$4000 later

[Awill10291]

SwuamInboards, You are right on with your post. At this point I almost feel like I should just get rid of it after this issue is fixed. I haven't even been able to enjoy 1 day on the water with this investment .

[Awill10291]

Last text to my dad who's boat is getting winterized; Not doing anything to it for now. Too busy winterizing. I told him it needs a larger sea water pump made for a big block ford. The one he has is for small block ford. Not enough water flow to keep up. Problem is no one makes one for a big block ford.

Couple questions for this board.

1. Is it even POSSIBLE that it may really indeed need a bigger raw water pump?

2. Does anyone know of a good inboard mechanic in Nebraska. Preferably Omaha. (Omaha Marine won't work on this boat because of age. I could try Valley Marine, which is where this guy ran the snow before he started his own large shop.)

Thanks

[Jetlink]

I told him it needs a larger sea water pump made for a big block ford. The one he has is for small block ford. Not enough water flow to keep up. Problem is no one makes one for a big block ford.

This right here is the problem. It is a mindset issue with this guy. What raw water pump is used on a 454? You mean to tell me that the pump that can handle the cooling needs of a GM 454 cannot handle a Ford 460? Man, my bovine fecal matter detector is pegged out on max on this.

[Awill10291]

This right here is the problem. It is a mindset issue with this guy. What raw water pump is used on a 454? You mean to tell me that the pump that can handle the cooling needs of a GM 454 cannot handle a Ford 460? Man, my bovine fecal matter detector is pegged out on max on this.

So my question to you is. Would a 454 or larger pump make a difference though? Also I'm going to try to go get pics and video. Also fake a lake done.

[Cusefan78]

No cause the block can only allow so much water through at once. I wouldn't test the pump with a fake a lake. Unhook the feeder hose to the pump. Put it in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Turn it on. The bucket should be empty pretty quickly. I have never timer it before but it seems like under 30 seconds. Someone else on here may know the time better

[chris young]

I didn't put a timer on it, but I counted in my head last week when I winterized and I sucked 5 gal of antifreeze in about 20 seconds. That was at high idle, (1100 rpm)

[SquamInboards]

I'm trying to remember, but a few years back one of the techs at the marina where I was working bought a 1990-ish Sport Nautique with the original carb'ed Ford 351. He had some weird overheating issues and even replaced the circ pump after determining the RWP was working perfectly, no air leaks, etc. I will ask him next time I see him, but he ended up doing head gaskets on it, which I think actually solved the problem. I believe it was allowing air to get into the water, which was causing bubbles in the system which are nearly impossible to discover since it's not a closed system. The RWP was working perfectly, as was the circ pump. But I think by allowing air into the system, it was causing flow issues even though everything looked ok.

Basically, everything checked out fine, and when tested individually each component was working perfectly and/or water was flowing freely. But in actual use, it would overheat at idle.

Again, my memory is a bit fuzzy but does this make sense to anyone else? Especially where this engine has recently had head gaskets done.

I agree (especially where it appears to have been working previously) that a larger RWP is not the answer.

[Cusefan78]

That does make sense. If the gasket was bad or the head wasn't torqued correctly it would allow air in but I would imagine if air is leaking in then water would leak out.

[wotan2525]

For the (at least) third time in this thread: I know the answer.

I had the same problem. My pump seemed fine and the impeller had been replaced. I had cleared all of the lines of any potential blockages. My boat ran fine on the hose (and at idle) but overheated while under way.

The pump was worn and needed to be rebuilt. They have a service life. Sherwood sells a rebuild kit that includes new bearings and seals as a well as a new brass "insert" that makes your pump tight and efficient again.

This was my first reply to this thread and I was told by OP that he had replaced the raw water pump. Now that we know that isn't the case, it's the only possible solution. The pump is either shot (or there is still blockage somewhere.)

If you're not doing the work yourself, I suspect a new pump would be a cheaper alternative to paying for the rebuild kit and then hiring a machine shop to assemble it for you. But that's up to OP. I can't help him any more. He's not interested in fixing the boat, only remaining on good terms with his current horrible mechanic.

[Awill10291]

For the (at least) third time in this thread: I know the answer.

I had the same problem. My pump seemed fine and the impeller had been replaced. I had cleared all of the lines of any potential blockages. My boat ran fine on the hose (and at idle) but overheated while under way.

The pump was worn and needed to be rebuilt. They have a service life. Sherwood sells a rebuild kit that includes new bearings and seals as a well as a new brass "insert" that makes your pump tight and efficient again.

This was my first reply to this thread and I was told by OP that he had replaced the raw water pump. Now that we know that isn't the case, it's the only possible solution. The pump is either shot (or there is still blockage somewhere.)

If you're not doing the work yourself, I suspect a new pump would be a cheaper alternative to paying for the rebuild kit and then hiring a machine shop to assemble it for you. But that's up to OP. I can't help him any more. He's not interested in fixing the boat, only remaining on good terms with his current horrible mechanic.

Did you not read previous posts? I clarified with the "horrible mechanic" he says the raw water pump HAS been replaced twice... At this point being on good terms doesn't really matter to me. If you read post I mentioned small claims court, which is on my mind. It's hard when he works on all my neighbors boats, families boats, and stores them. Plus he's not making me pay a dime till it's fixed.