Comments for Aquabot Pump Motor Capacitor Repair

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Aug 02, 2022
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Motor burnt up
by: Anonymous

Not exactly sure where I went wrong. But the motor burnt up immediately. It wouldn't hardly spin when I first took it apart. After the new caps it spun up fine then sizzled and blew the fuse. I did use 680uf 100v caps but the higher voltage rating should have affected anything. I also had to splice the wires all the way back to the motor because the insulation was soo cracked. Obviously I did something wrong but just curious as to what...

Jun 17, 2021
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Marine grade epoxy resin and hardener
by: ADMIN

Marine grade epoxy resin and hardener

Jun 08, 2021
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Epoxy
by: Davidofva

So what type of epoxy do I need? Didn’t see mentioned in the shopping list in an earlier post. Is there an example from Amazon or somewhere that would be good to use? Would need to be non-conductive, correct?
Thanks

Jun 06, 2021
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Fill with epoxy ...
by: ADMIN

to seal off the wiring hole

Jun 06, 2021
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Silicon in place of epoxy?
by: Davidofva

So after soldering in new capacitors do you fill top of pump with silicone sealant as the epoxy covered before?
Or do you pack with duct seal?

Sep 11, 2020
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Buying Capacitors
by: SteveCraft

I was able to get the capacitors for my Aquabot Turbo from Mouser Electronics at Mouser.com.

The ones I needed were KEMET Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors - Axial 63V 680uF 125C

Mfg P/N: PEG124MG368AQL1
Mouser P/N 80-PEG124MG368AQL1

They fit nicely in the pump cap and my bot is working great!

Jun 08, 2020
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motor AS00035R
by: mikeinviaggio

Hello, I'm Michele from Italy. I'm trying to repair a aquabot for a friend.
the main pump do not spin unless you help it and once you twist it it looks works fine.
Can some confirm me that this is related to the capacitors inside ?
Thanks this is my email in case someone wants help me out

mikeinviaggio@hotmail.com

Jul 05, 2018
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Capacitor link
by: Anonymous

Someone posted a detailed list of items from amazon. The capacitor they linked is no longer available, and that item number links to a 30V capacitor. I've found this on ebay 5PCS Illinois CAPACITOR 680UF 680MF 63V 32x16mm. Will this work? It's rated @105degrees but is massive in size compared to the 12x12 mentioned in other comments. The shaft spins ok clockwise but has drag CCW, normal?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-Illinois-CAPACITOR-680UF-680MF-63V-32x16mm-REPLACING-FOR-50V-35V-25V-16V/151510183520?hash=item2346b5ee60:g:dfQAAOSwQJhUiOIO

Additionally, Would waterproof silicone caulking (tubs and sinks) available at lowes/HD work?

Jun 30, 2018
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removing epoxy
by: ADMIN

Try a heat gun

Jun 22, 2018
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Epoxy Removal
by: Brian L

How did you folks remove the old epoxy. It looks pretty solid and would surely do some damage to the pump housing when trying to break it apart.

Sep 04, 2017
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Thank you ..we hope..
by: Peggy G from Holbrook

We have a very old Aquabot we love and over the years we've replaced numerous motors (drive & pump) ourselves after originally being told we couldn't because only an Aquabot specialist could guarantee the work ..but we did so anyway needless to say we saved a chunk of money on so called specialist installation cost over the years but... still the replacement pumps are very expensive and now after seeing John's info we're going to try to replace the capacitors and see if that works on our dead pump motor. To everyone who has commented and given additional info thanks so much...if this works we'll follow up with our own tips and results.

Jul 11, 2017
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A small note
by: Steve A

One other thing you can check before changing the capacitors is the thermal motor protector. If you follow the black wire there is a small temperature limiting cutout tucked just inside the motor housing. It is normally closed but opens when the unit goes above 85C. If this fails you will have no connection from one of the power supply power wires to the motor.

Jul 07, 2017
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More on Aquabot Turbo Capacitors
by: Anonymous

Thanks to John's original post years ago I was able to repair the pump motor on my Aquabot Turbo early 2000's vintage.

One thing I did want to share was that I did not measure the original caps before ordering. The Ebay caps were much larger than the originals.

Originals were approximately 12mm X 22mm. The replacements I ordered were ore like 15 x 30mm.

They did not fit in the end of the motor in a circular layout the same way the originals did. However, i was able to lay them side-by-side across the bottom and cover them with epoxy -- just enough to cover so it didn't interfere with the fitting of the motor in the casing.

BTW, the caps ordered were 63v 470uf 85c axial. besides the size, the other difference was the temp rating. The originals were 105c, but based on previous posts I went with the 85c.

Once new caps were in the motor fired right up.

Jul 04, 2017
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My turn to rebuild the pump
by: Tteksystems

I bought the very 1st run of Aquabot Turbo T-4 robots in 2005-2006. Paid $1500 which is costly. So when I had even the slightest problem, I called Aquabot tech support. It wasn't long before Aquabot's technician knew me by name. And this afforded me much seat time for learning everything there is to know about Aquabot pool robots. So worth it.

After 7 years the pump failed. I took it apart. The oil was like water. Probably because water leaked in from the pool. Some older pump motors had no silicon/resin for waterproofing. But still, I got 7 years of heavy use. Pretty good mileage. Internally, I found excessive corrosion, damaged/leaking caps, tarnished copper pump windings, etc. I had no patience to figure out how I could salvage this.

So the search was on for the best deal on a new pump. 1st order of business was to call the Aquabot technician to verify the part #. Seems there were a couple pumps offered. Well, the Aquabot technician revealed some very valuable info:

Many Aquabot's have the "POWER WASHING" feature. The pump motor used for these Aquabots has a POWER WASHING ADAPTER KIT mounted underneath the impeller. This pump motor assembly is often priced in the $300 range. . The Aquabot Classic, & many other Aquabots, do not have power washing port. These models use the pump motor with impeller ONLY. THIS pump motor can be found for $80-$100 less than the one that has the "POWWER WASHING ADAPTER KIT". In short, these pumps are actually exactly the same with the exception of the "POWER WASHING ADAPTER KIT". All we need to do is buy the cheaper pump motor assembly & transfer the "POWER WASHING ADAPTER KIT" from your old assembly and put it on the new one. That is what the Aquabot tech told me to do & he even sold me the correct pump motor to do this. I paid $220, he sent it within a couple days, &, sure enough, the power washer adapter kit from my old pump motor, with a little coaxing from a flat head screw driver, slif off the impeller shaft & I installed it on the new pump motor assembly. It worked like a charm. Saved me $80.

Now that was 5 years ago. That pump just failed 2 days ago. I now have the same issue but after opening THIS pump, it is very clean inside. I saved the oil. I carefully removed the resin and identified the caps, their respective specifications, & their orientation. I am DEFINITELY going to replace the caps this time. 1 collapsed & leaked. I am fairly certain that's what failed

You can read the rest of this post for the specific details regarding the materials I am using for this repair or even better, I made a list on Amazon that can be viewed publicly & it shows the exact items i purchased. Check it out @ the following address

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2V9ARV7DSAD7H/ref=cm_wl_huc_view

Or, continue reading to see the list of materials with details. I will be repairing the pump motor on July 6th, 2017 & will post my experience
Here is the list of items I actually bought & the price paid.

1) 5pk of NICHICON UPW1J681MHD1TN ALUMINUM ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS:
-680UF 63V 1000hrs@85C
-Low impedance w/high reliability
-Good for startup/run capacitor applications
-Price Paid - $10.80

2) 25pk Wiwaplex Heat Shrink Butt Connectors Crimp Electrical Terminals
-waterproof wire connector
-Red 18-22 A.W.G
-Price Paid - $6.99

3) 85pk 3:1 Dual Wall Adhesive Heat Shrink Tubing kit
-6 Sizes(DIA): 1/2" 3/8" 1/4" 3/16" 1/8" 3/32"
-Best Cable Sleeve Tube Assortment
-Storage Case for DYI by MILAPEAK (Black)
-Price Paid - $9.89

4) 1 lb. Pug Gardner Bender DS-110N Duct Seal
-add on item ($25 minimum purchase)
-Price Paid - $2.98

5)Sikasil N-Plus White Silicone Sealant/Caulk 10.1 fl. oz. Cartridge
-100% RTV neutral cure silicone sealant
-Price Paid - $8.50

In total, I spent about $40. I only have 5 new capacitors, 4 of which will be used but other than having to buy another set of caps, I have several more butt connectors, plus enough shrink tubing & sealant for 10 or more pump motor repairs. If I use 5 years as a reference for repeating this repair, I can just buy a set of 4 caps for less than $10 if & when the need arises, and I can just store the remaining materials for future use. So, if I DO need to do this again, It should only require a set of caps.

I've been taking photos of the progress thus far but it's not really hard to see what's going on here. 4 total capacitors wired in parallel. I had 63v caps rated @ 470uf but I opted for replacements that were 63v 680uf only
because I was able to get them shipped to my door in 2 days. All 5 items I ordered will be here the same day which was a stroke of good luck. If anyone blows the fuse in the main power supply to the aquabot, mine uses a glass tube buss 2.5a x 250v. Just wanted to include as much info about the entire Aquabot System for anyone who might be seeking details and specs

And for those who have the pump motor with the "PRESSURE WASHING ADAPTER KIT" & you buy the cheaper pump motor withput the kit, just follow the instructions for transferring the PRESSURE WASHING ADAPTER KIT from your old pump to the new. Here is a link to the pump without the kit

http://www.robotshop.com/en/aquaproducts-jet-series-pump-motor.html#description

Super great deal @ $179 w/free shipping, no tax

Sep 03, 2016
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replacing bearing on aquabot pump
by: Anonymous

motor spins,however not smoothly. No water in pump.Motor appears fine,just seizes after some run time.Has anyone changed bearing before,where do you get them and are they in fact changeable. Would imagine I will also need a new seal.

Aug 28, 2016
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If water ruined the bearings...
by: ADMIN

Then don't bother replacing them. The electronic card is most likely damaged as well. Look on Ebay for a pump or call Aqua Quality Pools and Spas and ask them if they will sell you a used pump. They are in Westbury, NY but ship anywhere in the world.

Aug 28, 2016
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Pn#AS00035R Pump Motor
by: Walter E Lehmann

Nice to find this forum. My cleaner has worked fine for past 5 years, however this year needed belt replacement.
Pretty straight forward and seemed to fix problem
Shortly after however pump seemed to seize.
Took apart however don't see how I would get to bearing.
Capacitors look good as it runs till bearing seizes
It is stiff with no power to it.
Really do want to buy complete pump, it is overpriced.
Seems same pump is used by most pool vac manufactures.
If anyone has had success in making this repair, or replacement of bearing and would like to share this with me, that would be greatly appreciated.
I can be reached by email
Walter@frontier-mechanical.ca

Aug 28, 2016
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Should spin
by: ADMIN

The impeller should spin freely unless the pump is full of water causing the bearings to freeze with rust.

Aug 28, 2016
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Siezed Impeller?
by: Anonymous

I just purchased a used Aquabot Jr and surpise it didn't work. I identified the problem as the pump, found a piece of wood jammed in the impeller blade. After removing this I tried to spin the impeller, but it wouldn't budge. (I mean really will not move at all.) I assume this means the motor is shot. Can someone confirm this?

Aug 03, 2016
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AQUABOT PUMP MOTOR CAPACITORS
by: PAT

RE; AQUABOT PUMP MOTOR REPAIR !
WHAT IS THE CORRECT WIRING FOR THE FOUR CAPACITORS SHOWN ????
IF ALL IN SERIES THEN THAT IS NOT WHAT IS SHOWN !

SO QUESTION IS ARE THEY "ALL IN SERIES OR NOT "??

May 08, 2016
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Must epoxy
by: ADMIN

Yes, need marine resin/epoxy to seal the pump from water leakage.

May 08, 2016
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Aquabot Turbo T2 motor Capacitor Resin
by: Scott

When reassembling must the resin be added back to protect the capacitors? If yes, what material should be used?

Jul 25, 2015
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Oil
by: Anonymous

Compressor oil

Jul 09, 2015
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Marine shrink tubing
by: ADMIN

Must use marine grade shrink tubing that has a glue lining.

Jul 09, 2015
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Thanks!
by: Tim in BAMA

Thanks to all of your comments, I have a Turbo T-Jet, the power cord became separated due to pulling the cleaner out of the pool by the cord, I tried to splice the wires back together, used shrink tape and electrical tape but water still made it's way to the wire, luckely I caught it before any damage. Anyhow, I can use all your comments to cut the cord and feed through the top of the pump motor. Thanks Again. Go Buckeyes!!

Mar 14, 2015
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Great Fix...Thanks!
by: G Stephens

Thanks for this post. My Aquabot T2 pump motor stopped working and I found this post. Since I have a background in electronics I thought what the heck. I ordered some caps and replaced them and BINGO! Started right up!
Thanks again!

Aug 21, 2014
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Capacitors
by: mitmoke

sounds like a great idea but where do you find these capacitors?

Aug 16, 2014
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Drive Motor Small Gear
by: Mike - Massapequa

HI, I have an older Aquabot Turbo, I was wondering if anyone has been able to remove the small gear on the motor and find a replacement.
I was able to find the gear box on Ebay. I can't seem to find the drive gear itself.
Thanks
Mike t.

Jul 26, 2014
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Capacitor Rating
by: Mike-Massapequa

Hi I was just wondering, my present caps that I removed are 470mF,should I go to the higher rated ones, thee 680mF's?
Thanks for all the help.
Great site with plenty of information.

Jun 16, 2014
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About to attempt the repair
by: Anonymous

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to post. My motor turns fine so I suspect the caps need replaced.
Spilled the oil all over my work bench before reading the posts.
If anyone has other advice, my email is waynebruns@sbcglobal.net

Sep 24, 2013
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Wire scheme
by: Burt

For those motors with BROWN, GRAY and BLACK wire in the motor.

Solder White (from power wire) to gray AND Positive end of capacitor 1.(arrows point to negative end.) Connect negative end to negative end of capacitor 2

Connect Positive end of Capacitor 2 to Positive end of capacitor 3.

Connect negative end of capacitor 3 to negative end of capacitor 4.

Connect BROWN wire to positive end of capacitor 4.

Connect Black to Black

For those motors with RED, GRAY and BLACK wire in the motor.

Solder White (from power wire) to Red AND Positive end of capacitor 1.(arrows point to negative end.) Connect negative end to negative end of capacitor 2

Connect Positive end of Capacitor 2 to Positive end of capacitor 3.

Connect negative end of capacitor 3 to negative end of capacitor 4.

Connect MOTOR black wire to positive end of capacitor 4.

Connect Black from power wire to gray.

Sep 24, 2013
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Aquabot pump mtr capacitors.
by: Anonymous

Please clarify proper order of the 4x680uf capacitor connections from white/grey splice all the way to the brown wire lead in the classic aquabot.
After soldering the connections I have, I tested by just hooking up the 36vac pwr supply to the pump motor's white-and-black leads but it keeps blowing the glass fuse after running for several seconds. Also, I read continuity across the pump motor leads.

I also isolated the drive motor and connected the power supply, and it runs-- fuse ok.
Please advise.

Sep 02, 2013
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Motor repair...
by: Stuart, Nesconset NY

Do the repair! Do not buy the replacement!

Apparently they're all Pool Rover Jr. motors, which will really neuter a Pool Rover (what took 1 hr for my 18x33 AGP now takes 4 hrs, and I can not operate my pool pump while running the neutered Rover because the circulating pool currents often overpower it...

Cap failures likely due to voltage rating not having enough margin over the operating values, and spikes when turning off / on (> 24-40V ???) I will look for a higher rating for the same capacitance and case size, and repair my original motor. 85C temp should be fine, considering the environment. Also, had the oil spill out the original motor when I disassembled it- colorless, odorless, very likely was industrial grade, mid- weight mineral oil.

Feb 21, 2013
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RE: YOU R THE MAN!!!!! Chris From NY
by: Anonymous

I realize this is a 3 year old post and I may not see a response but I'm finding this thread a huge help to repair my Aquabot Turbo pump motor. Chris from NY, quick question... I also need to replace the 63V 680uF 105c capacitor but am only finding a 85c rating, have these continued to work OK for you?

Oct 07, 2012
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Oil type & epoxy removal
by: Anonymous

Use 3/4 cup of compressor oil or NON-detergent 30 weight auto oil or mineral oil.

Remove the epoxy with a heatgun or hot blow dryer.

Oct 07, 2012
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Oil pump Aquabot Bravo
by: Federico

Hello, I live in Spain, and I hope you can help me. I have a very old Aquabot Bravo. Yesterday pump broke. I opened the pump and lost the oil. The pump plate has two capacitors and found a capacitor 6800uf 25v broken. I will replace the two capacitors. Also left something like oil. What kind of oil and how much I can use? Thank you very much. Sorry for my English, I use an online translator

Aug 28, 2012
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whats the best way to get the resin out?
by: Sam

I bought some aquabots from a pool store that couldn't repair them ,there were 4 total plus some parts .
I have 2 up and running and using them in my pool.
My current projects are a bravo 3 needs a stepping motor,
And an classic that the pump is out of.
The pool guy drained the oil from the pump and didn't save it,so I'll have to pic some up.
My question is ,how do you get that epoxy out of the cap without making a mess?
Does anyone have an drawing of the capacitor configuration ?
Thanks for any help you could give.

May 12, 2012
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need diagram or picture
by: Anonymous

I am trying to replace the caps on my pump today but the pictures do not show me the wiring diagram for soldering them in. Anybody have a picture of it? you can e mail it to me footerwah1@comcast.net

Aug 24, 2011
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Replacement Oil
by: PKelly

When I rebuilt a sump pump, the directions were to use "dielectric oil". When I went to buy it, at Amesbury (MA) Industrial Supply, they handed me Mineral Oil. I would use that over vegetable oil.

May 14, 2011
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ordered the caps
by: Joe

To remove the "caulk" matter around the caps I used a dental scaler to remove a thin strip around the perimeter and gently pried up and the entire piece came out whole...just had to be careful feeding the power wire thru the hole..I then used jewelers needle nose pliers to gently break away the caulk as the other guy had mentioned 1 end of the 1st cap seemed to be corroded and came right out...I can't wait till the parts get here...hopefully the motor is not bad as there was some oil that had leaked out and water obviously got in...but nothing in the motor housing looks corroded...I'll come back and let you know how it all worked out and how I went about refilling...thanks again...this site has been really helpful

Sep 06, 2010
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YOU R THE MAN!!!!!
by: Chris from NY

Just wanted to add my own experience. I took your advice and did the repair myself. I bought 4 capacitor on eBay for $6, it took me a while to buy them because I was trying to get exact replacement which was 680uf 63V and temp. 105C. I got 680uf 63V and 85C but it work great anyway. Couple of things I would like to add, I contact someone from a repair center for aquabot. He said you can use duct seal for replacing the epoxy to seal in and hold the capacitor in the motor cap and vegetable oil for replacement oil.
I use a caulking from Pep boy for sealing and insulating electrical wires $16.00 and the vegetable oil to add to the rest of the oil I save when I open the motor. It is really working better than before I believe. Thank for all your help and saving me a lot of money. I took picture of the capacitor hook up if I can add them to here I will if not I will add on my own page just to pass on the knowledge and keep up the sharing.

Jul 15, 2010
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Awesome
by: Alan

Thanks for the info, just finished replacing the caps on mine. It looked like a lead of one of the caps broke and so probably all four blew. They were obviously blown. Any ideas on filling the motor back with oil? Do they use a port on the top to fill? Thanks again for the idea, just saved me around 280 bucks!

Jun 06, 2010
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Fix-it hall of famer!
by: Curt

You da man!. Sorry...had to say it.
Several problems mentioned:

A heat gun should loosen the resin and the oil is SAE30 non-detergent or use compressor oil.

Thanks for the great information!

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