Can this be polished?

[Badzuk]

So I tore down a little electric unit that we have because it was drawing too many amps (almost 30) to make sure the pump was looking ok. That and I haven't had the chance to take apart this kind of pump yet and wanted to see how it worked.

Anyway nothing out of the ordinary, except the #1 crank journal is scuffed up. Not too bad, but needs to be taken care of. Can I polish this myself or is it time for a new crank? This is from a little CAT pump.

 

[Russ Johnson]

I wouldn't bother with polishing it, but you could give it a try. It looks like it got pretty warm. It also seems like the outboard needle bearing has been wearing into it's journal too. The connecting rod is obviously shot. I think you're just asking for future failure if you try to patch it together.

To do it right, you'll need rods, a crank, both bearings, seals, etc. There may be wear and scoring on the piston rods too.

 

[Tony Shelton]

I've got one that has been throwing breakers too. Probably the same pump.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[Badzuk]

URRR.

Alright, Cat Pump # 2SFX20ES3
Shoot me a price for parts, might as well do a full rebuild with packings, valves and seals too.
I got to imagine that at this point it is close to the same as a new pump, so what do you have to replace it with?

You can give me a call on my cell if you want. 616.706.8862
Thanks, Jason

 

[Badzuk]

Here is the #1 piston, which is the worst.
Quote these too if needed.

 

[Badzuk]

I've got one that has been throwing breakers too. Probably the same pump.

Trouble is I'm not convinced that it is entirely the pump, I think the electric motor may need some work too.
I'll have one of my electricians look it over later, he supposedly has experience repairing electric motors.

 

[Steven Rowlett]

With the experience I have with CAT pumps most of the time it is less money to replace the pump with a General or AR. As far as repairing the back part of any pump it always less money to replace the complete pump.

 

[Russ Johnson]

A new 2SF20ES - $451.44
A 2DX20Es - $293.75
Waiting on a quote for the parts.

 

[Russ Johnson]

...and it'll cost you $639.77 for the parts to rebuild your old one.

 

[Christopher]

I have always heard that it is cheaper to just replace the CAT pump when it has problems rather than rebuilding it.

 

[Badzuk]

...and it'll cost you $639.77 for the parts to rebuild your old one.

That's crazy....I'll avoid cat pumps from now on. I wouldn't have bought this setup in the first place, it was here when I took over. I think I may just look into buying what I really need instead of chasing problems with this setup.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Russ Johnson]

Any pump gets expensive to fix where the back end is concerned. Rods, cranks, and bearings are high.

 

[Badzuk]

Any pump gets expensive to fix where the back end is concerned. Rods, cranks, and bearings are high.

So what does a guy need to do to get it all? You know, Bulletproof reliability, (even once the 5 year old oil finally escapes out of a leaky crank seal) Cheap repair parts that I can buy @ 7-11, and a low purchase price.
I want it all, and give it to me free.

But seriously, I run mostly generals now (TS 1511) and they seem like a good compromise, is there something that fits the bill better?

Oh, and just for fun here is another disaster that I tore apart yesterday. Never saw one like this before. It is like the crank just ground away at the rods. The crankcase was full of oil, and full of aluminum deposits too.

Oil is supposed to shimmer like that, right?

 

[Russ Johnson]

Looks like the stuff that oozed out of my Etch a Sketch when I was a kid and broke one.