Leaking Oberdorfer Pump

[saltysailor]

my Oberdorfer (202M-07) pump has got to be fixed or replaced and that is my question.
As you can see here the brown stain with the drop at the bottom is where the water is coming out. It's only a drop a min but as you can see this has cause a lot of corrosion. Anyway, can anyone look at this and guess whether the pump could be properly repaired? I've seen the kits at Moyer Marine. Granted I have no experience with these pumps but it looks strange to me where the leak is. It doesn't appear to be along a gasket.
Any comments are appreciated.


Oberdorfer Water Pump by picndicular, on Flickr

 

[Stu Jackson]

Pumps are made with weep holes. They are there to tell you that the seals are leaking. There are two seals - one for water and one for oil. You can remove the pump body and replace the seals. In fact, you now HAVE to do so.

Go to www.marinedieseldirect.com and look for the blowup of the pump. Oberdorfers are very good pumps. You can get replacement parts for less at DEPCO, http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5328.0.html Contact info is on page 2 of that link.

Also, I'd move that electrical wire from its location on the pump. What is that, anyway?

 

[RichH]

Yikes !!!!! Get that 'ground strap' OFF of that pump!!! What probably caused the problem is the wee/miniscule bit of zinc in the bronze has been consumed by electrolysis due to the 'ground/bonding strap'.
Youll probably find a lot of developed 'porosity' in and on the pump casting, etc. Validate the 'integrity' of this pump casting before you consider any 'rebuild', etc.

Such pumps are easily rebuilt ... get the parts from Moyer, etc. and take the pump and parts to an 'automotive machinist' (every town will have one) to press new bearing/seals, etc. if you dont know how to properly do this yourself .... but verify the pump casting first so you dont dump $$$ down a 'rat hole'.

 

[CalebD]

Or ditch the Oberdorfer for a brand new MMI 501 or 502 pump: http://www.moyermarine.com/cgi-bin/...all&template=Templates/B000_storebuilder.html
Advantages: brand new seals and pump, NO grease cap fitting to forget to turn, it is an easy job to swap out the old Oberdorfer for the new pump. Then you can fix up the Oberdorfer and save it as a backup or sell it if you prefer.

I bought a used MMI 502 flange water pump for our old A4 and I will say that I am quite happy with it, not that there is anything inherently wrong with the Oberdorfer pumps (they are installed on thousands of engines, both diesel and gas). I like knowing that my pump only has one season of use on it now. Do you know how old your Oberdorfer has been cooling your engine?

 

[higgs]

I've never seen a ground strap to a pump and suspect this is your problem.

 

[saltysailor]

Thanks to all.
As a dad with little ones, I've been dreaming about getting down to the boat and taking care of this problem instead of my lil rascals. Hopefully this week I will...
A. Remove that ground. Should I just find a spot on the block to screw it into? The engine is a Universal 5411.

B. Try to clean up the pump and surrounding area. Remove salt and corrosion. Try to see if the pump looks ok. Is there a better way to flush the salty corrosion off the motor mounts etc then just using fresh water?

C. I'll try to remove the pump but likely will settle with some PB blaster sprays and come back again.

-Caleb, I've thought about that 502 kit but I'm not sure if I'm committed to pay that much unless my pump looks totaled.

Rich, Stu- thanks for the advice and comments. I will look at the integrity of the pump when I get it off and cleaned up.

 

[Gary_H]

My 5411 is grounded to a bolt on the back of the engine. one of the bolts that hold the bell housing to the engine block.

I rebuilt the raw water pump on my 5411, it wasn't that hard. Take it off, take it home and clean it up real good so you can determine the true condition of the bronze. Then order the rebuild kit and rebuild it. I couldn't afford a new pump.

 

[CalebD]

saltysailor,
I know what you mean about the cost of a new water pump. I was lucky enough to find a lightly used one right here on this forum that was < 1/2 price of a new one.

That ground wire can be connected to any available spot on the engine block.

The best way to clean that Oberdorfer would be to take it off the engine, bring it home and put it to a wire brush on a grinder motor. You might try using some vinegar or stronger acid as well.

Stu recommended DEPCO for the rebuild kit. I'll recommend Moyer Marine as they are closer. There also are a few different models made by Oberdorfer and you'd want to get the right kit for your unit. You can actually speak to Ken (parts dept) on the phone and he will make sure you get what you need. I gather DEPCO only takes phone sales.
http://www.moyermarine.com/
Does the SBO chandlery sell the Oberdorfer rebuild kit too?

 

[saltysailor]

Ok so I took the pump off and it seems like it will be fine. I'm about half way done cleaning it off. I've taken one seal off and the shaft out. The shaft is scored and will need to be replaced.
Now the pump problem seems like it's under control but when I took the pump off...what a mess. I'm not sure what to call this part where the pump mounts to the engine but boy does it look bad. Surprisingly the linked shaft in the middle looked perfect but that mounting bolt on the bottom is a real mess. Hopefully I can clean up the face and the rest fairly well and not visit this dying part for several years.
Thoughts?




pump mount by picndicular, on Flickr

 

[tommays]

I have seen much bigger messes to clean up

 

[saltysailor]

tommays...I've seen your rebuild blog and the work you have done is amazing.

Ok so I couldn't get the seals out and I've tried many things. Screwdriver prying. Using a paint can opener through the impeller side, set on top of the seal and hammering a way. I cut it up with my dremmel hoping I'd weaken the it. I heated it up with my torch. Hmmm. I guess I'll give it a little more love with my dremmel. This seal is supposed to be the easy one! I spoke to Moyer and he was very nice but he said the oil seals are almost always fairly easy to take out. The water seal is another story but I haven't even gotten to that yet. I was wondering maybe I should try some PB Blaster and my bench vice and push it in more to break the freeze and then pull it out. Even if I succeed with this seal the inner has me more concerned. I may just have to get a new pump. I'm weighing the cost vs the cost of not using my sailboat.




pump stuck seal by picndicular, on Flickr

 

[tommays]

I bought the new pump because the case was so worn were the shaft rode ,the speed cover/o-ring and NOT needing the snap ring was all the better

The seals should just whack out BUT going in they need a press or a threaded rod and HD washers with the point of both ways being NOT to damage the seal in the install

 

[Ray T]

I would drive a screwdriver down between the seal and the housing. After you do that pry it out. If you leave some dings on the housing smooth them out and use some permatex aroung the housing when you install a new seal.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Use hardwood doweling to remove the seals. Use a socket to replace them.

 

[blackjohn]

I've never seen a ground strap to a pump and suspect this is your problem.

no ground strap on my a-4,no leaks or corrosion near weephole

 

[saltysailor]

Ok...just to finish this off I finally finished the water pump. 4 days into prying out, cutting out, heating, PB Blasting the old seals out, I gave up and ordered a new MM2 pump from Moyer. In the following days waiting for the pump to arrive, i continued on the old pump seals and finally got them out. Wow that felt good. 6 days of PB Blaster did it's job. Amazingly the old housing was still fine. The impeller housing was a little worn but the shaft still fit securely. Regardless, I put on the new pump and am now back in business.

On a different note, that day that we tested out the new pump the roller furler got stuck and we couldn't unfurl the sails. Next day we fixed that and went out to test the furler and when we got back the gear wouldn't shift into reverse. I had to laugh (and almost cry) but found that it was just sticky controls. I took the morse controls apart and lubed them up and now that works better then before. I'm glad it wasn't anything to do with my transmission. Ok....Let's see if I can do a sail now without anything breaking.
Thanks for all your help.

New pump

New Waterpump by picndicular, on Flickr