A growing and pesky leak in the front of the starboard motor/Sheila (the port motor is “Peter”) reveals itself as the raw water cooling pump. At this point it’s not clear if the leak is from the impeller/housing, a replaceable part we have spares on board for, or the seals/bearings, a major rebuild issue. Like a car, you can run with a leaky water pump for a little while but you need to keep an eye on it. Again, this is a good time to remember that there’s another reason to have two motors!
What a happy (Happy) raw water pump sounds like.
What you really don't want to see/hear.
For most seagoing boats the motor cooling system is divided into two parts. One part that pumps the water you’re in (salt or freshwater) to a heat exchanger that works like your cars radiator. From there a separate but connected system uses a second pump, just like your cars, to circulate a water/antifreeze mix through cooling tubes from the heat exchanger to the engine block and back. This way you’re not exposing the insidees of the motor to corrosive saltwater and all the junk that may be in it. Our previous boat didn’t have this and after 7 years in saltwater on the Georgia coast the motor had to be flushed regularly/repeatedly to get all the gunk out of it or it would overheat in a heartbeat………. and I shudder to think about the corrosion part!
Because the raw water side can be dealing with saltwater, sediments in the water, etc., it’s particularly vulnerable to fouling and aggravated wear. Regular attention and replacement of the flexible impeller is always a good thing to do. Either way a failing raw water pump can give the motors a very bad day.
After research with our boat manufacturer’s club, Youtube and Ebay I find that the raw water pumps for our boat are no longer made and that even if they were, they are a $600 item, ouch! As a part of setting us up for the Loop, the Boat Whisperer in Tennessee stocked our engine room with many spare parts (belts, oil/fuel filters, raw water pump impellers, drive shaft couplings, prop seals, etc) and also included a raw water pump that although not an exact match for our stock pumps, was regarded as a modifiable spare.
Plan A involves finding a rebuild kit (seals/bearings, etc) online and figuring out how/where to get them air shipped ahead to a place with a mechanic that can rebuild the pump. Plan B is to see if anyone can figure out how to install the backup spare pump.
Sooooo for the last few days we’ve been cruising without stressing Sheila out too much and calling ahead for marina’s/shops that might be able to have the time to help us. Again our membership with AGLCA comes to the rescue with a Harbor Host in Southport who has had our type of pump fixed locally.
Gotta have a shop dog!
Southport is another one of those seaside towns with an active fishing fleet, several marinas and a quaint, walkable waterfront with restaurants and shops. We tie up and in a couple days realize that the pump needs a major rebuild and are lucky to work with a yard with good enough mechanics to figure out how to modify the mounts and piping to get the backup pump installed and working. On our way again Sheila is running cool as a sea cucumber!