Reply To: Water Pump seals ?

[Ed@deathwish-outboards]

I have done a couple of these with good results. However I do have a lathe. I set the shaft in the lathe and turn down the rusty spot to nearly smooth finish. You want a sleeve thickness of about .020-.030 so you have to take twice that off the diameter of the shaft. Then take a piece of 305 stainless tube and bore and ream it to a couple thousandths under the size of the shaft. Put a little red Loctite on the shaft and drive the stainless tube into place. Let it set over night and then turn and polish the sleeve down to the original diameter. It is important to remember where the pin or key goes before the sleeve goes on.

A rusty shaft or pitted one is going to eat up a new seal. So if you can clean it up with emery cloth or sand paper it is better than nothing. Seals are slightly undersized so they will hold as they wear. So if your rust or pitting is not that bad It might work well for you.