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Any idea how to separate the pump from the motor when it won't budge? The clamp is entirely loose but the pump is unwilling to let go of the motor even when pulling on it a fair bit. I've gingerly applied some wd40 but no luck. Could scale have formed a bond to the motor housing?

Thoughts appreciated

The short answer is "yes"; scale and corrosion can form between the pump and motor if the pump seals fail and water gets into the space.

If you search this site for motor issues and replacing motor bearings you will find at least one thread with very complete pictures of taking apart a machine that had a pump seal fail.

My only thought is to remove the motor/pump assembly from the machine so that you can work to separate the two.

Good luck,
Mark

Oy. Somewhere here I read that involves absolute complete machine disassembly. Can anyone confirm?

BTW: Having the clamp loose is not enough. You need to get the clamp off before the motor and pump will separate.

Not sure how you define "complete". I have never removed the motor but presume that you need to remove the right side panel and the rear to get full access to everything. The first time you replace the side panels it is tricky, but you learn how to manage it without much trouble as you practice.

Got the new $200 (ouch!) pump installed. Tons of crump in the housing despite there having been a drain hole pre-drilled. Thanks for the help!

The pump is available directly from Fluidotech for much less money. I have dealt directly with them and they are very helpful and accommodating.

lakecoder wrote:Got the new $200 (ouch!) pump installed. Tons of crump in the housing despite there having been a drain hole pre-drilled. Thanks for the help!

The first problem, of course, is that those pumps should not leak. After that, the problem is that the pre-drilled hole at the front of the motor is too small. If you search the forum you will see the recommendation to drill that hole out to 1/4" and then wipe a high temp food grade grease around the shaft and bearing of the motor.

On top of that, you should pull the pump to inspect this area at least once a year so you can check for pump issues before they also take out the motor. As you know by now, the pump is very easy to get at and to remove so there is little reason not to do it and a large financial incentive to do it.

On your suggestion I drilled the hole out to the larger 1/4". Any ideas where to get a small amount of high-temp food grade grease?

Aside: at first startup after drilling out the hole the motor failed to turn the pump. Pounding the countertop in anger & disbelief didn't fix it (shock!) but backed off the clamp and then she started working again. Strange how a tight clamp stops the pump