Yep - the seawater pump on the generator had failed.
Apparently the first to go was the seal - that's what keeps the seawater inside the pump and away from the bearings that support the shaft:
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| That's not supposed to be three different pieces... |
In fact the seal was so far gone that it came out in three pieces.
And then, because Kohler didn't see fit to use sealed bearings, the seawater running past the failed seal got into the bearings. High carbon steel does not do well with exposure to salt water...
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| Bearings no more... |
But thankfully, I have the tools and a rebuild kit was just an eBay away for a nominal sum, so one more time into the bilges, and the pump was as good as new. Actually better than new, because the rebuild kit came with stainless bolts to replace the brass (?!) phillips screws that had originally held the cover plate on. I also replaced the single brass (again...) screw that held the pump cam in place with a stainless one. That brass screw came out in three pieces... I can just barely imagine what would have happened if the cam had come loose in there when the pump was running...
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| Better than new! |
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2 comments:
That pump looks like the one on my Yanmar 3gm30f, the same pump I replaced last year at an astronomical price. About the rebuild, would I need an arbor press to rebuild the pump? Keep up the good work and interesting posts, I have read your entire blog from day one! Yay insomnia!!!
Wow - that's a lot of reading! Thanks for pounding your way thru it.
Yes, it is my understanding that Yanmar fitted the same pump on 2GMF and 3GMF engines, but the pumps thy used changed over time... be sure to get the one for your pump.
The only hard part of rebuilding the pump (kit: $50, on eBay) is getting the bearings off the shaft. I used a gear puller, but first separating the bearings enough with a chisel driven in between them in order to make enough room for the gear puller's lugs. The gear puller also worked well to install the new bearings.
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