Have a Northern Tool 3000 psi washer with a Honda engine and Comet pump.

Last Summer I went to use it after it sat idle for a year or two and, while it started right up, there ended up being a water leak in to the hydraulic pump. No problem. I changed the water seals, cleaned out the hydraulic pump housing, changed the clear sight glass and o-ring, put new gaskets on it, refilled with new hydraulic fluid, rebuilt the carb and installed new gas lines and filters, etc. All went well, but I never got a chance to test it until today.

It started right up and idled great. But when I started watching the sight glass, the hydraulic fluid has small bubbles in it and it's getting foamy. Inasmuch as the fluid would get milky and the sight glass would turn a cream color if water was getting in, I'm assuming there's an air leak.

I checked all eight bolts on the water piston side and the four around the housing of the pump and all were tight as can be.

Short of taking it all apart and putting some gasket goop around the water piston housing and the hydraulic pump cover, my question is...

Will it will hurt the pump to use it with the air bubbles in the fluid if the fluid volume is at the 'max' level? I've got to get some of this cleaning done and would at least like to get a little work out of the way before I got tearing things down again.

What say ye?

Thanks.