Help. Reeflo snapper makes loud grinding noise

[Chingon]

i got it used from a fellow reefer. dont wanna mention names though. and not blaming him for any. as of now it could be a number of things i really need to open it. i was just waiting for my wife to wake up before i worked on it cause i might get noisy as i work.

 

[Chingon]

alright some pics coming... soon.

 

[Chingon]

ok, on this pic you can see some of the splatter from the rotating shaft(on sump wall), i put a paper nearby to see how bad it was leaking. two days i got that much.

 

[Chingon]

this is of the full pump.

 

[Chingon]

this is the inlet.

 

[Chingon]

ok, the pump is out. i did find lots of salt creep accumulated at the base of the pump. no signs of sand or other bad stuff on the impeller. the o ring seems a bit too skinny but not sure, it wasnt pinch or anything.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/sequence/dart-man.pdf

all seems good.

 

[Chingon]

the fan is a bit loose, wobbly. doesnt hit the casing. i ran the pump with the fan casing on, and as i tilt the pump it makes a humming noise, not too bad. i ran it with out it and it sounds ok. so it's an intermittent noise. now gonna check the seals on the shaft. not sure how to take it apart.

 

[vinny2261]

By the look of the pics I would say the front seal is bad. I would not take it further apart unless you are really handy. The seals need to be pressed out and the new ones in. I believe there is a maybe a spring pin of some sorts, cant remember the right term, that passes through the shaft that holds on a piece of the motor parts before you can actually slide the motor assembly out of its case. The motor also looks like it has been leaking for a little while, or perhaps it has been flooded. Looks pretty rusty and corroded. Does the motor spin freely if you turn it by hand? Also you can plug it in to see if it still makes a noise. Secure the pump and keep your hands clear

 

[vinny2261]

See the corrsion and salt creep between the front of the pump and the motor. bad seal. Also the picture of the front of the cover I believe where the O ring was should be carefully scrub and cleaned paying special attention to the O ring area, both sides. The rust should really be cleaned upo and repainted. All salt creep should be cleaned from the pump. All of the rust and salt creep can lead to a short or you being shocked or maybe worse Pump should be in a clean, well venalated, dry area

this is of the full pump.

 

[Chingon]

so i didnt continue on to taking apart the rest of the body, i clean all the salt creep with a tooth brush, i tried pushing the seal a bit back but dont know if it worked at all(shaft seal). i clean some of the lube used to hold the o ring in place and got it tight a little bit more than what it was when i took it out. so far so good, i havent seen a drop of water at all, placed a paper to see if i get any splatter, so we'll see what happens in the next few days, i will take the cover of and try to remove the rust on a wire wheel and then try to repaint it. thanks for all your help.

 

[Chingon]

by the motor does turn easily by hand, so i guess that's a good sign. it did have a bad leak at some point, flooding not sure.

 

[vinny2261]

feel free to pm me if you have any further need for any assistance. Good Luck....

 

[Chingon]

update. after a few days of working good it quit turning. and if i helped it turn with by turning it with a screw driver it would start again.
i ordered new seals for it from reeflo customer service and i got instructions to fix it. it was easy.
i did find the seals where extremely rusted to be new, but i'm guessing that's what a salt water leak will do to metal.

 

[Chingon]

another bad thing i found is a crack on the impeller. it starts at the base of the threads and goes all the way up. now i dont think this can be fixed so i will have to order a new impeller. at this moment i'm not so sure i want to keep spending money on this so we'll see.

 

[Scooterman]

I'd call customer service and see if they can rebuild it for you, you can get a really great price to have an almost new pump this way, send them the new parts to go with it and save some money, surely I'd call and ask.

 

[luisse25]

Yeah at this point it seems like that's the best idea. The impeller is trash, i dont think a new seal will stop the leak and i dont wanna think anything will fix the crack. so customer service will be great, now the stator doesnt want to turn, i know its trying to but wont. this pump needs some good fixing. i guess i'll leave it to the pros this time.