Cat27 5411 water pump housing leaking!?

[Al Kwiatkowski]

I recently replaced the impeller shaft seals on my 5411 because they were leaking. Well, it still leaks thru the housing, it has two holes that appear to be cast into the pump housing. The leak amounts to about 2 tablespoons per minute. That's still too much for me. Question: Is this small amount of water bad, i.e., will it harm the engine if allowed to continue? The temps stay between 120-140 degrees under all loads. I'd like to save the rest of the sailing season here on western Lake Erie, just don't want to be "out there" and test my sail-docking expertise. COuld anyone render some advice? Thanks.

 

[Todd (SV Windwalker)]

OK, kinda.

I'm no expert, but I have changed out my pump. Here's what I(Think I) know: Your pump leaks, probably through the shaft seals. even though they are new, the shaft gets worn enough to where even new seals won't keep it dry. Those holes in the casing are there to let water drain, rather than fill up the housing & get into the engine. Is that OK? in the short term, yes. You'll get saltwater in your bilge & probably some on the front of the engine too. Thr root cause is that your water pump is old. It needs to be replaced sometime in the future. If you keep running it as is, you have an increasing risk (although not too high) of complete failure of the pump. In short, I'd run it through the summer, then spend the winter looking for a good deal on a replacement pump. The 5411's had 2 kinds of pumps - Sherwood & orberdorfer(sp?) I heard that the Sherwood is the better pump. Good luck!

 

[Al Kwiatkowski]

Thanks for the response!

It's a Sherwood pump. Thanks for your time.

 

[Bob Camarena]

Keep the Old Pump

After you replace it, keep the old pump. Even though it leaks a bit, if you ever have a failure, you can use it as a temporary replacement.