Replacing impeller

I

IH82BL8

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Feb 6, 2013
437
Hunter 31 Deale, MD
Lube with petroleum jelly or with something else?

Thanks.

BTW, for those who are about to do this for the first time, learn from my mistake. I approached the project under the assumption that the old impeller would be disposed of, so I started with a dental pick to pull it out. Then I stick a flat screwdriver thru one of the ports and pried it out. Piece o' cake. Upon examining the impeller found it pliable and in good condition. I'll by a new to install and keep this one as a spare, I thought...if not for that hole where I hooked it with the dental pick!
 
C

Calif. Ted

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Jun 8, 2004
2,977
Catalina 320 Dana Point
Don't use petroleum jelly, the last few years replacement impellors have come packaged with a small tube of "impellor lube". I have a small jar I bought about twenty years ago that will probably be passed on in my will. Petroleum jelly is supposed to be hard on the rubber (petroleum). The impellor lube is probably water based.
What's your boat worth ? Toss the old impellor, carry a new one if you want a spare. Once you make the effort to take the cover off the pump you might as well put a new, fresh $10 impellor in.
 
S

Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Here is some information from Johnson Pumps. They mfg many of the OEM pump parts.

Installation instructions for pump impeller
[FONT=Helvetica 65 Medium,Helvetica 65 Medium][FONT=Helvetica 65 Medium,Helvetica 65 Medium]Warning!
[/FONT][/FONT]There is a risk of water leakage when the impeller is being changed. Check whether there is a siphon effect in the pipe before doing the change.
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]1. Open the pump cover to gain access to the impeller.
2. Inspect the inside of the pump for wear, and clear any muck out. Change worn components as necessary.
3. Change the impeller shaft seal if one is included.
4. Lubricate the lip seal with glycerin (do not lubricate mechanical seal).
5. Lubricate the inside of the pump with the glycerin included in the kit.
6. Install the new impeller with a rotating movement in the direction that the impeller will turn in, please refer to the illustration.
7. Lubricate the O-ring/gasket with glycerin. Install the O-ring/gasket and cover.
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica 65 Medium,Helvetica 65 Medium][FONT=Helvetica 65 Medium,Helvetica 65 Medium]Warning!
[/FONT][/FONT]When the engine is started, make sure that the pump sucks water up within 30 seconds. If it does not do so, STOP the engine at once and check whether there is any air leakage in the system, or seal damage in the pump.
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]To increase the service life of the impeller, do not install the impeller in the pump if the equipment will be stored for a longer period of time. Store a disassembled impeller in a dark, cool and dry place.
[/FONT][/FONT]
 
T

TLW

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Jan 15, 2013
271
Oday 31 Whitehall, MI
Really? Water-based lube for a water pump impeller? I learn the most amazing things on here.
 
S

Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Ya! The next thing they will be telling you is to use some sex lube and nothing else will work. :)
 
Warren Milberg

Warren Milberg

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Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
I have had good luck lubing impeller with a biodegradable liquid soap. It is pumped out with the first rotation of the blades as soon as you start the engine.
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,006
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I would suggest some "Never Seize" on the shaft. As for lubricating the impeller, whatever you use will get washed away pretty quickly; it's just until the water gets to the impeller.
Sadly, on both the Perkins ME and the Onan gene, it's easier to remove and reinstall the whole pump, to change the impeller. Don't you just love how the designers can't seem to think far enough ahead for simplifying routine maintenance? grrrrr
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,722
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
IH82BL8 said:
Lube with petroleum jelly or with something else?

Thanks.

BTW, for those who are about to do this for the first time, learn from my mistake. I approached the project under the assumption that the old impeller would be disposed of, so I started with a dental pick to pull it out. Then I stick a flat screwdriver thru one of the ports and pried it out. Piece o' cake. Upon examining the impeller found it pliable and in good condition. I'll by a new to install and keep this one as a spare, I thought...if not for that hole where I hooked it with the dental pick!
Click to expand
Lube with glycerin, avaible at any drug store.. They also sell glycerin as "impeller lube", if you want to pay 15X the price....
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
While impeller pullers may seem expensive, I found that a puller makes the removal job easy, and you can remove the impeller without damage. I was pulling my impeller out in pieces each season, left wondering if the missing pieces were left somewhere in the cooling system. The Jabsco compact puller is a gem.
 
Scott T-Bird

Scott T-Bird

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Oct 26, 2008
6,370
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Don't be tempted to keep the old as a spare ... every time I replace an impeller, I can't find anything wrong with it. Always indistinguishable from a new one. I thought the same thing and tried to use one of the old ones the next time one failed and found that it still didn't work. I have no idea why they fail, they just do.

It's very odd to me. The impeller on my sailboat will last no more than 2 seasons with extremely light use (20 hours per season?). The impeller for the water pump on my 260 HP V-8 engine for my ski boat never fails for thousands of hours of service. I've replaced an impeller twice, once when the intake was clogged with mud so that doesn't even count.

So far, no impeller failure with my new Yanmar ... I'm wondering if I'll go thru the 2nd season without failure ... which would be an improvement! I have a spare just in case ...
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
My Yanmar impellers show no sign of wear since installation of a Speedseal Life impeller cover. The impeller end is butted against a teflon disk bearing. Prior to that I saw abrasion wear on the end, and adjacent impeller tips.
 
Scott T-Bird

Scott T-Bird

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Oct 26, 2008
6,370
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
That's worth a try ...

Gunni said:
My Yanmar impellers show no sign of wear since installation of a Speedseal Life impeller cover. The impeller end is butted against a teflon disk bearing. Prior to that I saw abrasion wear on the end, and adjacent impeller tips.
Click to expand
I think I'll get one!
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
Out of curiosity, are those of you who sail in fresh water encountering damaged impellers frequently, or is that something that is more prevalent in salt and brackish water? I sail in fresh water, and it seems as though I am changing impellers needlessly.

I don't mean to knock my powerboating friends, but I doubt that many of them even know they have a water pump impeller, let alone knowing that it should be changed.
 
Scott T-Bird

Scott T-Bird

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Oct 26, 2008
6,370
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Doug, I only change mine when it fails. I know it seems like this topic gets discussed frequently and I'm amazed at so many who change them so routinely ... yet mine also fails frequently compared to my ski boat. You're right, I think many power boat owners don't even consider it a maintenance item. For some reason, failure of the impeller on my ski boat is an extremely rare occurrence by comparison with my sail boat.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Attached are photos I took spring 2013. On the right (first photo, top second photo) is an impeller that spent two seasons in my Yanmar 4JH3E (and an interim winter, pickled in the pump in anti-freeze). This was an experiment to test wear under a Speedseal Life impeller cover. Other than some deformed impeller blades there was little sign of wear, and no cracking of the blades. I did use the ethanol-free AF.

This boat saw everything from the debris-strewn aftermath of H. Irene to a circumnav of Delmarva. Maybe 300 hours of engine time. Never freshwater flushed.
 

Attachments

Rick D

Rick D

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Jun 14, 2008
7,193
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
Just ordered a replacement...

...from this site and a small impeller puller too. (Should have brought the puller years ago.) I have only once encountered a bad impeller; one missing a few vanes which I recovered from the heat exchanger. I follow the manual in recommended replacement intervals, less about 25%. That's probably dumb since the manufacturer has a conservative recommendation anyway. Years ago, I used to replace it annually but I suspect that's more an issue with boats used less frequently.
 
fox islander

fox islander

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Jun 5, 2004
241
Catalina 30 MkII Foss Harbor Marina, Tacoma, WA
Steve Dion said:
Ya! The next thing they will be telling you is to use some sex lube and nothing else will work. :)
Click to expand
...KY is water based...bought a tube to help get new sanitation hoses on the PHII...slipperyer than snot on a brass doorknob.
 
WayneH

WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,109
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
I can hear it now. Like the State Farm commercial.

Wife: "WHAT are you doing with a tube of KY???"
Husband: "It's for the boat, dear."
Wife: "Sure and what's your boat's name this week???"


BTW, impellers die whenever it's inconvenient. Woke up one morning and started the engine and no water. Hmmm, it was working fine when we pulled in. Pulled the pump apart and found a hub with nubs for vanes. It was good enough to move water while running but not enough to reprime after sitting. Found all the tips, tho. Several in the first 90° off the pump and the rest in the first pass of the exchanger.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Having done the "find the impeller vanes" drill once, I learned that it is a huge time saver to simply replace the thing on a regular schedule. In my case, each year because my time is worth the price of an impeller. With a SpeedSeal impeller cover and an impeller puller the job takes 10 minutes at most.
 
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