Impeller removal/replacement

[Fman]

Ok, I know this has been discussed before. I wanted to find out on my '08 22V is there enough room to remove the cover and impeller without removing part of the rear exhaust manifold? With the CAT exhaust it looks really tight and there does not seem to be much room to allow the impeller to come out of the housing.

Any input on this from someone who has already done this is appreciated. Plus if you have any tips to make the job easier please pass them along!

Thanks
Travis

[jonyb]

I havent' done mine yet, but I think it's wide open in there.... I've got 160 hours on my boat with the stock impeller. I've just been watching closely and always carry 2 new ones in the boat.

[docdrs]

Thats awesome guys , there is alot of discussion on impellers and how often they need to be replaced. Jony and F man are you in an area where it freezes? and do you have a strainer? I used to take mine out every winter and would use the same one for 3 years ,but they always looked pristine, never missing a piece.....i have a strainer.and it freezes up here

Oh i have the cat as well and have chosen to leave it in over the winter this year.....i watch my water temps regularly....anyways 2 paint can openers at the 1 and 7 position 10 an 4 or 9 and 3 maybe even 8 and 2 and pry it out after silicon lubeing it and bumping it over

[jonyb]

Jony and F man are you in an area where it freezes? and do you have a strainer?

We just came out of a 12-day sub-freezing temperature streak. The Evolution tower on a Centurion boat in my shop didn't survive, but everything else did that I know of.

[Fman]

I have been told every other year on the impellers. I also was told the longer you leave it in, the more difficult it is to remove. It rarely freezes in my area, and my boat is always stored in my garage. I have 150 hours on my boat, and figured it was cheap insurance to pop a new one in this year. I do not have a strainer on my boat, this would probably be another item I should consider buying.

Where is a good place to pick up a strainer? are they fairly easy to install?

[mapleleaf]

I'm pretty Salty pointed out a strainer in a post last year, just couldn't find it to add the link.....

EDIT: found it, search Sea Strainer at SkiDIM looks like it's made by Sherwood...

[jonyb]

I'll definitely be changing mine this year before it goes out for the first time.

[Fman]

I am not at home right now, not sure if it I have 1" or 1.25" hose size. Not sure if it is printed on the hose itself, will have to take a look on Monday.

[ssmith]

Change it after 2 seasons of use. This is what I was told at the dealer.

[iwakeboard]

When I bought my boat I had the impeller changed, which was the one that had been in the pump for over 2 years, and it still looked brand new. I replaced my raw water pump yesterday, which came with a new impeller, and the one I took out of my broken pump was still looking brand new. I have two backups now, stored in a zip lock bag, filled with a metric ton of Vasoline (at the recommendation of my tech). Atleast on my boat these little things work really really effectively.

I don't have the CAT but on my 350 it's extremely easy to access, it's about a 5 minute change. Just don't lose those little brass bolts! They're a pain to find replacements for, I stored mine away off of my bad pump just in case.

[Fman]

iwakeboard,

Thanks for the information, I think next month I will give it a try I already purchased the impeller and it came with a new gasket. Will probably do the same and keep the old one as a backup on the boat.

Did you have any problems removing the impeller once you got the cover off? I heard paint can openers work well, or needle nose pliers?

[iwakeboard]

Fman, I used two straight screw drivers, get the impeller from two sides and leverage the drivers against the raw water pump pushing the impeller out. Once it starts it's alot easier to get.

[TayTay]

I was told to use a pair of vice grip needle nose pliers. just place the pliers in between the blades of the impeller When I took mine out it came out pretty easy.

[McDye]

"I heard paint can openers work well"

that was my tool....