Squeaky Jabsco toilet hand pump

[Clipper4730]

Our pump handle on the forward head is very squeaky. Any easy under way remedies. There are a few head rebuild kits aboard. Any thoughts.
Thanks in advance

Will

[zeehag]

try oiling it. that seems to work short of grease or oil, if that is only problem, you are golden

[ErikFinn]

I use vegetable oil.

[rwidman]

You can buy lubricant at marine stores or use something like vegetable or baby oil. Flush a teaspoon or so down the head. It will stop the squeak after a few strokes.

Taking it apart and lubricating the cylinder would probably work better and last longer. Use silicone grease.

[MarkJ]

For a weekly oil i flush about half a cup of the cheapest vegetable oil.

If its bad whip the top of the pump off (Jabsco) and put some lithium grease in the shaft.

It only takes a minute to do.

[rwidman]

The problem with flushing a lot of oil is, it can coat the walls of the holding tank and some of the solids will stick to it. That's probably not a serious problem unless (like me) you have a holding tank gauge that relies on external sensors to sense the level in the tank. Mine think the tank is full when it is not. Cleaning the tank manually corrects the problem but only for a short time.

[Chanquete]

We use silicon oil with excellent results.
Just a drop and flush.

[Meriah2]

I have the same head. The squeak is from the O-ring in the pump. (Poor design - should be a rectangular O-Ring. I use Silicone grease (same as the grease used in a water-maker) and flush with fresh (not Salt) water. Needs to be done often, every 3-6 months by un-screwing the pump, lifting it out, greasing the wall of the cylinder and the O-Ring.
Good Luck,

[Clipper4730]

Took it apart greased it up and works like a champ the boat had been sitting on the hard for about a year so it was pretty dry. Anyway thanks for the great advice.

Will

[Helbent]

I just put a few drops of mineral oil right in the bowl and flush it down about once a week.

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[thinwater]

The internals parts of Jabsco pumps are neoprene, which is only moderately oil resistant, Raritan in nitrile, which is very oil resistant.

The results is that when oiled with unsaturated veggy oils (corn oil, palm oil) the parts soften, swell, and work better, for a while, until they wear prematurely. Olive oil and canola oil cause less harm. Or, you can do as it says in the manual, which is to grease annually with silicone or synthetic grease (lots). Tested all of these in the lab.

And yes, oil causes increased odor and solids build up. How serious depends on how much. A dab now and then won't matter, but a daily dose is a very bad idea; use only enough, as many have suggested... until you can get synthetic grease.