# Failed Water Pump



## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Towards the end of a fabulous 3 weeks visiting Mull/Islay/Arran the water pump failed in our 2004 Autotrail Tracker EKS - the pump motor ran continuously but no water was being pumped.

At the time we had ssumed that the rough road surfaces on the islands had somehow caused the failure, or perhaps the fact that we had added a new 3M in-line filter in the cold water supply to the kitchen tap prior to the trip.

Having arrived home, this morning I investigated to try to find the problem - this is what I have discovered so far:

Removing the pump from the van (it was situated on the rear wall under the cooker, so it was a "pig" to remove!) I tried it on an external 12V battery - the motor ran and there was a very weak pressure at the inlet/outlet ports. There was a small amount of white plastic swarf in the filter, but certainly not enough to block the water flow. The filter was cleared of swarf.

Dismantling the pump assembly from the motor did not show any obvious problems.

Taking out the non-return valve from the inlet pipe I found a significant amount of white plastic swarf in the pipe which was preventing the non-return valve from doing its job. This is probably the reason that we have had always had air in the system every time we have arrived on site! However, again I do not think that the inlet pipe was completely blocked. All of the swarf was removed from the valve, its action checked and found to be OK now, and it was then put back into the inlet pipe.

I then remounted the pump back in the van, with the inlet pipe connected, but the outlet pipe left disconnected. Power was switched on, but the same symptoms were present - motor running but no water being pumped. Placing my finger over the outlet port showed that there was a very weak positive pressure. Disconnecting the inlet pipe and placing my finger over the inlet port showed a weak negative pressure - almost certainly not enough to lift water from the freshwater tank under the floor.

The pump is a "Posiflo 7" Model 3000-161-2201, manufactured by Leisure Accessories Ltd. of Norwich.

Have any of you experienced this problem and can point me in the right direction to its cause?

I believe that there are Service Kits available for these pumps so I hope to keep the cost down by not having to purchase a complete new pump.

Stuart


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

trackerman said:


> I believe that there are Service Kits available for these pumps so I hope to keep the cost down by not having to purchase a complete new pump.
> 
> Stuart


Hi Stuart

Here is the web link you I think need :-

Posiflo pump Spares <<,

It says on their website " Our pumps are designed to be easily repaired either by the customer, our appointed agent, or ourselves. They require no special tools, and can be dismantled with a phillips screwdriver. If you are repairing one of our pumps you will notice that we have thoughtfully included an electrical connector so that the pump head may be easily removed from the motor without having to cut the wires (as in competitors products). They really are user-serviceable, and feature a simple, logical design." ..... I would agree with that :wink:

My sons camper had one of these pumps and we had a similar problem with it... it turned out to be a very small crack in the diaphagm housing which allowed air to seep into the system and stop the pump pumping. The crack was I believe caused by the pump having frozen with water in it during the previous winter ( before he bought it)

In your pump the problem may be some debris stuck under one or all three small pump diagphagms or valve housings inside the pump

















using the diagrams at the website link above as a guide, try taking the pump housing completely apart and clean around all three valves ... then reassemble and give it another try ...if this fails then I would contact them 
Contact Info here << and seek advice on which parts to replace....

mike


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Thanks for your prompt reply Spykal - I will send them an e-mail ready for them to "open" tomorrow as we wish to get the pump repaird in good time for our next outing!

Stuart


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi Again

Note I have edited my previous post... and added that it may pay to take the pump housing completly apart for investigation before ordering new parts :wink: 

best of luck with it

mike


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

That looks very similiar to the ITT/Jabsco pumps I have on my boat, dead easy to dismantle and replace diaghram and other bits, which will be the cause of it not pumping.

Good luck


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## trackerman (Aug 16, 2005)

Thanks JohnsCrossMotorHomes & spykal.

I have now completely dismantled, thoroughly cleaned, and reassembled the pump, and reinstalled it in the van. It is now working OK, albeit with a slight "weep" from where the two plastic parts mate. It really is such a pig to get the pump in and out of its position under the cooker that I am going to leave it for a while, with a small pot underneath to catch the drips, to see it it seals itself - if it's still "weeping" then I will then try a smear of silicone sealant to see if that cures it.

Stuart


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