Replace that impellor

[soling42]

I like to check mine every year or every 100hrs. REALLY, REALLY didn't want to bother changing it this season because the last one looked fine, hadn't used it much and it has the potential to be tough to get out, blah, blah. I grudgingly pulled the foot on the OB on our 26 to find 2 blades missing and one jammed into the outlet port. Egads!!!

They're a hassle to get to but it better be done as regular maintenance. Now get that thing out...you know you need to:naughty:.

I know I'm happy I did. There is just no right time to fry a motor for lack of a $10 part.
Close call for Michael

 

[Allan R]

A wise choice

The trade off for not doing some of the minor maintenance items can prove to be very costly over time.

"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

I replace mine every season regardless of the time on the engine or generrator. Have been doing so for the last three seasons.

 

[LooseDiamond]

I need to do this on my 4.5 Merc now. Stranded me a mile out of the harbor yesterday, forcing me to sail back into my slip for the first time! I pulled it off, though. I would attempt this myself if I knew how. It was changed 2 seasons ago...

 

[sailaway78]

Impeller replacement

The raw water impeller should be replaced every twos years at the max. This should be a regular part of your routine maintenance, just like changing the oil. While it may be considered overkill by some, there is absolutely nothing wrong with every year. Personally, I wouldn't change using engine hours as a guide, because a 100 hour schedule could be ten years for some. I know a lot of you never think about it, and many get away with going years without changing it. But if you want to be confident it won't fail, every other year is the max. The one you pull out, can serve as a spare if it is in good condition. It is reasonably inexpensive, and pretty easily done. The consequences if it fails can be extremely expensive. Lots of simple ways to remember. If you have a two year registration for your boat, do it every time you renew. Or use the years, and change on even or odd number years, or when you renew documentation.

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

A little hassle now....

A little hassle now will prevent a big hassle later. I only use my OB sparingly and hardly at all last season(bad gas=bad carb=use the spare.)but this past season the impeller(that's water pump to most of us) stopped working reliably. While we were having a great time on Lake George, I worried that it would be working well enough to make the trip back to the marina at the end of the week. This limited my plans for a lttle fishing and then again a mid-week trip back to the marina for a quick shower and dinner at a dockside restaurant.
2 days after coming home I needed a couple of hours to replace the pump and it was fine. Could have done it in less than an hour, but this ain't a small block chevy(could do it in my sleep), and I never did more than change plugs on any outboard, so I took my time to excess(OK, it was 100 deg. even under the sunshade that I rigged).
On another note, I've NEVER replaced the pump on my old 2-stroke that has much more hours on it...