Am I totally Screwed?

[SS Little-Devil]

So I had a one second drip from the bottom of my CAV injection pump for my Westerbeke W30 diesel engine on my Cal 34. I called in a mechanic. He's been pretty good so far, but this time. OMG.

He decided to start by trying to tighten everything up on the pump, and reefed on all the fittings. It was very hard to get at some of the bolts without removing a bunch of stuff, but he did it. The leak got WAY worse. Great.

Then he tried to take them out, and because they were so tight and the clearance was so tight, he used vice grips. Of course I wasn't there, but this is what the fitting looks like now.



He gave me the the fittings and I'm supposed to bring them in and try to match them up and get new ones, but here's where the problem gets worse.



If you screw the banjo bolts in, there is wobble in the hole of the pump. He stripped the threads by overtightening them. So now there is almost no thread in the pump and there's play in two of the holes. Buying new bolts will not solve that problem.

I wanted him to remove the pump so I could bring it in to be rebuilt. I was quoted $500 for a rebuild, but now, I'm scared that this pump is ruined. Re-tapping it is not an option, since I would have to get new fittings custom made. Good luck with that. My understanding is that a new or used pump will mean having to take the motor apart to set the timing up correctly, and because I have a V-drive and reverse mounted motor, good luck with that.

Any other ideas? Am I totally screwed? This has been a very bad day.

[phil23]

I have successfully
used Heli Coil Thread Inserts on a fuel pump under similar circumstances however not as much pressure as on an injector pump but worth checking out.

[glenn.225]

Ss L-D

From what I see the pump threads may be able to be repaired with a tap. Of course its not easy to see in pics. You need new banjo bolt. Worst case the rebuilder can repair threads with heli-coil or insert you wont need oversized fittings.

[SS Little-Devil]

I can't see how a tap would solve it, since it would make the hole larger, no? Plus, doesn't that create a risk of getting bits of metal filings into the pump? I think I'll just finish take the pump off myself. From what I understand now, all I needed was some washers and could have fixed it without removing it, but now I'm facing several hundred and possibly thousands of dollars to fix.

[SailPenelope]

On our last engine we had to replace the fuel injection pump.....twice. Then we removed and replaced the fuel tanks. Then we got a drip from the water pump and removing the pump stripped a bunch of bolts and we couldn't get parts - at all. That's what caused us to pull the engine and get a new one.

I think you have our old mechanic! Get someone else and start over.....it may be as bad as you say.......but it is survivable. Really.

[SS Little-Devil]

The mechanic was suggesting using JB weld, without removing the pump. Good GOD.

[DeepFrz]

And fire that mechanic...

[SS Little-Devil]

Yeah. It's very hard to find anyone to work on boats in Marina Del Rey. He was the most reliable guy so far. The rest I've had for anything, including electronics were terrible. The last guy I hired left me hanging, and was ditching me with everything apart, and more stuff broken than when he started. I found out yesterday that he was hired to move some guy's $8000 boat lift from one dock to another while they renovate the docks. The guy sunk the left by forgetting to put the pugs back in. Now this bad looking dude with a cigar boat is looking for him....

I love having the boat. What I hate, is dealing with all the shady people who service them.

[DeepFrz]

That is why so many people like to do it themselves. Its a steep learning curve but worthwhile. At least if you f up its a learning process and cheaper than having to pay some guy to screw your engine up.

[DeepFrz]

You will have to be very careful you don't get any of that crud in your pump or injector lines or you will be screwed. You should have all the fittings capped. That area should have been wire brushed and vacuumed/wiped down before any fittings were removed.

[glenn.225]

SS L-D

As said, difficult to see from pics, but normaly you use same size tap just to clean or refurbuish threads. Yes you have to be very careful not to get any thing in pump, but works in some cases.

[centaur]

The male thread can be repaired by careful fileing, it may be worth tryin as he washer is the primary seal.
I,d run anyone who went to use vice grips to my engine.

[Outwest34au]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

And fire that mechanic...

And make sure you aim right between his eyes.

Unless you feel comfy removing the head there, it's probably easiest from a laymans view (pull out, put in) to remove the pump and get someone who has half a clue to remove the head and helicoil. If done without totally butchering the job a helicoil can/ will be stronger than original thread.
Gonna cost a bit but if you get a reco exchange one you will still need to provide a service exchange unit most likely.

Oh, and that JB weld, get that and fill the locks on his toolbox and car doors with it, if there's any left you know where to tell him to jam that.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

At least if you f up its a learning process and cheaper than having to pay some guy to screw your engine up.

Sure. You can f up your engine yourself! That way you only pay to repair the f-up, instead of paying twice -- once to f it up in the first place, and again to remedy that!

At least, that's they way it usually works for me

[RabidRabbit]

You need a real mechanic. I'm a mechanic and W30 owner. Estimates are the key to being a pro. Most pump issues the pump comes off and goes to diesel pump shop. For anyone to start working on it and not advise you that the average quality pump complete rebuild is roughly $1500 for many engines is wasting both of your time. Plus the labor to remove/install and set the timing if needed. I give high/ accurate estimates, so we dont get into it only to discover you dont wanna spend $1800 to $2500. Say more realistily the pump is 1100, maybe 6 hours at $60, roughly $1500. This figure would decide if you wanted me to get some snap-on line wrenchs out and have a look. Diesel engines only need 2 things to run, both are costly, compression and injector pump. rebuilt head $500, rebuilt block $2000, new or rebuilt injector pump $1500. gaskets and other bits more $CA$H. Gas engines have many parts that can be changed and tuned up for little money, that can greatly improve performance, not so with a diesel. My point is a pump leak is not a good sign and a pro would have been clear that a cheapy fix was a real long shot. Sure a $2000 repair is alot, but its basicly half the engine and will last another 40 years.