Kimray’s Energy Exchange Glycol Pump is a durable, low-maintenance solution for recirculation of glycol in your dehydration system.
In this 3-part video series, Kimray's Jason Andrews demonstrates how to Disassemble, Inspect, Repair, and Reassemble a Kimray Energy Exchange Glycol Pump.
How to Repair the Kimray Energy Exchange Glycol Pump | Part 1: Disassembly
*Note: Before beginning this repair, consult your company’s safety guidelines and use the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
1. Remove any plugs from your suction or discharge blocks.
2. While standing to the side of the glycol pump just in case there’s any discharge, slowly open your needle valves to relieve any trapped pressure.
3. Remove your check valve caps and the o-rings.
4. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the check valves and a pick to remove the o-rings.
5. Use the seat puller and a wrench to remove the suction block seats.
6. Remove the o-rings.
7. Remove the discharge block in the main piston body and use the seat insert tool and mallet to remove the discharge seats.
8. Remove the o-rings from the discharge seats.
9. Remove the suction block from the main piston body and remove the o-rings from the backside of the suction block.
10. Flip the glycol pump upside down and loosen the fitting from the pilot piston discharge tubing.
11. Remove the tubing from the main piston valve housing.
12. Remove the pilot piston discharge tubing and remove the legs closest to the main piston valve housing.
13. Loosen the bolts and remove the main piston valve housing and the o-rings.
14. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the D slide.
15. Put the main piston valve housing in a vice and remove the D slide guides.
16. Use two wrenches to loosen both ends of the needle valve assembly tubing.
17. Hold the fitting elbow with one wrench and use the other to loosen the fitting cap. This will prevent the fitting from breaking.
18. Replace the legs and flip the pump right-side up.
19. Loosen the bolts on the pilot piston valve housing.
20. Remove the control tubing.
21. Remove the o-ring from the pilot piston valve housing before loosening the bolts.
22. Turn the tubing elbow to protect the threads.
23. Loosen the bolts on the cylinder head.
24. Holding the gland against the glycol pump body, slide out the cylinder head and remove the o-ring.
25. Remove the cylinder.
26. Use a wrench to hold the piston rod in place, and loosen the nut from the other side of the piston.
27. Slide out the piston, and then remove the o-ring and backups.
28. Remove the o-ring from the piston retainer groove.
29. Remove the o-ring from the piston rod gland.
30. Remove the two o-rings located in the communicating hole grooves from the pilot piston gland.
31. Work the piston rod from side to side to jar loose the piston rod seal retainers.
32. Remove the o-ring and backup from the piston rod seal retainer and slide out the piston rod.
33. Loosen the bolts and remove the pilot piston caps.
34. Remove the backup from the pilot piston cap.
35. Tap the pilot piston cap with a mallet and slide it out of the glycol pump. If the piston bearings don’t come out on their own, put the Kimray seal retainer tool into the pilot piston hole and tap with a mallet to remove them.
36. Place pilot piston valve housing in a vice.
37. Remove the needle valve handles and the stem lock with an allen wrench.
38. If the handle is rusted, the head on the allen screw may break off. If this occurs, use the handle of a wrench to break it off. It will then need to be replaced.
39. Loosen the needle valve caps, and then remove the needle valve on it.
40. Remove needle valve cap and unthread the stem.
41. Remove the D slide guides.
42. Remove the backup and o-ring from the bonnet.
43. Run your parts through a parts washer. If you don’t have access to a washer, get each part as clean as possible.
How to Repair the Kimray Energy Exchange Glycol Pump | Part 2: Inspection
In this video, Jason explains how to inspect individual parts for wear and tear.
44. Check your piston rod for any scratches or scoring. If you can feel the scoring with your fingernail, the piston rod needs to be replaced. If it only has light scratches, they can often be smoothed out with 220-grit or finer Emery cloth.
45. Check your piston rod for any uneven wear or ripples that you might feel on the surface.
46. Check the outside surface of your piston where the o-ring and backups are placed. If you see a groove where that o-ring was setting, it will need to be replaced.
47. Check your cylinders for any scoring. If you can feel the scoring on the inside of the cylinder with your finger, it will need to be replaced. The cylinder will also need to be replaced if you can fill any ripples at the end of the stroke area.
48. Inspect your piston rod seal retainer for any groove where the o-ring used to set. These are very critical since a lot of glycol pump failures occur when wet and dry glycol mix through this area whenever it’s compromised. If the surface where the o-ring set shows wear or ripple, it will need to be replaced.
49. Check your pilot piston for any scratches, uneven wear, or ripples. If you can feel the scratches or ripples with your finger, it will need to be replaced. If the scratches are very light, they can be removed with 220-grit or finer Emery cloth.
50. Inspect your check valve caps. They will need to be replaced if the clearance between the cap and the check valve is too much. Take a check valve and slide it into the cap and check for side-to-side play. Make sure that the check valve goes in and out freely. If there is interference between the cap and the check valve, clean the check valve cap with the appropriate-sized reamer.
51. Make sure the communicating hole is clear. This can be done with an air nozzle or an awl.
52. Inspect your check valves. They’ll need to be replaced if there’s any ripple on the stem or any damage to the o-ring ledge.
53. Inspecting your suction block. If the o-ring surface of the wall has grooves or excessive wear, it will need to be replaced.
54. Inspect your discharge block. Put the seats in the block, then take a straight edge and lay it across the seats. They should be close to flush with the block surface. If the seats are sitting too low, it may cause a leak between the block and the body.
55. Make sure that these ports are clear. If the main piston body has nicks or washout surround the communicating holes, it will need to be replaced.
56. Check for wear on top of the body due to the seat’s impact. Sometimes after a continuous hammering of the check valves on the discharge seats, the seats can wear on the body surface.
57. Inspect your suction and discharge seats. They’ll need to be replaced if there is excessive wear on the seats, if the segments of the collet on the suction seat are bent, or if the check valve doesn’t fit freely in the seats.
58. Inspect your pilot piston bearing. If there’s a groove on the o-ring surface on the outside or on the inside, it will need to be replaced.
59. Inspect your piston rod gland. It will need to be replaced if the surface where the backup sits shows any groove, if excessive wash outs are present, or if the communicating holes are damaged or washed out. If this surface gets damaged, it could result in leaks between the body and the gland. It will need to be replaced if the surface where the backup sits shows any groove.
60. If you are rebuilding one of the newer style glycol pumps, the port plates on the main piston housing and the pilot piston housing will be replaceable. If you have the older style glycol pump, the surfaces on the port plates will need to be refinished. To do this, use 220-grit sandpaper to buff out any gouges or deep scratches on the face of the port plate. Apply pressure, keeping the port plate even on a flat surface. Go back and forth three to five times and make sure that all of the scratches have disappeared.
61. Rotate the piston housing 90 degrees. Lightly press and sand one more time. This will show if there are any more deep scratches to be sanded.
62. After sanding the port plates, use the air nozzle to make sure the inside orifices are all clear. Repeat this process for the main piston housing.
How to Repair the Kimray Energy Exchange Glycol Pump | Part 3: Disassembly
In this final video, Jason explains how to reassemble the glycol pump.
63. Insert the pilot piston seal retainer with the beveled side facing in on both sides of the glycol pump. Push them in until you feel a mechanical stop.
64. Reassemble the pilot piston bearing using the two o-rings and three backups. NOTE: Be sure to use a light-gravity motor oil to generously lubricate all of your o-rings and backups when you’re reassembling.
65. Insert the pilot piston bearing with its o-rings and backups into the pilot piston body. Repeat this assembly for both pilot seat retainers on each side.
66. Place the pilot piston cap over the bearings and seat the o-rings in place. This prevents the o-rings from getting pinched later when you install the pilot piston caps.
67. Attach one of the pilot piston caps to the glycol pump body so that you can install the pilot piston on the other side
68. Use oil to lubricate the piston rod and then insert it into the main piston body. Push it until it’s flush with the pilot piston bearing, and then attach the other pilot piston cap.
69. Use a screwdriver to move the pilot piston back and forth, making sure that it moves freely. If the pilot piston is stuck, loosen the bolts on the pilot piston cap until it moves freely and then tighten the bolts and check it again.
70. Install the main piston and make sure that it moves freely through the glycol pump body.
71. Insert the two o-rings in the communicating hole grooves on the piston rod gland, and place the larger o-rings on the opposite side.
72. Now insert the two backups and o-rings in the piston rod seal retainers.
73. Lubricate the o-rings and backups on the seal retainers with oil, then install them into the piston rod gland.
74. Lubricate the piston rod with oil to prevent damaging the seal retainer o-rings.
75. Make sure that the index pins are in the body, then slide the gland and the seal retainer assembly onto the piston rod and align the index pin with the hole on the gland. Repeat these steps on the other side of the pump.
76. Insert the o-rings, backups, and the interior o-ring onto the piston seal retainer.
77. Lubricate the o-rings and backups with oil and place the piston seal retainer and the piston onto the piston rod.
78. Thread on the lock nut with the bevel side facing out and tighten it while holding the piston rod still with a wrench on the backside of the piston. Repeat this step on both sides.
79. Make sure that the gland doesn’t move out of place when tightening the lock nut.
80. Make sure that and the inside of the cylinder walls are lubricated with oil, then slide the cylinders under the pistons.
81. Install the cylinder head o-rings and lubricate them with oil.
82. Place the bolts into the cylinder head and mount it on the cylinder. Make sure that the tubing fitting is in the right place and tighten the bolts in a star pattern just like you would the lug nuts on a wheel. NOTE: In the newer style pumps you’ll have gaskets that will go underneath the removable port plates.
83. Place the o-rings on the main piston valve housing and the pilot piston valve housing, then install the D slide guides.
84. Remove the legs closest to the main piston valve housing so that there will be room to tighten the bolts on the pilot piston housing.
85. Coat the D slide in oil and place it on the main piston valve housing. The oil will keep it in place while you install it in the pump body.
86. Insert the bolts that hold the pilot piston valve housing in place.
87. Reinstall the legs closest to the main piston valve housing.
88. Install the tubing. Start with the shorter of the two u-shaped tubes with one end on the main piston valve housing and the other end on the pilot piston cap. Hand tighten the fitting caps so that they don’t cross thread and then tighten them down until they are snug.
89. Install the longer u-shaped tube on the other main piston valve housing fitting and the pilot piston cap.
90. Coat the D slide in oil and place it on the pilot piston valve housing and lubricate the o-ring.
91. Insert the pilot piston valve housing into the pump body and rotate it slightly to be able to install your pilot piston tubing.
92. Hand start the pilot piston tubing and then bolt down the pilot piston valve housing.
93. Tighten down the pilot piston tubing and then stand the pump up on its legs.
94. Hand start the l-shaped tubing on the needle valve side and use a wrench to move the tubing elbow into position.
95. As you push the tubing into place, tighten the fittings until snug and then repeat these steps for the other side.
96. Insert the discharge seats into the block along with their o-rings.
97. Place the upper and the lower o-rings on the check valves. Be sure to lubricate the check valves with oil and insert them in at the block.
98. Put the o-rings onto the check valve caps and install them onto the discharge block.
99. Verify that the check valves are moving freely by shaking the discharge block. If they are installed properly, you will be able to hear them moving back and forth.
100. Attach the discharge block to the pump body. Put the o-rings onto the suction seats and lubricate them with oil before you install them into the suction block.
101. Use the suction seat tool to put the seat into the suction block.
102. Tap the seat into place, being careful not to shear the o-ring. You should feel a little bit of resistance.
103. Place the upper and lower o-rings on the check valves. Lubricate the check valves with oil and insert them into the block.
104. Place the o-rings on the check valve caps and install them into the suction block.
105. Verify that the check valves are moving freely by shaking the suction block. You should be able to hear them moving back and forth.
106. Place the two o-rings on the back face of the suction block.
107. Bolt the discharge and the suction blocks to the pump body.
108. Tighten the check valve caps by hand with a crescent wrench so that you don’t over tighten them.
109. Thread the needle valve stems into the needle valve housing.
110. Place the o-rings and backups around the stem. The new style glycol pump has a groove in the needle valve body for an o-ring. If this groove isn’t there, do not use the o-ring provided in the repair kit.
111. Thread the needle valve assembly into the control valve housing. Repeat all of the same steps for the other needle valve.
112. Install the valve covers and attach the needle valve handles.
Congratulations! That concludes the repair of the Kimray Energy Exchange Glycol Pump.
If you have any questions or need any information on the Kimray tools used in this video, reach out to your local Kimray representative.
