1013 and I have both been taking an extended snooze over the winter months but we've started to come back to life for the summer season, and with that comes this year's batch of pre-season mechanical foibles. The good news is that we have created a new Routemaster enthusiast in the form of our local chum Viktor who generally works on HGVs and is helping us out with, what is, in some cases quite literally, the heavy lifting.

I need to ask the advice of our assembled technical wisdom on a couple of matters.

Firstly, viktor is worried about the lubrication of the fuel pump. I read in the Haynes that once it is set up we should leave it alone but regularly check the levels. We've achieved half of that, it has been left alone for the best part of 20 years. My question is, which levels am I checking and what lubricant/oil grade do I need if it appears to be lacking?

Secondly, we've been working on a few weepy, fuel related unions and in the process we ended up needing a union nut. Being as everything is metrificated over here, we have had to resort to pinching the one off the top of the steering compensator (if that is what it is called (see picture below, bottom right of the shot)). There was only a short stub of pipe coming out of it, chopped off and going nowhere (so we've not made it any worse). We can simply bung up the hole but we are rather thinking that if they went to the trouble of putting it there in the first place it should be doing something. Could anyone advise on why the union is there or what it should be doing?



Many thanks in advance.

H.

My bus number (if any): RM1013

The 3/16" pipe union is for the overflow pipe on the top of the steering idler. These are lubricated with gear oil until it runs out of the pipe. It does need to be there otherwise road dirt can enter. Like it does with the kingpins, oil often runs straight out again when there is a bit of wear leaving the assembly dry, so the very runny type of autolube grease can be a better bet. The union tube nuts, olives, pipe etc can be obtained online from Tube Gear or Aero Hydraulics among other suppliers.

On a Routemaster, everything is there for a reason. Some trivial some crucial but there was very little frivolity in the design and engineering.

Just visible in the picture is the governor oil filler plug. Half a coffee cup of engine oil in there. In front of that is the pump body oil level plug 1/4 pint + engine oil in there too. Fuel will have leaked past the elements over time and contaminated the oil so drain that out first from the 1/2" pipe at back and bottom of the governor housing and from the 3/16" pipe at the front bottom of the body side. Remove the complete union to let it drain right out. This pipe joins onto the oil filler neck to keep the level topped up. The pump will probably throw oil out of the throttle and stop shaft bushes as well as a drilling in the front of the cambox until it finds its own level.

Thanks Roy, I'll be attending to it this week.

My bus number (if any): RM1013