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454 raw water belt problem

M

Masagana

New member
Put on a new raw water pump belt because the old one wore out.

New one lasted ten hours because raw water inlet pipe that has a 90 degree bend, looked like it was too close to the belt and caused it to wear

I've turned the inlet pipe slightly but it still doesn't give the belt much more room. Seems like only about 1/4 inch clearance between the hose and the belt

Anyone else face this before, did you change the mounting plate, etc.?

Are there any suggestions for a long term solution or do I need to live with the 1/4inch clearance?
 
Did you get the belt tight? retension the belt after running it for a while? How long have you owned the boat?

There are different length nipples you can buy to accomodate your particular needs....if you opt to change them make sure you get BRONZE fitting and stay away from the BRASS ones.
 
Have had the boat for a couple of months now, (31' Tiara), and discovered when changing the starboard impeller that pulling that side's pump wasn't a lot of fun.

Not sure if a shorter nipple will work or potentially create another wear point. Even wondered about switching to a shaft driven pump replacement for that side as a solution, but didn't know if such a conversion was possible or economically feasible
 
are you sure the hose/clamp/nipple is the cause of the wear? rust on the pulley and misalignment of the pump will ruin a belt in short order..

Based on your description, I was thinking a longer nipple (vs a shorter one) would yield more clearance...
 
Yes, I think longer is the only way to go and my next step is to replace the pulley and re-check the alignment

But before I go that route, I'm really curious about a conversion to shaft driven pumps which would also make impeller access much, much, easier. It looks like I have the room, but in my quickly done search, I couldn't find a conversion kit specifically for a Crusader 454. Maybe I'm being too general, but I didn't want to start the project to find out I had the wrong part!
 
Pulleys DO wear out. The contact surfaces get curved instead of straight, which causes belt slippage and wear.

Jeff
 
he must be on vacation...

personally, I don't like the design concept, especially on an offshore boat, due to the failure modes possible...Crusader used them for a short while and then abandoned them...current production models use belt driven pumps.
 
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