Volvo raw water pump leak

[dpb]

The raw water pump on my AD41 leaks for a short while (minute or two) after shutting the engine down, doesn’t leak when running.
Figure I need to replace the shaft seal and bearings.
Is this an urgent job or a do by the end of the year job?
(I assume this is dependant on the likely hood of the seal or bearings failing catastrophically)
Thanks in advance!

 

[neale]

Where is it leaking from? Cover plate or shaft?

 

[dpb]

Looks to be the shaft.

 

[neale]

Normally leaks when running and not once stopped if the shaft seal has gone . Bearings may be fine so before you splash out on a full kit from Volvo whip it off and take it apart. Last time mine leaked I changed the shaft seal alone for about £5. That was one with a stainless steel spring rather than the original Volvo mild steel version.

 

[DAKA]

Agreed if you catch it early, shaft seals only.
leave it until the end of season and need bearings and anything under it replacing....... alternator / bearings power steering / bearings , pullys , fan belts will shred as the pulley rust wears them.

rinse everywhere close with vinegar and fresh water hose and spray with antifreeze / corrosion guard if you are going to put it off.

 

[dpb]

Thanks guys...
I am puzzling over the leaking only after shut down as that would suggest that the leak is on the suction side and I would have thought the area of the shaft seal would be under pressure when running.
Anyway the picture attached shows the leak seamingly from the rear of the pump.
Fortunately the water drops straight to the bilge so no worry about other bits.
The pump looks easy enough to remove...two bolts at the back and pull forward?
Guess I will get a seal and tackle it the next bad weather weekend......that will be soon then!!!!

 

[vandy]

We were heading up to Hull on a Saturday evening and I noticed water under the engine after we switched off the engine - called engineer and he confirmed it must be the water pump seal. The reason it does not lead when you cruise along is that there is no pressure to the seal and water is being pumped up (or down can't remember the exact direction!)

Anyhow, the advice I was given on the phone was to carry on and just watch the engine temprature. We cruised along the east coast all the way up to Inverness where there was a volvo dealer who fixed it (an hour job).

Cheers

 

[dragoon]

Thanks guys...
I am puzzling over the leaking only after shut down as that would suggest that the leak is on the suction side and I would have thought the area of the shaft seal would be under pressure when running.
Anyway the picture attached shows the leak seamingly from the rear of the pump.
Fortunately the water drops straight to the bilge so no worry about other bits.
The pump looks easy enough to remove...two bolts at the back and pull forward?
Guess I will get a seal and tackle it the next bad weather weekend......that will be soon then!!!!

I've done the ones on my 40s a couple of times now. Some pointers that may help;

- when I remove the 2 bolts and pull the pump forward, on mine there is what can be described as a "drive key" behind the pump. Don't lose this in the bilge as it will likely fall off when you pull the pump, assuming yours has them.

- make sure you get a seal spec'd for the job. A bearing/seal supplier can help. You will need stainless springs for sure, and I think they spec'd neoprene rubber on mine for sea water resistance.

- you may find the shaft is grooved where the seal has been running. Provided you measure everything up (location of bearings on the shaft) you may find you can marginally move the shaft forwards or backwards in relation to the bearings - this will then allow the seal to run on a different (not grooved) part of the shaft. To help with this, I stripped both pumps together and measured the differences in how they were set up. This gives you an idea of acceptable margins.
Hopefully yours won't be as bad as mine were and you can ignore this.

- the job is a lot easier with a press,if you're going to change the bearings. I bought one just for this job and have used it for lots of jobs since.

Regards the leaking when not under pressure, that could be the spring gone. Under pressure it will grip the shaft, take the pressure away and it will rely on the spring which may not be in place any more. Just a thought....


Cheers Paul

 

[neale]

Looks the same as the pump on my KAD32. I wrote a step by step on replacing the shaft seals in that pump in the Jun 08 MBM, which might be useful.

 

[Montemar]

MBW article very helpful.
I would suggest you get every seal, gasket, O-ring, impeller in advance or you will end up 1 part short of a rebuild.
When I took mine apart something called the companion flange ( the drive shaft fits into this ) looked distinctly well worn suggesting bits of rubber were floating around in the engine somewhere! I replaced it just in case. The bearings were fine and the leak was small but having seen the paint damage that can occur I did the sensible thing ...... just for a change!