Coolant pump mismatch / Universal Kubota

[Skipper]

This is a spin off the original post :

Brand new coolant pump fail.

I posted previously about the coolant pump failing after only 5 years. Original had lasted 31 years. Well, I just installed a brand new one. It lasted 3 seconds. Huge pain to install. 3 hours. Not technically difficult but have to drain coolant, remove fan belt, hoses, pump, scrape, reinstall...

forums.sailboatowners.com

So I have since bought a Kubota pump at the local Kubota dealer.
it’s the same as the one I bought 5 years ago (see linked post).

The aftermarket pump that seized in 3 seconds apparently didn’t actually seize on its bearing, it seized on the bolts holding the pulley.
See pics.
One pic has the new Kubota on the left, with the knock off one on the right. Totally different. Not enough clearance for the original bolts that came with the engine. You can even see metal shavings where the bolts contacted the housing.
I included pics showing one of the bolts in and contacting, and then in the Kubota pump and clearing the housing.
Totally incompatible with existing equipment, unless you know to change out the bolts to shorter ones I guess.
Anyway I didn’t do that. I sent the Chinese pump back and kept the Kubota. Also, as another suggested in the previous post, I’ll keep the 5 year old Kubota pump and have the seal replaced.

 

[capta]

A couple of washers or shorter bolts could have solved that problem lickety split. Obviously the non OEM pump was made with a different pulley thickness in mind.

 

[Rick Webb]

Is the face height the same?

Could end up with a misaligned belt.

 

[sailme88]

no sure if it's an optical illusion, but in the pic of both pumps the one on the left looks like the hub is a casting that is asymmetrical. the right hub looks stainless

 

[Skipper]

Is the face height the same?

Could end up with a misaligned belt.

I thought that too.
Which is another reason why I didn’t just get shorter bolts or shim existing.
You can see there’s less clearance between the housing and hub on the knockoff.
Also, I do NOT want to do this job again. And if I kept the Chinese pump after being clearly warned it’s not correct, Neptune or Poseidon or one of that lot would certainly punish me with yet another failure of the coolant pump.