Dead/Dying D5: Any chance to resurrect? [Warning: Large Pics]

karl_eller · 09-21-2009, 05:54 PM

I got home from work a few days ago to find my desktop off and a note from my dad saying that the hard drive (he thought) was making some really bad noises. Turned it on briefly to find the pump making an ungodly racket, the impeller sounded like it was going to town on the pump casing. Weirdest part was that when I left for work (about 5 hours earlier) the pump was as quiet as a mouse.

Fast forwards a couple of days, and I get the chance to pull it apart and have a look-see inside. Here is the inside of the pump casing:
Note: Pictures are 2048x1536, you'll need to click on the thumbnail to view full size.

You can clearly see where the impeller has been hitting the pump casing around near the spindle:

And again. The ceramic bearing looks pretty much un-worn:

I had a little less luck showing the wear on the impeller, but it's showing definite signs of hitting/rubbing around the base:

It's kinda hard to see from the above two pictures, but I THINK what has happened is that where the bearing sits in the impeller has worn down (perhaps somewhat unevenly), so it's hitting against the pump casing. Although there is also the possibility that one/some of the magnets in the housing has died/cracked/stopped working, which would make the impeller spin unevenly, and thus hit the housing. Is there any way to test this?

I had a play around with the pump while I had it apart, and I managed to get the sound to change from an GRGRGRGGGHCHUNGGHCUNGRAGHRGH (^_^) to a relatively quiet ticking, however the impeller is still hitting the pump housing, and it's still too loud for me to comfortably run it (especially overnight).

Ok, so my question to you guys is: Is there anything I can do to get this pump working again? The pump was purchased from Petra's Tech Shop in December '07, so it's just shy of two years old. Now normally this'd be a straight up warranty job, but there are a few problems:
1) I'm in Australia, so shipping over to the US is a pain in the ass, and takes ages.
2) I can't find any info on how long the Laing D5's warranty lasts for. Laing says it should run for 5 years, but do they back it up with a 5 year warranty, or is it only 1 year? Their website also has no information about RMA returns. The same goes for both the Danger Den (pump was bought from Petra as a re-branded Danger Den, although there are no DD labels on it) and Swiftech websites.
3) Given the above, who would I be returning it to? Would Alex/PTS do the returns even though it's over a year old? Or would I need to harass Laing or Danger Den? I emailed Alex last Saturday, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet.
4) If warranty isn't an option (or costs too much), is it possible to just buy a new impeller? If yes, where from, and how much would it set me back?

So given the above, what are my options? Is there anything I can do to get it (hopefully) working again? Buy a new impeller? Or send it off to warranty?

Cheers

Eller

NaeKuh · 09-21-2009, 06:44 PM

well first recomendation would be to see if an aftermarket top would fix or resolve it.

But i dont understand what could be making a hitting noise.

If u got it from alex, im sure he will take care of ya.

karl_eller · 09-21-2009, 06:51 PM

I don't see how an aftermarket top would fix the issue, since the impeller isn't hitting the top, but rather the stainless steel pump housing near the bottom of the spindle (as you can see by the worn ring in the first 3 pictures).

Eller

NaeKuh · 09-21-2009, 08:18 PM

well i was assuming it would apply pressure to even the impeller out.

can u push the other side in? or try to center it the ring?

Diverge · 09-21-2009, 08:22 PM

Try to see if the little white thing on the spindle is worn any, or the pocket on the impeller that the white thing goes into. If the white thing is worn any, maybe it's replaceable?

iandh · 09-21-2009, 08:48 PM

If you find out that it isn't RMA'able, and want a little more mileage out of it, sand down the area on the bottom of the impeller where it touches. That should compensate for the bearing wear for at least a few months. Also, what orientation have you been running this pump in?

Spawn-Inc · 09-21-2009, 08:54 PM

or maybe put some epoxy on the ceramic bearing and sand it down smooth so it's larger. that's assuming the plastic on the impeller is the problem.

Petra · 09-21-2009, 08:57 PM

Interesting... the only instances that I've come across where the impeller of the D5 made contact with the steel motor housing involved pumps where the carbon bearing seat (the black cup in the impeller that the ceramic ball pops into) had shifted out of place.

Anyway, as I mentioned in that e-mail, I'm waiting for a little more information to come in before I can figure out what can be done here.

karl_eller · 09-21-2009, 08:59 PM

Just got an email from Alex, he's still waiting to hear back from some people about warranty. Edit: ninja'd by Alex

The white ceramic ball looks pretty much as good as new. The part in the impeller where the ball sits, however, is showing a bit of wear. I tried to get some pics, but the camera doesn't want to cooperate.

As for orientation, the pump has been mounted to the case floor using the standard bracket, so the inlet is horizontal and the outlet is vertical.

Epoxy would be a possibility, but I don't think I'd be able to get it round and smooth enough to work. If the warranty doesn't work out, I'll probably go for the sanding option, but I'll wait to hear back from Alex first.

Eller

Bad ConNecTioN · 09-21-2009, 09:05 PM

I would bet you need a new impeller. Since I have no clue where you could get one, I spit off an email to the Laing tech guy. Assuming the ceramic bearing is still good, then a bad impeller is the only other possible explination. Hopefully you can just replace that.

Dark Bishop · 09-21-2009, 10:42 PM

its funny in a way that i cant think of right now but my pump is doing the exact same thing, id check it for the same sign you have but the loop is still full of water XD

NaeKuh · 09-21-2009, 11:24 PM

wow...

the D5 which had an reputed history of being the most reliable is starting to look not so good....

Petra · 09-22-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

wow...

the D5 which had an reputed history of being the most reliable is starting to look not so good....

One or two people having problems doesn't change that it still is one of, if not the, most reliable pump in water cooling that's currently available--total returned vs. total sold is still the only real metric which can be used.

C'mon man, you remember how statistics work...

Dark Bishop · 09-22-2009, 04:07 PM

I have a bit of good news

my pump isn't dieing, I just reassembled it with the gasket in the wrong place XD

Sadasius · 09-22-2009, 04:11 PM

I was going to say "WTH?" but you found out the problem.

NaeKuh · 09-22-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petra

One or two people having problems doesn't change that it still is one of, if not the, most reliable pump in water cooling that's currently available--total returned vs. total sold is still the only real metric which can be used.

C'mon man, you remember how statistics work...

LOL.... well actually its not just 2.

Another 2 people also had problems with the D5.
Which i was starting to scratch my head about.

A lot of people are also reporting there D5 rattles, so this is not the first time im hearing this.

Its just way back alex, u never got a post regarding a D5 unless it was...

WHERE IS MY AFTER MARKET D5 TOP!?!?!?!?!

Dark Bishop · 09-22-2009, 05:09 PM

it was still a rattler before i fudged it up.

Sadasius · 09-22-2009, 05:13 PM

Will only rattle when there is air in there. It is the only time mine does is when I am bleeding when I refill my loop after cleaning.