Wilcox Crit. Head

[Gene]

I replace my Wilcox Crittenden head on my 1985 Hunter 34 this spring. It worked well. I am getting ready to lay the boat up for the winter and ran some SeaLube thru it as the mfg. suggests. All of sudden, the pump wont pump! The handle goes up and down VERY easily and no pumping. What happened? Did the "innerards" break coincidentally with the addition of the SeaLube or is it so well lubricated nothing works? Solution? Am I going to have to disassemble? Its always something, isnt it? !!

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Something broke...

My guess is, the piston broke in half or the piston ring and/or spring broke...so the piston rod goes up and down, but without any pressure.Yes...it was a coincidence...lubricating with SeaLube had nothing to do with it..but it still shouldn't have happened. And since the head is less than a yer old it still should be under warranty. I'd exchange it for a new one...'cuz unless something got sucked into it that got caught and broke whatever part is broken--which you won't know till you take the pump apart--there's no way to know without putting it on a bench whether it was just a defective piston...or whether something else is out of whack that's just gonna keep breaking 'em.