Shureflo Water Pump Replaced On Our T4 Topaz

Just a quick post to say that if you’re suffering from spluttering water, air locks and general poor flow, it’s worth considering replacing your Shureflo water pump.

Our Topaz’s water delivery has been pretty bad since we acquired our otherwise wonderful van, but replacing the pump this week has been a game changer. The water now flows beautifully and quietly when any tap is turned on, pressurising and cutting off in seconds once the taps are closed.

It was a little tricky to get to as it’s under the floor in the wardrobe and removing the floor was a bit of a mission, but once this was out of the way, the job was straightforward as the replacement pump is nigh on identical to the outgoing pump.

There’s one point to note if you decide to replace the water filter at the same time. The design of this component has changed from the one shown in the first image below which is concentric in shape and therefore does not need to be oriented to fit around other bits of bodywork, pipes etc. The new one (see second image) needs to have these obstructions taken into consideration when fitting so that it doesn’t foul once in situ.


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My only regret is that we put up with the old one as long as we did, believing it was something we were doing wrong which was allowing air to get into the system.

If you’re in the same boat and nothing you’re doing is improving your water system, a new pump may be your answer.

If it splutters or makes an unusually loud noise it could be that the pump is sucking air in which could be caused by a poor seal on the inflow pipe or filter.  If the filter bowl and its washer isn't sitting correctly it will let air in.  The filter can be supplied with a swivel fitting onto the Shurflo which allows its orientation to be changed.

That's a job I need to do, once I find how to get access to the pump. I think on mine (1999 Pollensa) it is in the same box as the water heater which I haven't extracted yet.
Something that occurs to me is that this and a lot of other problems could have existed from when the vehicle was new. The owners might have just thought that this is how motorhomes work, with the water coughing and spluttering. I also have a newish Autosleeper which has had a change of ownership every year since it was new. I have fixed all the faults on it, any of which could have caused the owner to return it to the dealer for fixing, and from my experience, dealers are not always competent to fix faults. The owners would then say Harrumph or some such thing, and got rid of it.

Caraman wrote:If it splutters or makes an unusually loud noise it could be that the pump is sucking air in which could be caused by a poor seal on the inflow pipe or filter.  If the filter bowl and its washer isn't sitting correctly it will let air in.  The filter can be supplied with a swivel fitting onto the Shurflo which allows its orientation to be changed.

Good advice about the swivel fitting for the filter - I didn’t know that!

I tried everything else I could think of before replacing the pump including removing and re-seating all the connections. For me, the pump was the solution but I’m sure other people will appreciate your insight.

Hi  Thanks for the photos and info. We had a 'waterpump' issue on our (much loved - I hope they all are) Topaz which was caused by a leaky non-return valve on the inlet to the Truma water heater - which is more easily accesible under the bench seat. The replacement part is  better  designed and easy to fit. Don't fancy exploring access to the waterpump!

Hi Mawdach

Yep - the wardrobe floor is a challenge to remove and refit but we’re currently away in the Topaz and the water is flowing perfectly so it was well worth the pain!

You did well to access the under bed area - I struggled to get the plywood out with the bench attached to the runners but couldn’t see a way to take the runners off the frame or the seat off the runners.

Will have to do more investigation in this area as we’re shedding ball bearings atm and will therefore need to replace a slide unit if they’re still available.

I’m sure there’ll be a post on here somewhere about how to go about it!

I fitted a new pump in July, just over twenty years old, which seems to be the lifetime of these pumps. It seems to be the sealant that fails first, mine started to drip from the pump halves, causing lots of spluttering and poor flow.
Al.

Mr Grey wrote:Hi Mawdach

Yep - the wardrobe floor is a challenge to remove and refit but we’re currently away in the Topaz and the water is flowing perfectly so it was well worth the pain!

You did well to access the under bed area - I struggled to get the plywood out with the bench attached to the runners but couldn’t see a way to take the runners off the frame or the seat off the runners.

Will have to do more investigation in this area as we’re shedding ball bearings atm and will therefore need to replace a slide unit if they’re still available.

I’m sure there’ll be a post on here somewhere about how to go about it!

Had to do this to fix the water heater (kept cutting out on gas). The bench seat is held in place by 5 self tapping screws, 3 along the front going through the frame and 1 each side that go through runner and frame.

To replace the runners you'll probably have to take the side seat out so you can pull the drawer fully out to access all the screws that hold the drawer in place. Getting the seat out is just a case of undoing the 4 big nuts in the base.

The runners themselves are made by Thomas Regout so should be able to get an equivalent if they're now obsolete.

Was a bit of job to get the whole bench seat out as everything's in the way of everything else, but I guess that's a small price to pay for owning a motorhome disguised as a small campervan 

Mr Grey wrote:.......

I’m sure there’ll be a post on here somewhere about how to go about it!

There is about to be! I have just finished the job and will post a thread on the forum for the benefit of all who have the same lounge layout as my Pollensa. Meanwhile to tease you, here are a couple of photos of the screws you have to remove whilst lying upside down in a Pilates - or is it Yoga position number 2948. They attach the runners to the bed seat.
There are four screws, two for each runner. The middle photo shows another thing:you can't remove the horizontal carpet-lined (in my Pollensa anyway) horizontal piece of plywood until you have removed the seat from the runners and then remove the whole latching mechanism from the frame. The horizontal plywood panel is held on to the vertical panel by three screws which you have to find by poking around with a screwdriver. Then you undo the three screws on the horizontal panel, and the two screws on the L brackets holding the vertical panel to the floor. They are all Pozi No.2 screws. Then you can at least see the pump, and in my case the reason for wanting access was that the water coughed violently from the taps, indicating a crack in the water seive on the inlet side of  the pump. It was indeed cracked, and as the camper is 25 yrs old and so difficult to access, I decided to renew the pump while I was at it.
The middle photo shows a notch I cut out before replacing the horizontal panel in order to make removal easier next time anything needs attention under there
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Righteeho, I have posted it somewhere . . .

pjperry wrote:

Mr Grey wrote:Hi Mawdach

Yep - the wardrobe floor is a challenge to remove and refit but we’re currently away in the Topaz and the water is flowing perfectly so it was well worth the pain!

You did well to access the under bed area - I struggled to get the plywood out with the bench attached to the runners but couldn’t see a way to take the runners off the frame or the seat off the runners.

Will have to do more investigation in this area as we’re shedding ball bearings atm and will therefore need to replace a slide unit if they’re still available.

I’m sure there’ll be a post on here somewhere about how to go about it!

Had to do this to fix the water heater (kept cutting out on gas). The bench seat is held in place by 5 self tapping screws, 3 along the front going through the frame and 1 each side that go through runner and frame.

To replace the runners you'll probably have to take the side seat out so you can pull the drawer fully out to access all the screws that hold the drawer in place. Getting the seat out is just a case of undoing the 4 big nuts in the base.

The runners themselves are made by Thomas Regout so should be able to get an equivalent if they're now obsolete.

Was a bit of job to get the whole bench seat out as everything's in the way of everything else, but I guess that's a small price to pay for owning a motorhome disguised as a small campervan 

As always - a mine of useful info. Thank you for flagging the manufacturer of the slides!

gassygassy wrote:

Mr Grey wrote:.......

I’m sure there’ll be a post on here somewhere about how to go about it!

There is about to be! I have just finished the job and will post a thread on the forum for the benefit of all who have the same lounge layout as my Pollensa. Meanwhile to tease you, here are a couple of photos of the screws you have to remove whilst lying upside down in a Pilates - or is it Yoga position number 2948. They attach the runners to the bed seat.
There are four screws, two for each runner. The middle photo shows another thing:you can't remove the horizontal carpet-lined (in my Pollensa anyway) horizontal piece of plywood until you have removed the seat from the runners and then remove the whole latching mechanism from the frame. The horizontal plywood panel is held on to the vertical panel by three screws which you have to find by poking around with a screwdriver. Then you undo the three screws on the horizontal panel, and the two screws on the L brackets holding the vertical panel to the floor. They are all Pozi No.2 screws. Then you can at least see the pump, and in my case the reason for wanting access was that the water coughed violently from the taps, indicating a crack in the water seive on the inlet side of  the pump. It was indeed cracked, and as the camper is 25 yrs old and so difficult to access, I decided to renew the pump while I was at it.
The middle photo shows a notch I cut out before replacing the horizontal panel in order to make removal easier next time anything needs attention under there
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Great stuff! Thank you for sharing your experience and technique!