are two primary ways of checking a shaft for straightness. One is using v-
blocks or in a lathe between centers or chucked on one end with the other in a
center.

The easiest and most direct way to check the straightness of a shaft is in V-blocks.
The blocks are set on a flat table and the shaft bearing journals placed in the blocks.
This automatically zeros the bearing journal just like it will when installed in the pump.
This gives direct readings of the different parts of the shaft relative to the bearing.

In most cases it is less costly and more reliable to replace a bent shaft than to
attempt straightening it. Shafts of small diameters may be straightened by
mechanical means, but this is more an art than a science and is often time
consuming and therefore a very unnecessary expense.

9. FASTENERS / BOLTS and NUTS

Fasteners play an important role in rebuilding pumps. The quality and reliability of a
pump is greatly affected by the fastener used to assemble the pump.
SAE Grade 5 bolts can be used for the AF bolt requirements. They can be torqued to
adequate values to prevent pump parts from coming apart.

Do not weld on any bolt or stud.

All bolts and studs should be torqued to at least 50% of their yield strength. This is a
medium torque for a bolt and easily accomplished. To achieve maximum holding
power for a bolt, torque to 80% of its yield value. This is about 70% of the tensile
strength.

Always lubricate bolts before torquing. Do nut use a nut over 3 times, to be absolutely
safe, use nuts only once.

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10. PUMP GASKETS

Case Wear Ring Item 4A - 1/32” INCH

Case Plate Item 5A - 1/32” INCH
All Other Gaskets 1/64” INCH

11. FINAL PUMP ASSEMBLY

In order to obtain a high quality and reliable repair job, certain techniques and rules
should be followed in the assembly of the pump. All parts should slide together
during assembly. If a hammer is needed to drive the parts together, there is an error
in either size or concentricity.

The shaft and bearing should slide into the bearing housing. Once the shaft is
installed, it should rotate without drag. If an indexing feeling is felt as the shaft is
rotated, the bearings are too tight. This condition must be corrected before
proceeding any further.

A “Shop Repair Checklist” is offered to confirm that important steps in the rebuild
process are taken.

12. SUMMARY

As previously stated this paper is intended as a supplement to the AF Operating

Handbook. Some of the points given are subjective.

As with any Wilfley pump please do not hesitate to contact your Local Wilfley
Representative or your Wilfley Regional Manager for assistance or questions
regarding this information.

(NOTE: This paper was complied by Bill Tolan with additional contributions from Bill
Short and Dave Wheeler)