Electric pump - Is this galvanic corrosion?

[SeaHarlequin]

Hi - A couple of months ago, I relocated my electric fuel pump to a nearby bulkhead thinking it'd give me easier access for maintenance as well as get it away from heat/vibrations. Today, I was working on the fuel lines and noticed the bottom portion of the filter had some type of discoloration.

Since it's close to the rotating shaft, I thought some saltwater may have been spraying onto it and salt buildup was taking place. Then I noticed there was no such build up on the sticker nor anywhere else on the filter canister. I'm not concerned I may have introduced something that's causing galvanic corrosion. Can someone tell from the pictures what is happening?

For what it's worth, the backing plate is sheet steel that has been painted and there's a ground wire running to the engine block. I appreciate any insights/hunches you can offer to help me understand what's going on and how to address this.

Thanks!

[joe_db]

That looks like salt water. I have a rubber shield over my shaft to prevent excess spray causing problems

[Dave Neptune]

What Joe said.

Dave Neptune

[SeaHarlequin]

That's a relief, I thought I'd done something stupid and was destroying the pump.

[SeaHarlequin]

That looks like salt water. I have a rubber shield over my shaft to prevent excess spray causing problems

I like that idea. There would also be a safety feature in that it would be less likely something (or someone) could roll around and get caught up in the shaft. I'm surprised the manufacturer didn't just do that and I'm now thinking of why they wouldn't do so.

Maybe having the shaft fully exposed allows people to inspect it periodically for potential issues. How frequently should the shaft be checked? Maybe I can just make the covering easily removable/hinged for quick spot checks.