Leaking SMX pump

[Bill]

I bought two new SMX pumps in late 2014 and installed them on my 450 Diamonds. The hard to get to port pump has started leaking. Pictures of good starboard pump and suspect port pump. Notice port pump has green all around water weep holes to drain water when water seal fails. Starboard pump is pristine there. I plugged bottom most weep hole with dry paper towel and ran engine for five minutes. When I pulled out the towel the inside of it was wet, conforming the leak.

What Should I do? $750 new pump or $300 rebuild kit or $60 new water seal?

Topic

[Bill]

Humpty Dumpty is back together. First picture is the cleaned out housing ready for the new seal. Second picture is the new main seal installed. That went in easy pushing with gloved fingertips. Final picture is with the shaft seal and cap locked in place with the retaining clip. To push the clip in place I used a piece of 1” pvc pipe. It was the right inside diameter to push the clip down until it snapped into its shaft groove.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Scotth, Tony

[Richard Dodson]

Replace it and keep it as a short term spare

[Bill]

I got the main water seal it. Kinda yucky looking. I used tat little hook took I found in my toolkit. Now to clean it real good an push in the new ones. Brandon said to lube it with assembly grease and to wear gloves. He said no hand oils should get on the seal.

[Rob Schepis]

Bill wrote:

It’s a fun learning project for me, Tony. I ordered a replacement pump from you yesterday and I’ll turn this one into a spare since I don’t have one.

Wrong Tony.
Bill, thanks for keeping this thread going with your progress. Not sure if you’ve see this diagram.

[Bill]

It’s a fun learning project for me, Tony. I ordered a replacement pump from you yesterday and I’ll turn this one into a spare since I don’t have one.

[Tony]

Thanks for the posts Bill – interesting to see how it all works

Cheers

Tony

[Bill]

Ok. I pried up the upper shaft seal. It’s pretty easy to do. Remove the elbows so you can stick a flathead screwdriver through the bottom of the grid and just leverage it up. As you can see the underside of this seal is pretty torn up. Only step left is to pull out the main housing seal.

[Rob Schepis]

It won’t be long until that used impeller looks like this. You should carefully inspect and likely replace the cam along with the impeller.

[David Pantiliano]

Replace the impeller

No question replace the impeller

[Bill]

Definitely a leaky seal. I filled it with water and watched it run out on the other side of the seal.

[Bill]

While I have the attention of, well apparently no one, what would you all do with this SMX impeller that was in the pump? It’s Perfectly good everywhere except for that little tear. It has 2 years and 350 hours on it. I’m considering snipping off that piece do it won’t break off, and then putting it back in the pump. Is that a bad idea?

[Bill]

Well that was easy once I looked at the new ring and found it was coiled. So the ring, the cap and the spring at out. Now I am down to the seals. This is the point where Brandon said call him back when I get this far. So I guess I’ll call him Monday.

[Bill]

Ok. I am making progress. Thanks to Brandon at Seaboard I have the general instructions. I have the wear plate and cam out. Now I have to remove the small retaining ring at the bottom of the splines shaft. It’s sitting on the top of the actual seal assembly. If anyone has tricks and tool recommendations to get under it to bend it and break it apart to get it out, I’ll be glad to listen.

[Bill]

My port seawater leak is definitely the SMX water pump. It’s gotten pretty bad now over time. Kinda disappointing I only got 5 years and 1000 hours out of it. But there is always at least one lemon of everything out there.

I bought the new water seal from sbmar. I have never done this before. Can someone give me pointers on how to get the pump apart, replace the seal, and back together again.

[Bill]

Thanks Tony. It’s on the outside of the engine so I have to remove it to do that work. Since I don’t want to remove it twice I’ll probably go ahead and buy the new water seal and just replace that when I do the two o rings on the pipe.

[Tony Athens]

Why not try this:

Remove both elbows on the worse one–Replace both o-rings with lots of grease on both flanges after all is cleaned..

Take a small SS wire brush and wire brush using WD-40 on all of the “patina green” areas on the rest of the pump.. Coat all with any type of oil and WWM ..

If you “see” the pump actually dripping water after you do this, it may need a new seal .. Either way, just keep an eye on it.. Nothing will fail, it’s just a salt water drip.. It has been 6 yrs…. Curious, ever removed your impeller on that side in that 2-3 years? I have seen some seal clips break which can cause this..

How about some good pics of the rest of your engines?

[Bill]

Here are pictures.

[Author]

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