Thread:

jetpump rebuild...

So i completly rebuilt my pump and am completly confident in the work i put into it. I spend alota time researching and noting things for this rebuild. But one question... Ive got the packing down finger tight and the shaft just feels a bit tight to me is that normal??? How freely should the shaft spin?? I dont have any grease on the main berring as of yet, but i just wanna make sure its not suppsed to be excessivly tight.. I put tape over the mating surface for the impeller and drove through the new packing with a rubber mallet. I guarantee the packing is whats making it tight... The shaft was a bitch to get through that.

WIll that packing eventually "break in" and allow the shaft to spin a bit more freely?

yes the packing is a compression rope seal and will have more resistance when new. when first installed the packing should have just enough pressure to allow a slow drip when installed to lubricate the shaft. at initial install it will probably have enough resistance that you can not easily rotate the pump by hand. after break in it will be easier to rotate and you could most likely rotate it by hand.

Thats exactly what i wanted to hear!! Thanks for the reply

Originally Posted by jetboatperformance

X2 (as said above) we always assemble/install the packings last , prior to packings the pump shaft should turn absolutley free by hand .. Tom

ahh i was following the american turbine overhaul instructions...

http://www.americanturbine.com/downl..._oh_manual.pdf

Originally Posted by DuaneHTP

x3 It's a lot easier to put the seals in last. That way you know if your impeller is turning freely before the tension of the packings is involved.

i did test fit everything first before installing the shaft through packing. i had shaft installed, main cap installed and impeller in with the correct clearance.. Then i installed packing and drove shaft through. it turns freely just was a little tight didnt know exactly how tight it was supposed to be... deffinetly not like it was when i removed it from the hull.