Sherwood Raw Water Pump failed on Universal 30

[taildragerdrive]

I recently returned from a sailing trip and found that my Sherwood water pump">raw water pump on my Universal 30 engine had failed putting salt water in my oil.
The pump is driven by the end of the cam shaft. This is the second time it has failed in the same why in 4 years where the seal fails and the sea water is leaked into the oil pan.
This is much more of a problem than the impeller failing or something and the engine overheating. I get an alarm if the engine overheats. The solution is also impossible to resolve if offshore because the oil has to be changed 2 or 3 times requiring about 15 quarts of oil which I have not carried up to now. Also the only way to know it is happening is to check the dipstick and see the overfill of oil. Fortunately this has never happened on a long engine run or it would have filled the crankcase completely I suspect that could have done damage.

This pump is expensive and is made of mild steal which rusts real bad quickly internally. Over all this seems like a really stupid design.

I think I may have seen a replacement or aftermarket pump or kit that could make it impossible for the water to get into the oil pan.

Can anybody help me with a solution. I'm planning to go offshore down into the Caribbean and wont to resolve this once and for all. The current situation is unacceptable and dangerous. Other than that I very satisfied with the engine.

Thanks

[Stu Jackson]

What you do is buy an Oberdorfer pump. From Depco. There's an article in the wiki under Engines that discusses the failures of crappy Sherwood pumps.

Engines 101 - The BIGGEST & BEST collection of M25 Series Universal Engine Information on the Internet, plus some M35, too

Diesel Engine - c34.org

Depco Pump Contacts Contact Us At Depco Pump Company

[taildragerdrive]

Thanks:
I ordered the pump. This looks like a good solution.

ET