No water flow to exhaust on my Universal 5432

[dlochner]

Have you replaced the gaskets in the raw water strainer?

Older Groco strainers, the bronze ones with the glass bowl are sealed with a cork gasket at the top and bottom of the glass. These gaskets deteriorate over time and will prevent the pump from priming by allowing a small amount of air into the hose.

The fix is cheap, buy some cork gasket material from an auto parts store, cut new gaskets, install.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Assuming the impeller is the right size and is not defective I guess the pump is about your only option left. Good luck!

7. I placed a garden hose into the hose that connects to the out take Sherwood water pump, and sstarted the engine, and sure enough, water flows all the way out to the exhaust.

Glad that didn’t cause you trouble, but for any future readers of the thread - putting a garden hose, or any other pressurized water source (including a bucket higher than the engine) can be very bad. The pressure can cause water to back up the exhaust and into the cylinders, hydro locking the engine.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'm following up with my water flow issue. Still no solution.

Here's what I have done:

1. Water is gushing in from the raw water through hull valve. That's not the issue.

2. Each hose segment has been cleaned, replaced, or tested for water flow. No issues there.

3. I took the heat exchanger (HX) out and had it professionally cleaned and flushed at a radiator shop. While at it, I replaced the end cap gaskets. No leaks, no issues there.

4. There are no clugs in the mixing elbow.

5. As previously stated, I replaced the impeller.

6. I disconnected the Sherwood water pump out take hose and started the engine. There was no significant water flow rate increase between when the engine was off and when it was running.

7. I placed a garden hose into the hose that connects to the out take Sherwood water pump, and sstarted the engine, and sure enough, water flows all the way out to the exhaust.

So, given what I have stated, especially in paragraphs 6 and 7, my assumption is that the Sherwood pump is not working (i.e., not turning the impeller).

I have purchased a used Sherwood pump and will replace it hopefully Tuesday night, and if all goes well, that will solve the problem.

Here are my questions based on my very limited understanding of how the pump interacts with the engine.

1. Is it possible that the Sherwood pump is fine, but an internal engine cam or belt or anything that turns the pump could be at fault? If so, what then?

2. The current pump, has a cam that connects to a metal rod in the engine via an metal adaptor. Should these fit like a globe, or is it normal to have some play among them?

Anywho, I hope the new pump will do the trick, but I'm all ears for advice.

Thanks in advance!

Going back several posts, it sounds like you had a clog in the intake but you resolved that issue. I noted your statement that the impeller was damaged after just one year of use ... that would be very unusual, but in the sequence, it seemed like it could be explained by the clogged intake. I think that you are on the right track by focusing on the raw water pump. Buying a new one is good .... but I'm going to suggest that you find out more about that loose adaptor that you just mentioned. I'm not knowledgeable, but that sounds like a problem. I would not expect any play in that rotation. Any looseness is bound to cause a lot of wear in a constantly rotating assembly. Before you ruin the new pump, I would get that checked out.

 

[WayneH]

I just dealt with sherwood pump issues. TWICE I installed a new impeller and had no flow from the pump. What happened to me was I managed to push out the impeller/shaft key so the pump was turning but not the impeller. The last time, I was sure I got it but I left the cover off the pump and manually rotated the engine to verify the impeller keyway was moving with the pump shaft THEN I closed up the pump.


But I still had to get the heat exchanger rodded out.

 

[jviss]

a used Sherwood pump

How do you know that one's any good?

Did you do this - check the pump you have by taking the hose off the output, and seeing if the pump pumps out water?

 

[RodrigoDC]

How do you know that one's any good?

Did you do this - check the pump you have by taking the hose off the output, and seeing if the pump pumps out water?

Yes, I did this. Water was flowing a trickle without the engine on. When cranking the engine, the folow rate did not increase. This is why I isolated the issue to the pump.

Well, I finally fixed the problem. The issue was with the cam adaptor of the pump that for some reason was not attaching to the engine gear when replacing the pump. Such a simple solution, but one that literally took months to figure out.

I found this out by using a mirror to make sure the engine gear was turning when the engine was on. I then installed the pump without the cover to expose the impeller, and using the mirror, I noticed the impeller was not turning.

By playing with the pump cam until it finally fell in place into the gear, I cranked the engine on again and there it was!!!! Movement with the impeller.

I did this mostly using tact, and feeling the cam falling in place. Now there are no leaks in the pump, and I never felt so good seeing water coming out of the exhaust. It's such an amazing feeling

Well, it sometimes we just need to look under our noses.

Thank you very much again for all your many pieces of advice. This is a wonderful community!
Rodrigo

 

[kappykaplan]

Well, it sometimes we just need to look under our noses.

Congratulations on your excellent detective work!

 

[jviss]

Thanks for following up! Good job sorting it out.

 

[BAD ORCA]

Oh cool. great to hear. you have been fighting this one for a long while now. thanks for keeping us updated. its something to file away in the back of the mind just in case...