Help with seized fresh water pump

[Afraal]

Hope you guys are having a great Memorial Day! I need some guidance from the experts here:

On our way back to the dock yesterday, the fresh water pump on my Universal M25xpb seized. It all happened in an instant. I hear a weird grinding noise, the I heard the belt screaming. I stopped the engine before the belt was completely gone.

The Fresh water pump is completely stuck, and it is leaking coolant. Any advise on finding a replacement water pump and on installing it?

Thank you!

Andres

 

[kappykaplan]

On our way back to the dock yesterday, the fresh water pump on my Universal M25xpb seized. It all happened in an instant. I hear a weird grinding noise, the I heard the belt screaming. I stopped the engine before the belt was completely gone.

The Fresh water pump is completely stuck, and it is leaking coolant. Any advise on finding a replacement water pump and on installing it?

Had the same thing happen to me around this time last year. Took the chandlery four weeks to find a new pump and another two weeks to get it shipped in. Good luck finding a new pump!

 

[Afraal]

I found this one on Amazon and in a few sites for the Kubota D1005. It seems identical to the one from Catalinadirectdotcom. The price difference is huge. Am I missing something?

 

[jssailem]

Am I missing something?

As always the devil is in the details.
Here is a copy of the parts manual.

https://www.westerbeke.com/parts%20manual/201021%20parts%20manual%20m25xpb-m35b-m40b%20revision%202%20final.pdf

Your fresh water pump is found on page 45 and 46. The assembled part is #27 in the image. Finding #27 on page 46 you see two part numbers with a reference to a date code.

You need to identify the date code on your part and then be sure you get the correct part when shopping.

 

[Afraal]

Thank you @jssailem. I see the impeller size difference on the parts list. I found both options available online. I will do my homework to get the part date code. Cheers!

 

[Alansails]

We replaced our sherwood water pump with an Oberdorfer and was glad we did it

 

[Ward H]

We replaced our sherwood water pump with an Oberdorfer and was glad we did it

As did we. Great upgrade. But Afraal is talking about his engine water pump, not the raw water pump.

 

[Afraal]

I'm attaching a few pics of the pump. I can't see well inside, but most likely the bearings failed. The impeller is out of center and stuck against the housing. I'm very glad this happened at low rpms. The pump is actually a 60mm impeller pump. Thanks again @jssailem for pointing that out. Part ordered already. I may end up replacing the alternator and a few hoses while I'm at it.

 

[JoeWhite]

If you replace the alternator, use its ground lug and with #8 black wire conne t to the shunt

 

[capta]

There are a couple of very large, well stocked pump companies online that often have either new, rebuilt, or rebuild kits for many of the pumps used on marine engines. As mentioned above, some engine manufacturers (Cummins/Onan, for one) use Kubota engines, and parts are generally much cheaper than through marine suppliers.

 

[Afraal]

If you replace the alternator, use its ground lug and with #8 black wire conne t to the shunt

Hi @JoeWhite, would you mind giving me more details on this. Do you mean to connected to the Negative pole of the batteries? thanks!

 

[JoeWhite]

Afraal, if you have battery monitor, there is a shunt that is connected to the negative terminal of the battery and the other side is connected to the negative side of the engine block and all other electrical devices and negative buss bars.
The negative side of the alternator is the external case and is connected to the engine block by means of its hinge bolts. However these bolts do not provide reliable electrical connection. If while the engine is running and there is a microsecond of loss of ground connection, the alternator will be damaged. Since you are installing a new alternator, they are covered in heavy paint. This paint covers the interiors of the mounting hinge holes. This prevents a good ground connection. To prevent damage to alternator, install your own reliable ground path with a cable wire.
If you do not have battery monitor, you do not have shunt. In that case your ground is the negative side of the battery.
Visit Alternator Bracket | Sail La Vie
To find out more about my experience.

 

[Afraal]

@JoeWhite, I just recently installed a couple of Victron battery monitors. ( I hated not knowing what was coming in/out of my batteries), and in the process I installed a shunt in the battery bay. What you just explained, makes a lot of sense. And, If I understand correctly, your advise is that I run an #8 wire from the alternator all the way to the negative shunt. I was looking forward to more crawling and wire fishing, but it seems like a smart thing to do.

 

[JoeWhite]

Yes, it is worth the trouble.
I am curious why are you replacing the alternator?

 

[Afraal]

I see a little bit of wobbling on the fan blades when I spin it. I think it got hit by the belt when it started breaking. The wobbling is not much but visible when I spin it by hand. I'm thinking at 2000 rpm it might cause additional vibration... thoughts?

 

[JoeWhite]

Good test. Yes, it is ready to be replaced.

 

[PlaneTom]

I

I found this one on Amazon and in a few sites for the Kubota D1005. It seems identical to the one from Catalinadirectdotcom. The price difference is huge. Am I missing something?

I replaced mine when the raw water pump seized, I just decided to do them both. The fresh water pump was on the shelf at a local Kubota dealer.
For the raw water pump I switched to Oberdorfer. It ran fine for about an hour, then quit pumping. I opened the front and the impeller looked just fine. I turned the engine by hand and the shaft moved, the metal center of the impeller moved, but the rubber part had separated from the core. On further examination, it was assembled incorrectly. According to the parts breakdown, it was supposed to have one of the bronze washers on each side of the impeller, but mine had them both on the front. So the stack height was correct, but the rubber part of the impeller was pressed against the back of the housing. Too much friction caused it to separate from the metal core. I called the vendor I bought it from, they had encountered this assembly problem a couple times in the past, and sent me a new impeller kit.
If I had a new Oberdorfer pump, I'd take the impeller cover off and check for proper assembly.

 

[Afraal]

Thanks everyone for your help. I completed the work on my engine yesterday. Before and after pictures attached. I took the opportunity to complete a few more items I had on my list:

* Replace the zinc anode in the heat exchanger
* Sandblasted and painted the fresh water pump pulley and the alternator arm
* Replaced a few hoses
* Full flush of the engine coolant.
* New fresh water pump of course (60 mm impeller).
Friday Part Water Pump 16241-73034 16241-73033 16241-73030 compatible with Kubota V1505 V1305 D1105 D905 D1005 60mm impeller

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RWRJ6G?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

* New belt
* And new alternator.
DB Electrical 400-46022 Alternator Compatible With/Replacement for MerCruiser Models and Certain Marine-Specific Motors, High-Output MerCruiser Alternator, Direct-Fit OEM MerCruiser Parts

Amazon.com

I now have an issue with the belt tension. The alternator is at the end of the tension arm but I still have a bit of wobbling in the belt. The belt is a new Universal 40inches. I read a few threads here and must of them suggest to make your own arm so you can add more tension. Any thoughts?