Anyone ever rebuilt one of these pumps?  I was going to buy a new one but as always money is a factor.  I bought one used about 6 months ago and it is hardly pumping any water now.

Thanks,

     -=J=-

I have not rebuilt an Iwaki, but I have rebuilt several others. If you get the rebuild kits, it's a snap. they usually come with new propellers, and bearings, depending on the make / model of pump you are rebuilding.

Hopefully the motor and brushes are in good shape, but installing new brushes isn't too difficult... I'm not sure if iwaki's require soldering to replace the brushes or not, but it's easy to do... if you have a soldering iron! 

If you need any help, let me know... I'd be more than happy to help!

Brandon W.

Marcus wrote: You talking about the Iwaki 40RLXT that I sold you when I was at The Pet Factory?

Yea I think it has seen better days.  I still have it pumping but have to turn the flow going down to my sump almost all the way off so it can keep up.  I think it will be fine if I can get the parts and rebuild it.

Marcus wrote: Give me a call if you want some help.  Got any frags?

Nope no frags yet I am planning on an overhaul of my whole system so don't want to be too cruel to the inhabitants and add anything new for now.  Also where do you recomend buying the parts to rebuild that from?

There are mainly only 3 major replaceable parts to the Iwaki systems. If it's not pumping up to it't fullest, a good thurough cleaning might help, but the bearings in the front case could be corroded by the salt...  there are lots of places on-line that sell the parts. I would recommend a local store, but I'm not sure of one that carries Iwaki parts.  The Aquarium might be a great starting place.

If you clean it out, and it's still not pumping good, I would recommend replacing the Front housing/bearing. New bearings can do wonders... especially if you want to get rid of friction, and not make the pump work its self to death. If the impeller and shaft look worn (the shaft shows any signs of wear/scratches) then it would definately be a good idea to replace that, because it will only get worse with time, and the magnets in the shaft tend to get weak after pumping for a while. The O-Ring is the only other major replaceable part, and it should be fine, unless it has been disassembled several times, it might be getting a little worn... unless it leaks, it's proabably not anything to worry about.

Average price for the parts are as follows:

Front Housing  ~ $22

Impeller & Shaft ~ $88   (Ouch!)

O-Ring ~ $11.50

Yep, that was the one drawback I saw when deciding which pump to purchase... Iwaki seemed to have the highest cost replacement parts, compared to all other manufacturers. But the pump came with a good guarantee, and I have never heard anything bad about Iwaki, so I figured I'd go for it.

I did some checking and I did find the Impeller/shaft for $69 -

By the way, Marcus - These are for NEW parts, and I just did a quick search of a few sites that I purchase from. This is not saying It's the absolute lowest price... I'm sure if you search, someone might have a close-out sale, or some ither such deal...  I prefer to pay a little more $$, and purchase quality new parts, from a reputable dealer. Especially when considering I have hundreads, upon hundreads of dollard and hours invested in my tank, to go cheap on a few major parts, and end up having everything go south!  Not my idea of "Good savings"  hehe