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Dear Stubby,
I'm hoping you can help me with a problem. The auxiliary engine in my sailboat is an old Swedish made engine called an Albin. They are somewhat rare in the US, and it has a very unusual water pump. A single shaft drives, in one pump, two impellers, one for the fresh water and one for the raw water. This pump is even rarer than the engine. The shaft, where the seals are that separate two impeller chambers, is all chewed up from excessive wear. There is a US distributor for parts for this pump, but they no longer have shafts available. The pump leaks in this area and therefore renders the pump useless and consequently the entire engine.
- P. Umpless
Dear P.,
Not to worry, there is always an answer. I believe you have 4 options. 1) Buy a new boat. 2) Buy a new engine. 3) Have a new shaft manufactured. 4) Repair the existing shaft. If you decide to pass on either 1 or 2, a qualified machine shop should have no trouble duplicating the existing shaft. However, a qualified machine shop with a good welder should be able to do the repair job for considerably less. First, the welder will do what is referred to as a “spray” weld around the entire shaft where the damage is. The weld will fill in the gouges and build up will be no more that .010” on the surface. Then the machinist will turn and grind the shaft back to its original diameter with a polished finish. Voilà!
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