Hayward EcoStar Pump Bearing Replacement

[jmanieri]

Hello Everyone,

I have a Hayward EcoStar VSP Pump which I suspect has bad bearings. I am in the process of disassembling the pump. I have it broken all the way down to the motor and the fan. I am having trouble getting the fan off the motor.

Any one know how to remove the fan?

And also if anyone can help with how to replace the bearing let me know, they are on order and should be here by Sunday, as well as the seal kit. I understand this is not an easy job to tackle so any help would be greatly appreciated.

thank you,
Joe

 

[hardrock197]

I did mine this year by following this video:

 

[jmanieri]

thanks for the video Hardrock197... I am looking for help with replacing the bearings and how to remove the fan on the back of an EcoStar 2.7, if I can't replace the bearing myself or if the motor is shot and I need to replace the entire motor assemble this video will be very helpful - thank you.

 

[JamesW]

Do you have a picture?

 

[jmanieri]

This is the pump disassembled.


This is pump motor with the fan cover still attached.



This is fan that am I having trouble removing. (fan cover removed) I removed a snap clip already and still no luck.

Motor Spec Tag

 

[JamesW]

I don’t see what’s holding it on. If you don’t see a set screw, I would guess that it might be an interference fit where it’s just pressed on. Getting it off without damaging the fan might be difficult. You would need to apply force evenly on the fan close to the shaft. Maybe contact Century to see what they recommend or take it to a motor repair shop. Maybe get a new fan and cut the existing one off.

 

[jmanieri]

Thanks for the reply James. I do not see a set screw either. I read somewhere that the only way to get the fan as a replacement part was to order the motor which is $500!!! I was hoping maybe some one here might have done this already. I think I'm just going to try opening it up with out removing the fan.

If anyone is interested I'll post an update.

 

[jmanieri]

UPDATE:

I got the fan off. It may have just been slid on possible pressed on. It was hard to get off I think because of rust buildup. But I removed the 4 very long motor casing bolts, and in the process i snapped 2 of them. Then i gently hammered at the front cover and it moved and the entire magnet assemble forward with the fan and then eventually the fan slid off. There was also a snap ring I removed earlier in the process but it didnt change anything. I think the rust was holding the fan on.

So I have the motor disassemble and found the bad bearing. It is really on there. I need a press to remove it. I have a friend with a press so I'll be recruiting him for some assistance.

The front house case seems to be suffering from corrosion and i think I may need to replace that as well. Plus there are 2 snapped bolts in it too. Seems like there are used one on eBay for $30. Also looks like Ill a few other things. 2 shims, a rubber shaft gasket and maybe an end washer.

Here are a few pics of the latest progress;

Magnet and Front Cover. Top bearing is bad. Front cover you can see the 2 broken bolts in the hole at the bottom and the corroded center hole.


Motor Case

Motor Case inside


Inside of Front Cover corroded center hole and part number



Outside of Front Cover. Pretty corroded here too.

 

[jfuredy]

@jmanieri ,

Do you happen to have the bearing part numbers, or dimensions? My motor sticker is exactly the same as yours, and even looking up the motor part number (which appears to be SP3220Z1ECM, although the M48... and E32... numbers are also the same on both of ours) I can't seem to find any information on what bearings to buy.

I know I could disassemble it and measure the bearings, but then I'm offline for multiple days. I was hoping to get everything in hand before pulling and disassembling the pump. Any help you could offer would be REALLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[1poolman1]

Those are 204 bearings. I have replaced them in the past. The unfortunate thing is that the two through bolts that broke are on the same side. You will not be able to reliably re-assemble that motor with only the two you have left. I used to use a local motor shop to replace bearings. The owner always had me pull those bolts in the field before I brought a motor in. If the bolts broke as yours have he wouldn't do the repair as the cost to make that repair made it not worth it. The cost was too close to a new pool-pump motor. If they broke on a diagonal (top-right, bottom-left, etc.) the bearing job would work. On a motor this expensive it might be worth it.

You might have a motor shop in your area that can drill and re-thread the holes in the front end-bell then supply new bolts. Other than that, the bearings/shaft/end-bells won't stay in alignment for very long and you will have interference issues inside the motor. There is supposed to be a circlip holding the fan in place at the back of the motor. You can see the slot in the shaft. After you clean the shaft to replace the fan it will have a tendency to slide backward, will hit the housing, and both will be damaged without that clip.

Be very sure, if you are able to make this repair, that the bolts holding the drive to the motor are completely tightened up against the bare metal circles that you see. They are what ground the motor to the drive. If you do some research you will find that an improperly or incompletely grounded variable-speed motor will have bearing problems.

 

[Yeller989]

Those are 204 bearings. I have replaced them in the past.

Thanks for the details on the bearings.

I think one of the bearings came apart and stalled/seized the motor (see bent metal piece in my hand, and failed bearing at top of pic - visible metal bearing balls). I bought a new motor ($600) but seems like waste to throw this out. Next step is to buy two 204 bearings, find someone who can press the bearings out and figure out a way to clean center shaft magnets.

Please let me know if you have recommendations how to clean the magnet.

Update: the bent metal piece in my hand is the metal-bearing ball cage.

 

[1poolman1]

Thanks for the details on the bearings.

I think one of the bearings came apart and stalled/seized the motor (see bent metal piece in my hand, and failed bearing at top of pic - visible metal bearing balls). I bought a new motor ($600) but seems like waste to throw this out. Next step is to buy two 204 bearings, find someone who can press the bearings out and figure out a way to clean center shaft magnets.

Please let me know if you have recommendations how to clean the magnet.

Update: the bent metal piece in my hand is the metal-bearing ball cage.

View attachment 551908

The rotor, stator, and front-end bell of that motor are ruined. Even with a long piece of rope it would make a poor boat anchor.
If you want to play with it, get a small 2 or 3-jaw gear puller to remove the bearings. A piece of 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC, or iron, pipe, can be used to drive a new bearing onto the shaft without damaging the bearing. It will only push on the inner race as you tap with a hammer.
This puller would likely do the job:

Amazon.com

 

[Yeller989]

The rotor, stator, and front-end bell of that motor are ruined.

What are you seeing that says the motor is ruined (my questions coming from an uneducated perspective)? I don't see any gouges in the stator or armature.

I was planning to clean the armature using brake cleaner, clean out the shell housing with a vacuum, then replace the bearings. I've added a few pictures additional pics, see last of the armature. The "dust" around the armature I think is actually from the armature grinding down, but is it enough to consider it ruined?

Bell End Front


Outer case (looks corroded), maybe sand down a bit, and paint


Back end housing


Bell Housing, Inside


Armature - Is this where you see issues?

 

[1poolman1]

What are you seeing that says the motor is ruined (my questions coming from an uneducated perspective)? I don't see any gouges in the stator or armature.

I was planning to clean the armature using brake cleaner, clean out the shell housing with a vacuum, then replace the bearings. I've added a few pictures additional pics, see last of the armature. The "dust" around the armature I think is actually from the armature grinding down, but is it enough to consider it ruined?

Bell End Front
View attachment 552063

Outer case (looks corroded), maybe sand down a bit, and paint
View attachment 552064

Back end housing
View attachment 552065

Bell Housing, Inside
View attachment 552066

Armature - Is this where you see issues?
View attachment 552067

If you take the time and it works, great. I've done things like that in the past. Bearings are not expensive, so give it a shot.
Usually, once the rotor hits the stator the damage is too great for the motor to work properly again. The wiring of the coils may actually be shorted now, doesn't take much. Don't be surprised if, when powering the motor on, the breaker trips.
You may want to try this from the Hayward manual before spending time and effort:

"Check impeller and motor shaft for freedom of movement. If free, remove the Blue, Black and Red wires (page 4) from the drive and check each motor lead to ground. There should be no continuity. Next, check continuity from lead to lead. Ohms reading should be between 0.5 and 1.0 ohms max. If any of these readings are outside limits, replace motor. If they are within range, replace drive."