I have a trash pump I use to water some tree from a crick if things get dry each year. I noticed last year the gas engine wasn't running to top performance.

My question is would I like to run this engine with the pump sucking water and going through the pump. I want to work on engine but I'm afraid to hurt the pump without the pump work as it is intended too.

Any suggestions on how I can proceed without damaging pump.

keep the pump housing full of water and that will keep you from taking out the mechanical seal. the rest of the pump workings are fine to run dry.

So fill the housing with water and cap/close the intake and discharge holes? Right??

just get you a bucket . Put the intake hose in as well as the out put hose. IF you can of course.

you don't even have to cap the ports -- as long as there is water in there sloshing around you can run it for quite a while.

With engine off. I would turn off gas, drain carb bowl. Add StarBrite enzyme treatment to the gas and turn gas lever back on to fill carb bowl. Will most likely run way better next time you use it.

H2ORat >> Okey thanks for the info, I really do appreciate the help. As far as cycling water through a tank it might work but would be a pain in the donkey. This is a 3 inch suction and discharge unit. It will suck because it will move 350 gallons of water in 1 minute.

Thank-You.

What Trapset said! Fuel now days is junk. If running ethanol fuel, use Startron fuel treatment. If it is not very old, I would bet it is just a fuel issue.

It seems most engines that sit for long periods get fuel problems nothing a new filter and tank flush might fix it, Briggs fuel pumps go bad and check the line on the bottom if it has one the tube cracks. If it sits outside clean the magneto also.

It sure could be fuel. I do use premium and always add a little SeaFoam to every 2 gallon of gas I use on small engines. I always run dry and drain gas tank in fall. I will try that and of course I will fill pump housing with water. Thank You.

no problem -- i work on irrigation and manure pumps for a living - have for almost 40 years -- kinda second nature to me.