Had to pick between a new pump or a full engine rebuild on the old 8-inch cutter

The pump was losing pressure and the Detroit was smoking like a chimney. Boss said we could only fix one before the river job in St. Louis next month. I pushed for the pump, arguing we could baby the engine but a weak pump would kill our whole output. We swapped the impeller and housing, and sure enough, we moved mud all week even with the engine sounding rough. Anyone else had to make a call like that where fixing the wrong thing would have sunk you?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.ben3d ago

Gotta say, betting on that pump was a huge risk. A smoking Detroit could've seized up and left you dead in the water with no power at all. You got lucky this time, but that engine was the real ticking clock.

foster.wade3d ago

Look, @hernandez.ben, it wasn't just luck. That pump was the only thing keeping oil pressure up. Letting it die would have killed the engine for sure. The smoke meant it was still running, still making power to get home. Sometimes you have to push a sick engine to save it. The real risk was stopping.