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How To Replace the Motor on Your Pool Pump

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This guide will explain how to replace your inground pool pump motor. We will go step by step through disassembling your pool pump, discarding the old motor, repairing the new motor, its installation, and how to wire it.

If you have any questions about finding the correct replacement motor for your in-ground pool pump, read our guide on how to do so: How To Choose The Right Replacement Pool Pump Motor.

Note: Please read the complete guide before starting your installation.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Motor



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Steps

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Step 1

Select the Correct Replacement Motor - Find the Model (MOD), Catalog (CAT), or Part (P/N) on your old motor’s information tag and enter it into Inyo’s product search. 

If you cannot find the necessary information or want more information on identifying the correct replacement pool pump motor, read our guide: How To Choose The Right Replacement Pool Pump Motor.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Motor

Step 2

Select Replacement Shaft Seal or GOKIT - When replacing a pool pump motor, always replace the shaft seal; this seal is the last line of defense between the surging water in your pump housing and your brand new motor. 

To find the correct replacement shaft seal, you’ll need to identify the make and model of your pump housing. The pump’s model number or model should be listed on one of the pump housing stickers.

GOKITs (Gasket/O-Ring Kits) includes the shaft seal and major gaskets and seals for your specific pump housing. If your pump is older, it may be good to replace all seals while the pump is disassembled to ensure a watertight installation.

If you need help identifying your pump housing: Read our guide: How To Identify Your Pump Manufacturer

Related Articles - How To Replace A Motor Shaft Seal 

Click Here to Find Your Pump's GOKIT

Step 3

Shut off Power to the Pump - Shut down the pump’s power source by flipping its breaker.

Step 4

Disconnect Bonding Wire - Unscrew the bonding wire lug to remove it from the motor.

Step 5

Remove Motor From Housing - Use a 9/16” wrench to remove the 6 to 8 (pump model specific) bolts from the pump seal plate, then pull the motor assembly away from the housing.

Step 6

Remove Motor Endcap - Use a screwdriver to loosen the motor endcap’s two screws. Place the endcap to the side after it’s removed.

Step 7

Short the Capacitor - The capacitor may store residual current, making the motor turn while we’re working. To prevent this misfire, using the tip of an insulated-handle screwdriver to both of the capacitor terminals leads to the discharge of the capacitor—also, Plac is a protective material or material between your face to prevent injury from sparks.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Motor

Step 8

Note Old Motor Wiring and Voltage Setting - Before disconnecting any terminal wires, note or take a picture of the motor’s terminal board. This will help ensure we set the correct voltage and wiring for the new motor installation.

Step 9

Disconnect Terminal Board Wires - Disconnect all hot, neutral, and ground wires from the terminal board.

These will be the wires coming into the motor from the conduit hole.

Step 10

Pull Wires - Pull the disconnected wires out of the motor through the conduit adapter.

Step 11

Remove Conduit Elbow - Unscrew the conduit adapter elbow from the old motor; place the adapter to the side for reuse on the new motor.

Step 12

Remove Diffuser - Remove the diffuser from the end of the motor assembly. Some pump models like the Hayward Super II use fins to stabilize the diffuser in the seal plate; this design allows you to pull the diffuser without tools. Other models like the Jandy Stealth uses screws to secure the diffuser to the seal plate; these will need to be removed first.

Step 13

Remove Impeller Wear Ring - Pull off the impeller’s wear ring.

Note: This step does not apply to all pump designs; not all pumps are designed with a wear ring.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Parts

Step 14

Stabilize Motor Shaft - Use a 9/16" wrench or a flathead screwdriver to stabilize the shaft.

Step 15

Remove Impeller Screw (If Necessary) - If your impeller uses an impeller screw, use a screwdriver to remove it. Not all impeller designs use an impeller lock screw like the impeller ring. Check your pump model’s parts listing before, or check for a screw during installation.

Note: The impeller lock screw is left-hand threaded (reverse thread). That is why you turn it clockwise to remove it.

Related Articles - Do I Need an Impeller Lock Screw?

Step 16

Unscrew Impeller from the Motor Shaft - While the motor shaft is stabilized, unscrew the impeller counter-clockwise.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Parts

Step 17

Remove the Seal plate (Motor Mounts to a Separate Mounting Plate) - Depending on the pump design, the seal plate may pull off easily after the impeller is removed because there’s a separate motor mount plate that backs the seal plate.

Step 18

Remove Seal Plate (Motor Mounts Directly to Seal Plate) - For models that use the seal plate as a mounting bracket, you will need to remove the four mounting bolts from the backside of the seal plate.

Step 19

Remove the New Motor’s Endcap - Re-screw the endcap screw on the new motor, and set the endcap screws aside for later re-installation.

Step 20

Install Motor Mounting Bracket or Seal Plate (Depending on Pump Design) - Use the four motor mount screws to reattach the seal plate or motor mount to the face of the motor.

The top of the motor mounting plate for this pump is labeled "TOP"—alternate bolts when tightening (1,3,2,4).

Step 21

Place the Plate Over the Mount Mount (Depending on Pump Design) - If your seal plate is separate from your motor mounting bracket, set it in place now.

Step 22

Remove Old Shaft Seal - Remove the old shaft seal from the old seal plate and impeller steam. Ensure to remove all bits of the old shaft seal, ensuring a snug fit of the new seal.

Note: There are two types of shaft seals used in modern pool pump design; one has the white ceramic side sit in the seal plate, and the spring-loaded side sits on the stem of the impeller. They are shown In Steps 23 & 25. The other standard design is vice versa; the white ceramic sits in an impeller cup around the impeller stem, while the spring-side sits in the seal plate. They are shown In Steps 24 & 26.

Refer to your owner’s manual or the corresponding pars schematic on our Inyo's Pool Pump Parts Finder

Step 23

Install First Half of Shaft Seal - White Ceramic in Seal Plate - Use a clean cloth to press the white ceramic side into the seal plate. First, make sure the Shaft seal is completely seated in the seal plate. Next, use a clean cloth to wipe away any dirt or finger grease that may have marked the smooth ring’s face.

Step 24

Install First Half of Shaft Seal - White Ceramic on impeller Stem - With a clean cloth, press the ceramic shaft seal into the impeller with the white ceramic side facing up.

Step 25

Install Second Half of Shaft Seal - Spring-Side on Impeller - Slide the new shaft seal's spring-loaded side onto the impeller stem.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Parts

Step 26

Install Second Half of Shaft Seal - Spring-Side Seal Plate -  Place a 1" PVC coupler over the seal and lightly hammer the seal into the plate. Check the front and back of the plate to ensure the seal is flush with the plate.

Tip: Apply a small amount of RTV silicone to the metal cup base of the spring-side piece. This will ensure the shaft seal stays secure in the seal plate during installation.

Step 27

Stabilize Motor Shaft - Stabilize the motor shaft with a 9/16” wrench.

Step 28

Install impeller - Hand-tighten impeller onto the end of the motor shaft.

Step 29

Re-Install Impeller Lock Screw (If Necessary) - Screw in the impeller lock screw if your pump requires one.

Step 30

Re-Install Impeller Ring (If Necessary) - Install the old impeller lock screw into the new impeller. Remember, this screw is a reverse thread “Lefty-Tighty.”

Step 31

Re-Install Diffuser - Place the diffuser over the impeller, and align the tabs (or screw holes) of the diffuser into the holes of the seal plate. Install diffuser screws (model dependent.)

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Parts

Step 32

Install Diffuser O-Ring - Apply Teflon lube to the new diffuser o-ring, then slide it into place.

Step 33

Install Housing Gasket - Lube the housing gasket with either Teflon or silicone, then install it into the seal plate’s gasket groove.

Step 34

Mount Motor Assembly to Housing - Slid the motor assembly into the pump housing.

Step 35

Install Pump Housing Bolts - Re-attach the 6 to 8  bolts to secure the motor assembly to the pump housing. The number of bolts varies depending on the model.

Step 36

Attach Conduit Adapter - Screw on the original conduit adapter to the new motor.

Step 37

Connect Wires to Terminal Board - Check your new motor’s wiring diagram to confirm wire orientations.

In this example, we had a single-speed motor running on 230v. We connected the Black hot line to L1, the Red hot line to L2, and the green ground line to the green screw.

Click Here to Find Your Replacement Pool Pump Motor

Step 38

Attach Motor’s Endcap - install the motor’s endcap using two screws.

Step 39

Prime the pump - Use a hose to fill the strainer housing with water, then close the pump lid.

Related Articles - How To Prime a Pool Pump, How To Determine Why a Pool Pump Won't Prime

Step 40

Turn on the Pump - Switch on the pump’s breaker, to restore power.


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InyoPools Product Specialist  Posted: 4/16/2012 

CBD - Generally, if the leak is under the pump, you have a housing gasket problem, where the motor and pump come together (see Steps 48 and 49). Make sure that gasket is set properly. Get a new one if you didn't already. If the water is coming from the bottom of the motor, you have a shaft seal problem. This seal has to be replaced with a new one when you replace a motor. Also make sure you have the right shaft seal. They are different for each motor. Give us a call and we will confirm the shaft seal part. Worse case - check to make sure that you don't have a crack in the pump housing.
 Reply

 Posted: 4/15/2012 

Bought a 2 THP motor from you guys.
Followed instructions...
Went to prime the system and noticed water is leaking directly from bottom of pump/de-fuser sections.
It is a free flow leak in volume. Started all over and turned the white and rubber seal around just for grins and same exact result. Pump does work though, but the leak is a huge amount. Any ideas?
 Reply

InyoPools Product Specialist  Posted: 3/26/2012 

Ray Ray – If you have diverter valves, check to make sure they are set correctly to allow enough flow into the return lines. Also check the impeller inside the motor to see if it is clogged. Check for leaks in the lines and pool equipment. See our How To Guides for more specific instructions.
 Reply

 Posted: 3/23/2012 

My in ground pool pump is not working like normal. I'm only receiving a low volume of pressure into the pool and I'm not able to use my cleaning tools to clean the pool.

thanks, Ray
 Reply

InyoPools Product Specialist  Posted: 3/14/2012 

bw - Depends on where the leak is. If water is dripping out of the bottom of the motor, you probably have a bad shaft seal or you need to check that you purchased the correct shaft seal for you pump. If the water is spraying out at one of the gaskets, make sure the new gasket is seated correctly or you may have a defective gasket. Last, and worst, you may have a crack in your pump housing in which case you will need to buy a new housing.
 Reply

 Posted: 3/13/2012 

everything went as planned until iI turned on the pump and I had a leak. I redid the whole prosses and it continued so I'm not sure. Any ideas?
 Reply

 Posted: 12/23/2011 

Just installed the new pump (AO Smith), GOKIT3, and impeller. Worked like a charm for about a 1/2 hour. It started to trip breaker. Looked at it the next morning and noticed that there was a small nick in a yellow wire going to the start-up cap and it was shorting to the capacitor. Piece of electrical tape and it works like a charm. This is my third pump in 4 years. Had the super pump replaced with an Emerson which lasted less than 6 months. My guess is the pool guy reused the old seal..regardless the bearings went out on that pump and not sure if that could be caused by the seal. Will look into getting it rebuilt and keep as a spare.
Very pleased with INYOpools, knowledgeable with a sense of humor. Merry Christmas guys!
 Reply

InyoPools Product Specialist  Posted: 11/19/2011 

Steve, Recheck your wiring. See also our guide on "How To Wire a Pool Pump". Make sure the motor shaft rotates easily. If this doesn't work, give us a call at 877 372-6038.
 Reply

 Posted: 11/18/2011 

when I turned on my new motor it just made a small buzz and then nothing. Any ideas?
 Reply

 Posted: 11/16/2011 

Hi,
I just want to say TY for providing these clear instructions so I could make this a DIY project and save the cash.It took about 45 minutes to gater my tools and do the disassemble.And about another 45 minutes to do the install...NICE JOB GUYS...Thanks again....Ian...Also I feel more confident knowing that I can DIY and tackle more jobs that arise...
 Reply

InyoPools Product Specialist  Posted: 11/1/2011 

You might try epoxy. Make sure the bolt lines up with the insert. I'd put the motor an 1" from the housing, screw in a couple of "good" bolts to line them up, place the "loose" bolt though the motor hole and screw it into the insert, then epoxy the insert in. Can't guarantee it will work but it's worth a shot.
 Reply

Anonymous  Posted: 10/31/2011 

How can I fix the problem of one of hte brass inserts that the six bolts screw in to pulls out of the pool pump housing? Is there a way to re-seat it?
 Reply

Anonymous  Posted: 8/23/2011 

Okay, I did it, and saved at least $150 by doing it myself. These instructions were very, very helpful. But probably spent 15 hours, including all the research and internet shopping to get the best prices. This is a "moderate" difficulty project only compared with say, rebuilding your car's engine, I suppose. It certainly wasn't simple. There are a lot of ways to go wrong, but my attitude was, give it a shot, and the worst thing that can happen is you'll have to call a pro to bail you out.
 Reply

 Posted: 5/19/2019 

Excellent info and steps. Keep up the great service.
 Reply

Anonymous  Posted: 7/30/2011 

was able to replace my Hayward pump w ease thanks to this guide. IT WAS GREAT! the new pump is exceedingly quiet
 Reply