Help!

[the beave]

I replaced the impeller on my 82 Mariner 25M today and when I started it up there was still no water pumping thru! I dropped the lower unit again and tried putting water up the pipe and it went up and came out no problem! Then I sprayed water into the pump thru the water oulet and water came out no problem! So then I took the water pump apart again and found that my new $45 impeller was disintegrated! What the hell could have caused this? The inside of the housing looks ok and feels ok!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

This might be a silly question, but was it the right impellor?

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

Yes it was the right impeller, Mariner part #84797M

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

Did you put any lube on it when you installed it? sometimes a little vaseline helps it slide around until it seats. Its odd that it self-destructed so quickly unless it got really hot, really quick.

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

yes I lubed it up with a bit of marine grease!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

The only thing I can think of was that you didn't have it seated completely in the cup and possibly put it in a bind. Did you turn it by hand before re-installing the LU?

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

Yes I did that also! I turned it clockwise a few turns! Everything went together fine before I put it back together!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

Wow, I'm not sure either. I'll have to think about this one. Sounds like you did everything correctly. When you say disintegrated do you mean it was totally in pieces? Or just mangled?

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

totaly in pieces, worse than the one I took out!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

Was the old one due to be replaced or did that get munched also?

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

the motor is new to me so as it wasn't pumping I took it apart, it was in bad shape put better than what the new one is now!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

Is there any kind of depression on the face plate that might have gotten against the impellor? I wonder if maybe there was a piece of the old impellor or something that might have been in the pick-up tube that you didn't see and it got sucked back into the housing and acted like a wrecking ball.

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

I have the housing in my hand and on further inspection it looks like the metal insert that goes into the plastic housing may of been apart at one time and not put back together right!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

That would surely do it. Anything catching on that soft impellor would start a chain reation.

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

there seems to be a ridge that if things were together right then it would not make contact! The way it is now the 2 pieces are not linged up where the water would get out so the way it is the water cant really escape either. the worst of it it looks like it might be put tohether with epoxy so might be really hard to take apart!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

If it was a repair attempted by the previous owner, it might explain why the old impellor was trashed and why it wasn't pumping. I'd see if the dealer has a housing you can look at. It sounds like you might have found the culprit.

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

Good luck with that and keep us posted...

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

well I got the 2 pieces apart, now I have to clean it all up and get it together the right way and then pray...lol

 

[the beave]

Re: Help!

Well I ordered new parts today as the pump housing is so messed up nothing can be done with it!

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Help!

Probably a wise decision. I'm glad you found what looks like your problem.