impellar change dillemas

Can't seem to get pump off of pulley after removing the 3 allen screws.Any tricks or am I just blowin it?

You might need to take a thick putty knife and tap it in to the seperation line. If it's the type I'm thinking of, there is a gasket in there. That's probably whats holding it together. Make sure you have ALL the bolts out!

All bolts are out including the bracket bolts that attach to the block.

Mercruiser or Indmar? Post a pic.

Yes, a pic would be helpfull.

It's an indmar w/ v-drive.My kid just recently destroyed the digital camera so can't post a pic.I removed the 3 allen screws that attach the pump to the bottom pulley.Also removed 2 bolts from bracket that braces pump to engine.I'm under the impression that the pump body should just pop off after this.However this is NOT the case.It seems the pump body is "froze" to the pulley from rust or whatever.I don't want to damage the thing by banging on it too much.

http://bpi.ebasicpower.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/JOH10-24232-1.jpg

The black flange is stuck to the pulley.The 3 smaller holes are where the allen bolts go in.Why doesn't it pull off when allens are removed?

are you trying to remove the whole pump housing or just the cover? It is not necessary to remove the pump to replace the impeller. Take a 5/16 socket and remove the four small brass hex head screws and the cover will come right off. Take 2 screwdrivers and pry the old impeller or hub off of the shaft and install new impeller and gasket.

Todd,I tried that and was unable to with the room I have to work with.I have 12" sub in box that pretty much takes the whole storage compartment on the side where there is any room(port side)

Hmm....I would try to use some kind of penetrating oil to break through some of the rust that may be binding the pump to the crankshaft pulley.

You should probably think about moving your sub out of the way. The impeller is something that should be easy to change on the water.

Anyway, getting the pulley off will do nothing to get at the impeller. I guess you need to pull the whole pump out, and then follow Todd's advice. HAve you taken the belt off yet? That will help too.

Pics would really help. Bummer about your camera. Good luck.

The sub shouldn't matter. To really get at the impeller you will basically need to be laying on top of the motor anyway. It is a major bee-otch to get out, but it can be done. It took me about 45 minutes the other day to get mine out.

Basically, you want to use a couple of flat head screw drivers to pry it out. You want the end of the screw driver to dig into the sides impeller rubber, in-between the fins (or blades). Then, using leverage from the sides of the housing, move it out.

You might want to throw a pillow over the motor so you can lay on it without having the lifting ring impale you.

(Message edited by nauty on July 07, 2006)

I changee the impeller 2 times on an Indmar v-drive. As Richard says you have to lay on top of the motor to pry the impeller out of the housing. First time the entire job took about 2 hours. Last time about 30 minutes. One factor the first time is fear of prying on the pump housing with 2 small screwdrivers. Then getting the new impeller in can be difficult. Make sure it is well lubricated.

Yeah, maybe "easy" is bad word choice, but you should be able to get the cover off and impeller out without removing the entire pump housing. If you have a sub box blocking access to the cover on the pump housing, you should consider moving it.

Ben, I unsuccessfully tried the same approach as you the first time I changed the impeller. The problem is the cylindrical shaft on the right side of the pump as you look at the picture you posted.

As installed, the shaft points down, and it fits into a bracket. This is what keeps the pump housing from spinning with the pulley. I forget what the problem was, exactly, but I could not figure out a way to loosen the bracket--at least, not without an extraordinary amount of work.

I ended up taking the pump cover off and pulling the impeller out, like everyone is recommending. I'll do it the same way next time, too.

Oh yeah; after a whole lot of effort, I found an easy way to get the impeller out, even on a V-drive. Get a small pair of needle-nose Visegrips, and clamp them on the impeller with one jaw on the brass inner part of the impeller and the other jaw on the rubber part (between two impeller blades). Pull and wiggle a little, and it should slide right out. Good luck.

(Message edited by fogey on July 07, 2006)

You can actually buy a really nice puller from www.skidim.com that will pop it right out. Needle nose pliers work, as well as two screwdrivers. Kinda depends on where you have room to get tools on it.

It will also help to squirt some Simple Green, binding lube, or some other lube into the housing after the cover is off, and turn the motor over a couple times to distribute it around the blades.

Thanks for the input everybody.Last night trying to remove the water pump I pryed the housing from the shaft(the pump flange was still seized to the pulley).This is not recommended obviously but it was not my intention.So I was able to easily remove and replace the impellar(which was still in good condition of course)lol.But then the housing didn't want to slip over the sealed bearings.Indmar said I may not be able to since they are pressed on @ the factory.I have a press BUT the pump is not EVER NEVER EVER coming off.So.......I fine sanded/lubed the housing and it actually slipped over the bearings.Mission accomplished!!Needless to say I will be purchasing the puller for the next time.Thanx again for all the input.