Hayward Northstar pump started to make noises like it was full of gravel. I ran it dry for 15 seconds and it was smooth and quiet. I went ahead and took it apart, discovered good amount of wear on the inside of the diffuser which probably lets the white impeller ring to play under pressure and this creates the noise. Should be a simple fix except the SPX4000B diffuser is discontinued and no availability online. I will try local pools stores maybe someone has one stashed. If not, what will happen if I run the pump w/out the white impeller ring? I came across some reviews on Amazon people saying they purposely omitted the impeller ring to avoid diffuser wear. So I guess it works at the cost of some efficiency.
Another issue, the nut connecting the exhaust pipe is on its last leg, it is the older style nut with the tabs, one tab broke off when I was disconnecting the pump and I suspect the rest will follow suit on assembly. Again, no replacement availability for spx4000unpak1. Unless I luck out and find one at a local store, sounds like I'm buying a new pump?
Another issue, the nut connecting the exhaust pipe is on its last leg, it is the older style nut with the tabs, one tab broke off when I was disconnecting the pump and I suspect the rest will follow suit on assembly. Again, no replacement availability for spx4000unpak1. Unless I luck out and find one at a local store, sounds like I'm buying a new pump?