is this pump dying

[quattro_]

Hi,
i noticed yesterday that the tube going from pump to rad is shaking about 2mm back and forth very fast, after inspecting the loop i found what seems to be the problem, the pump impeller is moving vertically unlike the other identical pump in a separate loop! do you guys think its normal or is the pump dying?

-this is the loop with the problem : pmp400/xspc re-top , gtx360 , Supreme HF .
-the other loop : pmp400/xspc re-top , gtx480 , 2x EK-FC 5870 block

unfortunately im not using an rpm sensor on the pump and my cpu tem is ok .
thanks for your help.

[quattro_]

:shrug: anyone !!

[penguins]

Loosen the top some, the impeller is prolly hitting the top. but.. without video hard to tell. got a smart phone?

[quattro_]

that was the first thing i thought of but there is a good amount of space between the impeller and the top and the pump is dead silent , ill try to film it but itll be really hard to.

[Alexandr0s]

Would it be possible to hook up the RPM sensor to a fancontroller or a motherboard? That way, you can see if the pump is trying to spin up, or if it's not doing anything at all.

[Martinm210]

I would take it apart and inspect for possible debris. A flake of radiator scaling or shred of delrin could have been caught in the impeller causing an imbalance. It's pretty rare for these to have any sort of bearing failure unless they are run dry.

I would also inspect the PCB for any signs of water damage such as a white residue. Also look for any black/charred PCB areas that could indicate something electrical letting go.

[bmaverick]

Does this pump have any aftermarket performance top? If so, the higher velocity flow can cause the impeller to raise up while spinning faster. This will cause the impeller to whack the outer diameter against the inner pump housing. EK and Swiftech offer their RES tops with an open screen mesh to prevent the flow velocity to swirl in a vortex. Breaking the vortex will bring the pump back to normal operation and reduce the noise.