water intake problems

[denwbaseball]

Ok so here is the deal. Boat is running but isn't taking in water like it should. Here is what I've done....and forgive me if I'm using the wrong terms for some stuff. At the water filter water is coming in fine free flowing without the boat on....right after the filter the is what looks like a pump even though I don't think it is if flow freely through that. then after that there is a long hose that takes the water up to the impeller.....it never makes it to the impeller. So I removed the house after the filter that is going to the impeller and put the garden hose directly into that and turned the boat on and the water comes shooting back out towards the filter never making it to the impeller. so i removed the hose on the discharge line of the impeller to make sure it was turning and it was but still no water. next i took the impeller out and there was nothing that looked real wrong with it but I've never even opened one up so I don't know how it should fit or anything like that. I had it replaced by a marinia last winter. The only markings on it was "16". The boat is a 1987 Supra with a PCM engine.

[Salty87]

sounds like the hoses are on backward...the output of the raw water pump is connected to the intake from the lake.

at the bottom of the pump that has a pulley and a belt there are 2 water hoses....1 from the thru-hull intake and the other goes to the engine block water pump. the belt turns the impeller in the same direction as the engine.

try swapping those 2 hoses.

[denwbaseball]

ok I'm not real sure what you mean. Here is the flow of the hoses(water).....enters the boat and passes thru a filter....next it goes to a metal piece that has two smaller hoses coming off the middle of it going toward the tranny and the shaft (did pay attention where it goes).....next the hose makes its way around to the front of the engine into the bottom of the impeller at belt then it makes its way up to the thermostat.

Are you saying to "flip" the impeller housing?

[Blackntan90]

I hate to admit, but I have installed the raw water pump(impeller housing) upside down before... look for bubbles coming from under the boat. Also try taking both ends of the hose off to see if there is a blockage As for the metal piece w/ two small hoses, that is your trans cooler.

[michael hunter]

Sounds like your pump is installed upside down . Remove the two bolts and rotate it
180 degrees.

[denwbaseball]

haha....Ok I when you say pump do you mean the impeller housing?

[denwbaseball]

and I've checked all the hoses and there are no blockages.

[D David]

I ran into what may be similiar. My boat keep over heating. The impeller looked ok and all the hoses seemed ok. When I hooked up the hose every thing seemed to work ok. I let it run until the temp came up and then it maintained the operating temp. Took boat and dropped in the water and ran and it would over heat again. Took home checked everything out only find everything looked ok. I took the impeller out, it looked ok but I replaced it with the previous one from the year before. Dropped it in the water and it worked just fine. The only thing I could figure was the rubber would spin on brass collar under a load. It has worked fine since. You might give it a try.;)

[Salty87]

i've never tried to install the entire pump backwards. i was thinking you've got the intake hose connected to the output of the pump.

the impeller housing is called the raw water pump, so as not to be confused with the circulating pump on the engine block.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Hey Dennis sorry I'm not a big help on this one. What they are trying to say is someone may have put the whole impellor pump on backwards, this would explain why the water gets pushed back at you when you are running fake a lake.

Can you clarify this statement, it may help:
"So I removed the house after the filter that is going to the impeller and put the garden hose directly into that and turned the boat on and the water comes shooting back out towards the filter never making it to the impeller. so i removed the hose on the discharge line of the impeller to make sure it was turning and it was but still no water."

Good luck buddy. I am having to delay getting my season in full swing too. Always something, huh?

[michael hunter]

This is how the pump should look when installed correctly.
The hoses should be on the engine side . This pump can be installed upside down then the
hoses will be on outside away from the engine. When you get it right mark it with an arrow pointing up.
Note on pic 2 the scribe line on the two haves of the housing this helps when replacing impeller the holes only line up 1 way

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/waterpump001.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/waterpump002.jpg

[denwbaseball]

Yep looks like they put it on backwards......my hoses are on the outside of the housing...furthest away from the engine. Rather than closest to the engine.

[denwbaseball]

"I removed the hose......not the house sorry Mikey

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Good man that is awesome! I really really hope you can fix that one quick lol!!!

For a service fee you need to post a new pic. :D Not that I helped at all hehe

[michael hunter]

Yep looks like they put it on backwards......my hoses are on the outside of the housing...furthest away from the engine. Rather than closest to the engine.

I thought that might be the case sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
I did the same thing years ago that's why I recommend marking the housing with an arrow.
It makes it fool proof. Make sure you have water coming out the exhaust and the temp gauge is about 140-160 you should be ready to go.

[denwbaseball]

Thanks a ton guys! I'll try to post some pictures tonight of the new carpet and the backwards impeller. I would have posted pictures earlier but my wife was gone and she had the camera.

[denwbaseball]

Ok well that did the trick, but.............My alarm keeps going off with the Temp and AMP light up don't know why amps were fine and the temp was too. So I took the thermostate out to see if something was wrong with it and everything was fine so I just unpluged the small speaker under the dash and I'm good to go! And diddn't have a chance to take any pictures before a thunderstorm rolled in. Maybe tomorrow.

[michael hunter]

I disconnected the alarm within the first 4 weeks the dealer could never get it to work
I watch my gauges I don't need the alarm I never missed it in the last 20 years.

[Salty87]

it's a sweep...me too. i was getting low amps with a fully charged battery, bye bye buzzer.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

I dunno guys... I think alarm means something.. at least it did for me. Salty like you too I still got alarm in neutral after changing the batt. But it wasn't the batt, it was the timing being off, causing the rpms to fluctuate and dip too low. Fix timing, alarm no more.

But den if your thermostat is fine, I can't think of what else could be causing that..

Hey so what did you do for new carpet? Did you unscrew the sidewall screws? How hard was it to scrape off the old carpet? Mine seems really on there, but it is worn and not soft... How much was carpet, and how were your FLOORs under there? :) Peace buddy

[denwbaseball]

The carpet came up super easy and then I just carpeted right over the lip I think it looks a lot better that way. The floor seems solid the only thing one of my rear engine cover bolt wont tighten other than that everything is in order....but I didn't uncover a disaster anyway, I'm sure one winter I'll get board and realace it all. Also it was just a small piece of the stringer it's not like the whole thing was gone or anything...maybe a quarter of its depth and about 6" wide....It looked like the glass cracked and the engine cover bolt and then water started to get in there. What are the danger's of rotten stringers?

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Need pics of that carpet!

One of your stringers near the engine mount bolts has a crack? Or what do you mean by 'engine cover bolts'. Dang dude. No good. I would pick up some rot doctor and visit their site asap. If the crack is somewhat recent and the rot hasn't spread too far throughout the stringer their product would be able to help a lot, I would think. I have read about it but not used it personally.

[denwbaseball]

engine cover...not mount.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Oh you mean like if you lift you engine cover up, the little raised lip that it rests on? WHEWWWW!

Like in the bottom of this pic? http://photos.wakeboarder.com/data/3490/medium/603713.jpg

[denwbaseball]

I'm talking about where the engine cover bolts to the floor.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

huh ok sorry mine does not bolt to anything lol

[Blackntan90]

Just ripped my doghouse (engine cover) out to fix the 3 broken hold-downs that had been stapled onto the perimeter of the base- we used diamond plate aluminum. Promise I will post pics when the rain stops!

[saltare inverts]

My season is slow also. I have learned to go out first few times with buddys and beer. That way I dont have kids and wife waiting on me while I fix all the problems I forgot to check. Its always something. I can see why a new boat is so enticing.

[michael hunter]

I have an 89 and a 08 the new boat is still in its sea trials mode 8 hours so far. Its had
its share of small problems to shake out. Last time out the starboard ballast pump locked up. Hopefully it will come in today. I forgot how many things I modified and customized over
the last 20 years on my 89 its set up. Just started changing things on the 08 finding the right spot for all the gear, pfds,anchors, ropes ext. for maximum efficiency. We are going to Clinton lake IL sun with the 08 I went there 6 weeks ago 80 degree water .

[denwbaseball]

CRAP!!! Had the boat running good on the hose never put it in gear or anything so took it out today for the first run of the year and it didn't last long. It was rough idling but if I had it in nuetral i could rev it and everything sounded fine. But once I got it in gear and would put the throttle down it would still only idle and the engine wasn't sounding like it should. Checked to make sure the throttle cables were working and that was all fine...checked to make sure the prop was on tight and it was. What could it be? fuel pump? carb? Has been a terrible start to the year....I've had nothing but problems!!!

[denwbaseball]

Ok I'm going to try to clarify what the problem is. It is rough idling...with the boat out of gear I can get the proper RPM's and everything sounds normal and acts normal...I put the boat in gear and if it doesn't die it really wants to....I put the throttle down, either hard or gradual and I get nothing no RPM's and I'm still going idle speed.

[Hematoma]

Ok I'm going to try to clarify what the problem is. It is rough idling...with the boat out of gear I can get the proper RPM's and everything sounds normal and acts normal...I put the boat in gear and if it doesn't die it really wants to....I put the throttle down, either hard or gradual and I get nothing no RPM's and I'm still going idle speed.
Check for vacuem leaks.......... When I replaced my carb I put the carb spacer on wrong and had a leak. Took me 2 weekends to find it. Boat ran like crap and wouldnt idle for chit.

[denwbaseball]

How do I check for that?

[denwbaseball]

Would it act the same when you gave it throttle?

[denwbaseball]

don't know if this is relievant but I heard a "pop" come out of the carb when I was starting it.

[Hematoma]

Get some wd40 and run your boat at idle with the water hooked up of coarse, spray the base and around the few hoses. If the motor stumbles than or wants to die you found your leak, also if you heard a pop you might have blown the accelerator pump in the carb. Its a little diapram that works off of vacuem. If you get a backfire out the carb it can sometimes bust that diapram. Only a rebuild would solve that. Just some ideas hope they help.