My machine's coolant pump seized up mid-run on a big aluminum job

It happened last Thursday afternoon, right when we were trying to finish a batch of 50 parts. The pump motor got so hot it started smoking and the whole thing locked up. I had to shut everything down fast and call our local supplier for a new motor, which cost $475. Has anyone else had a pump fail like that, and what's your usual check to stop it from happening again?

4 comments

4 Comments

stone.daniel19d ago

Honestly that sounds like a maintenance issue, not just bad luck. A pump doesn't just seize for no reason. Did you check the coolant for chips or sludge before the run? That gunk can lock up an impeller fast. A quick visual check and cleaning the filter screen takes five minutes. Spending five hundred bucks hurts, but skipping basic checks is what really costs you.

mason_reed4719d ago

Actually, stone.daniel, a bad bearing can seize a pump with clean coolant.

lucasw8419d ago

But what about a bad seal letting coolant into the motor? I've seen a pump look clean but still lock up from a tiny internal leak. That's not a maintenance skip, it's just a part failing.

wade_kelly7710d ago

Sometimes parts just fail no matter how well you keep up with them.