Plumbing suction leak

[pinch52]

Hi all, I recently rebuilt my whisperflo pump when the water evaporated below the skimmer and the pump ran dry. Must have gotten very hot in there. The pot housing, cap, lid, shaft seal, seal plate and unions have been replaced. All plumbing connections appear be solid. No water leaks.
However it seems like the 3 way valve(see pics) might have a suction leak. When the valve is turned to flow from the pool, the pot stays primed(see pics). When the valve is turned to flow from the spa, the pot fills with air. (See pics)
I have replaced the internal valve water diverter and associated orings.(not sure what that piece is formally called). Could the valve lid be letting air in from where the valve stem protrudes through the valve lid?

Any recommendations on how to pinpoint a suction leak?

Thanks all

 

[Texas Splash]

If the pump pot is full when pulling water from the pool, then drops when changed to spa, the culprit would appear to be either the 3-way valve of the spa suction line. I recently changed the guts of my 3-way valve to include the entire handle step assy w/ paddle/gate (including stem O-rings), and lid O-ring. Sounds like you already did most of that, but if you didn't change the valve lid O-ring it's worth a shot. You might even try adding some pool lube as well to see if it makes a difference.

 

[pinch52]

Thanks TS, good advice. I tried replacing all rubber in the valve. Will now try replacing the valve cover. Read that may have cracked due to the excess heat from dry running