Impeller replacement frequency

[Smrtz]

Hi everyone,

Im just curious how often I should change my impeller. I bought my 05 outback in august and have about 50 hrs on it. The river that I run it in (grand river connects lake ontario and Lake Erie) has sediment in the water...I would really rather be safe than sorry and just change it every X hours. Any advice on how often and what causes the impellers to fail.

Thanks

[AL02REDMOBLSV]

I would change it at a minumum of every season. I posted a thread a while back about changing the impeller. On Direct Drive it looks to be easier than a V-Drive. I changed mine when I bought the boat and it only had 106 hours on it and the impeller was damaged. It seems like they like to dry out and "stick" to the casing during the off season. Not sure what the suggested frequency is.

Here is the thread I started on my findings.

water pump impeller findings

[Smrtz]

Thanks I appreciate it. I think the thing to do is keep a spare one handy!

Dont want to mess with chances!

[james yarosz]

Hey,AL02REDMOBLSV ,if you are going to replace your impellors every year send me your old ones.I get about 5 years out of mine.When I winterize, after draining I suck in antifreeze and I think it keeps the impellors soft.JMO

[AL02REDMOBLSV]

Since our lake is basically created by locks and dams it gets a god bit of sand in it. Since the impellers are so easy and inexpensive to change, I just don't want to risk it. The first one I replaced was around 106 hours and was missing a fin! I can afford impellers, but not engines! Rather be safe than sorry!

I would gladly send you the old ones though!!

[jperry]

Just put my 03 Outback in the shop for winterization and warranty work for steering problems and a whining noise coming from the motor when I put it in idle. They said the impeller was fried.... I took a look at it, and it was completely gone! No fins at all. HOLY CRAP! Is it really as easy as everyone says it is to replace one yourself?

The whining is still there... the prop turns in neutral (very slow) but never the less, it still rotates in idle. Should it be doing that? I'm no expert on inboards. I made my own "fake a lake" from a plunger and water hose, took it out of the water to run it before I went out on my last outing this past year nad whamo!! The fricking prop was still rotating when in idle.... sumthins' wrong here!! Any help would be appreciated.

Thanka,
Jim

[AL02REDMOBLSV]

Is you boat a D-Drive or V-Drive. The V-drive is not difficult, but the working space is cramped. I would imagine that doing a D-Drive takes next to nothing to do. I am sure someone can speak from experience on a D-Drive.

[Buttafewcoe]

There may be some 'residual' turning of the prop in neutral. Like you said, it should be very slow.
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It is VERY easy to get the impeller out of a DD. After about a hunnerd (:þ) hours on mine, it could use freshening up. Like ol' boy there said, $35 is cheap compared to an engine overheating and the headaches that go with it.
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There is a difference between 'preventive maintenance' and 'corrective maintenance'. And that diff is.......one saves you money in the long run...........the other....(damn, I hate when the other happens)...time off the lake, boat at the dealer for repairs, waiting for parts if you diy.......crap, why didn't i replace that Frikin thing in the spring like they told me to
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Hope this helps
.
B

[qb12]

Jim, the impeller on the direct drive is very simple to replace. Simply remove the 4 bolts on the cover. I spray a little wd-40 in there and let it sit a few minutes. Bump the starter (but don't start) and use some needle nose plyers and simply pull it out.

You can buy them from skidim.com for $30 a piece and it includes the new gasket. One bit of advice is when you replace the bolts do not over tighten or they will break.

alo2redmoblsv, i have not removed the impeller from my new boat with the vdrive, but after looking in there it does not look easy. Any advice.

Doug, t-town.

[jperry]

Thanks guys. I had her in the shop a couple of times for the whining noise, they kept stating that they couldn't find anything wrong. This time, they tell me it's the impeller ($179.00) to change. Should I just tell them to not worry about it and I'll do it myself?