Shimadzu, where did your service department go??

Off-topic conversations and chit-chat.

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Is anyone else having trouble getting a hold of Shimadzu's US west coast service department? They were supposed to send me an e-mail quote so we could set up a service call... and it has now been nearly four weeks since the promised delivery date and I have seen neither hide nor hair from them. I've been calling at least two or three times every day for three weeks (but I only left one phone message, because I'm not cruel), and not only does no one pick up, but all related voicemail boxes are now full as of a few days ago (at least I can assure myself that I'm not alone in my woes?)... what the heck! Did they close their office or something??

On a completely related note, how difficult is it to do seal replacements on HPLC systems? The directions in the instruction manual are surprisingly coherent and I'm fairly handy, but I've still never done it before, so I feel a little leery about tinkering with something that costs several times more than my car. I wanted to try and have someone come in and show me how to do our now-long-overdue preventative maintenance for the year, but at this rate I'm not going to have a choice anymore. :|
Pump seals are easy to replace. The biggest thing is to tighten the pump head in stages - so you don't go to full tightness on one side, then start then other. Get both snug, then go back and forth a couple of times until both sides are fairly tight. Also, do not over tighten any fittings with ferrules on them. 1/8th turn past finger-tight should do.
Thanks,
DR
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Agreed, seals aren't hard to change. In the Shimadzu range I'm only familiar with Nexera, and here I'd just add that there is a sort of diaphragm at the back of the piston that I think acts to pump seal-wash. There are two possible designs, and if you get the wrong one, the whole thing leaks like a sieve. The part number in the instructions that came with your instrument should be correct. You only need to worry about this if you are also changing the pistons as well as the seals.
... sorry, I realise I got that wrong. The following is Nexera: There are two possible diaphragm things, and they have to match the pistons you currently have fitted. If you have never had the pistons replaced, then the part number in your instruction book should be correct. If you have newer pistons, they may need a newer diaphragm design. If you are replacing only the seals, there is no problem. In a proper service visit, I believe the aim would be to replace the seals and diaphragm things, but only replace the pistons if they are scratched. The diaphragm things don't necessarily need to be replaced if there is no leakage from behind the pump head.
I'd suggest doing the pump PM yourself. It's easy stuff. Replacing the seals should only take a few minutes.
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