Maintenance Issues - Raw Water Pump

 
    Well this entry may not seem exciting and doesn't contain any traveling. In fact most of the next entries will be like this one...maintenance!  I love it and I hate it. Pau Hana is a 20 year old boat and although she is in good shape for her age, she needs a little "nip & tuck".
  
  Small things like cleaning all the water pump filters, air filter for the Volvo, stuff like that. The number one issue right now is the raw water pump.  It has to be addressed as it puts quite a bit of water in the bilge and with water comes salt and with salt comes corrosion.
  
  After shutting off the seacock, I disassembled the entire system. The seacock still is allowing some water to pass through which if this was just an impeller change, wouldn't matter as the impeller is right at or just above the water line, but I had to place a plug in the hose to stem the small flow.  I had been soaking the pump area with WD-40 on the trip & PB Blaster when we got back so all the bolts came out no problem.  After removing the pump I pulled the impeller out, we were lucky on our trip back from Gasparilla as 3 of the veins were about 90% torn but still attached.  I ordered a new OEM pump from DEPCO in Clearwater, they are close so I should have it in a few days. I had the choice of an aftermarket but although it was 1/2 the price it was Korean made and I don't want to take a chance.
  
  The pump must have been leaking for some time as the steel bracket that holds the water hoses away from the belt was severely rusted. I fashioned a new one from some 1' x 1/8" steel, seems pretty close and I think it will work. I painted it with some green paint that is pretty close to the Volvo green but not an exact match.
   
  
  Well, everything is cleaned up and ready for the new pump.  I am going to eventually rebuild the old one and either sell it or keep it as a spare.
  Just as I finished this post, UPS showed up, way to go DEPCO!  I was surprised to see that the new OEM pump did not come with a rubber gasket for pump to engine, but I have the old one and it appears to be in good condition, I may use a little gasket maker to seal it. I switched out the pump cover and put the "speedseal" cover on it, shot a little faux Volvo Green on it & will install it this weekend! 


  I finally got around to installing the new pump today. I noticed the intake hose had some questionable marks or cuts in it so I replaced that as well. Not sure why but the seacock appeared to be completely shut off but a fair amount of water still came out, not a huge deal just an aggravation.  I greased the back of the pump well, placed the rubber "o" ring in, tightened all the connections, opened the seacock, filled the strainer a few times, fired the engine up and tadaa, no leaks!
 

  Pau Hana is Hawaiian for "Done Working"...but I'm not. Stay tuned for all sorts of repairs and replacements!

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