Impeller frozen to driveshaft - Ideas? t

[JoLin]

1997 175hp

Got the lower unit off, and the water pump housing, too. No problem. Impeller, however, is frozen to the shaft and I can't pry it off. Sad thing is, the old impeller itself looks great, but leaving it there now is not a good idea. I'll need to remove it somewhere down the road anyway.

So, I'm soakng the shaft with penetrating oil. Is there something else I (shadetree mechanic with hand tools) can do to free this thing, other than hauling the lower unit to a repair shop?

Also, I neglected to buy the recommended OMC adhesive for all the parts that go back together. Is there an automotive equivalent, like Hypalon that'll work?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Impeller frozen to driveshaft - Ideas? t

When the impeller is stuck we cut the rubber off with a saw or chisel. Once you get to the metal you can heat it (change the seals under it) or cut it.

Now you know why it's a good idea to put a dab of grease on the shaft.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Impeller frozen to driveshaft - Ideas? t

Get some gasket sealing compound, you will find it quite handy and is not overly pricey. Oil up the fins on the impellor on re installation,and add some grease to the splines of the drive shaft as well.

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: Impeller frozen to driveshaft - Ideas? t

That impellor is held with a wedge shaped key. Grasp the impellor with a pair of channal locks', and turn the drive shaft counter-clockwise. This will some times break the bound.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Impeller frozen to driveshaft - Ideas? t

A Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel works great to cut the metal hub. A slight tap in the slot with a cold chisel open the gap slightly and it slides off.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Impeller frozen to driveshaft - Ideas? t

Thanks, all- I got it. Combination of heat, cutting the fins off, and a pair of Channel Locks (hold the driveshaft and turn the impeller clockwise) broke it free. A long day, but the LU is remounted. Some observations from a newbie:

It's the usual 3-handed job to keep everything in place while you're trying to ease the pump housing and impeller over the "key" to where it belongs. Be concious of how everything is going to rotate when the motor's running. Luckily, the manual tells you to rotate the impeller counter-clockwise as you're cramming it into the pump housing.

Instead of gasket cement on mating surfaces and bolts, I used Permatex Hylomar HPF that I've used with great success on the cars. It's impervious to virtually all fluids, remains pliable, and you can get it off again. Cemented gaskets are a real pain to scrape off the mating surfaces. I won't know until next season if it's going to cause a problem, but if it does I'll warn everybody off it. If anyone DOES know first-hand that it'll fail, please let me know.

Lifting the lower unit back in place was a little tough, at least partly because I'm 54 (lol) and was getting worn out. Luckily, everything slid into place on the third "lift". Another 15 minutes climbing in and out of the boat until I got the shift lever in just the right spot so the shift rod would slide back onto the pin, and done. All in all, a pretty satisfying day. Just have to cross fingers that I did it all right

As usual, thanks to everybody here who jumped right in when I got stuck.

John