Removing impeller

[Tafflad]

I did notice typo
it should be 3/4-16 UNF machine screw.

I can’t edit, it won’t let me, edit button not there.
it allows edit of this post ... maybe it is time limited - I’ll ask an Admin if they can correct.

 

[muc]

I would think the small "O" rings should have stayed on the screws, so that they didn't fall out into the bilge.

The operators manual that came with your engine covers this in the impeller replacement section. Volvo calls these o rings “non critical”. Use them or don’t, what ever you find easier.

 

[Tafflad]

I didn’t find anything on impeller removal in operators manual ... only on the on-line service manual.
I’ll have another look.

 

[BRICH1260]

The four small O rings go onto the bolts to keep them from sliding out of the impeller housing and dropping into the bilge.

 

[Tafflad]

Nice idea ... but in my case I had removed each screw fully before taking plate off .. so o-rings stated in the housing.

 

[dypcdiver]

Nice idea ... but in my case I had removed each screw fully before taking plate off .. so o-rings stated in the housing.

All part of the learning curve.

 

[Tafflad]

Nice idea ... but in my case I had removed each screw fully before taking plate off .. so o-rings stated in the housing.

stated = stayed

 

[Tafflad]

In case of use to someone in future .... here is a pic of my modified bolt to make the impeller puller.
I used a 3/4-16 UNF hex bolt ..... cut it down to 1" long ..
Through-hole of 9.5mm
From hex head end counterbored to 11mm for half the depth of the threaded portion. Then put M10 thread in the bottom section.
Chamfered end to prevent thread damage.
M10 used as I wanted a fine thread large enough for the job but leaving enough 'meat' on the screw.
Could have used 3/8 UNF but I do not have full range of UNF taps.
.

 

[lazywater]

Update: This is still an issue. Went to the dealership with engine serial A699123 to confirm puller part for impeller kit 2170045 (impeller inside kit marked 2170043 not sold separately). Official Volvo puller specified is part 3843948. IT DOES NOT FIT, TOO SMALL!!! We tried all three Volvo pullers and none work. Also tried a Johnson puller and it was too big. I can confirm that the actual threading needs to be 3/4-16 UNF (SAE) per Tafflad's post.

Sherwood SH 25105 has the correct threading but is a plastic tool with no leverage. I was unable to find any reducer bushings in 3/4-16 UNF. My local fastener specialty store only carries 3/4-16 in 1" minimum length, grade 8 hardened steel. This is very hard steel to drill. Branching out to auto parts stores, I did find a Dorman drain plug in a 3/4-16 zinc plated mild steel with a center magnet that can be removed to provide a nice pilot hole for hand drilling without a drill press (DOR 090-074, ordered from NAPA auto parts). I intend to hand drill with an M9 bit and tap for M10. I am hoping this will work with basic hand tools. Images of the Dorman automotive drain plug part I intend to drill/tap below.

I have notified Volvo Penta corporate of this issue and would suggest that others do the same. It is ridiculous that this problem persists globally. My engine was from 2017 so this has existed for 5 years with no updated puller from Volvo? Not acceptable. I find it difficult to believe that they are unaware that their engineering specified a puller that does not match their official impeller design. The bushing on the official removal tool is too small (M18/1.5 vs 3/4-16).

It's a honey badger job crawling into a bench seat reaching back through removable carpeted panel to reach the bottom of the engine. Volvo just made it a lot worse with mis-spec'd tools and parts. Prying it off is a bad idea with the soft aluminum housing. Volvo really should have a properly designed puller so that their customers aren't forced to become machinists in addition to being contortionists.

 

[Tafflad]

Very easy to make … standard bolt with a tapped thread down centre.
works really well .. I simply could not get impeller out without it … with it simply screws out.

 

[ggc]

I plan to use a 3/4-16 bolt to remove my impeller this spring. Maybe I am missing something but why cant you just thread the bolt into the impeller hub until it contacts the pump shaft and by threading the 3/4” bolt further break the impeller free.

I think it should work the same as what you have without the need for drilling and tapping. Hopefully you got the impeller out by now.

 

[lazywater]

A bolt will move it about 3/8" on the spindle. Whether it slides off the rest of the way easily will depend on if the previous installer greased the star shaft and the general level of corrosion in your environment. (Many installers will refuse to use any grease on the shaft because of the risk of it migrating to the impeller and damaging the rubber.) If you over-torque the bolt, you can bottom out and strip the threads on the impeller. My access is through the hole in a bench seat and so I was looking for the easiest, most fool proof method possible.

I'm pretty certain the designer intended this to be removed with a puller bolt (bushing threaded into the impeller with center bolt to drive it off). All of the other impellers with this configuration have dedicated puller tools. You only need to thread the bushing on finger tight, so there's no risk of stripping an impeller you might try to re-use. Volvo makes three bushing/bolt pullers in different threading. The dealer online manual for my engine serial specified one of them, Volvo part 3843948. It's the same basic design as Tafflad's puller but the bushing has the wrong threads. The official Volvo puller is very close to working but the threading was a different specification.

I was able to drill and tap the Dorman drain plug I referenced above with a basic cordless hand drill and a bench vice. Because it already had a pilot hole nearly all the way through, I was able to get a reasonably centered hole without a drill press or lathe. I used progressively larger drill bits and finished with an 11/32" (9mm is specified for a 10mm tap but metric bits are hard to find in the US). I went slow and used oil. I then used a 10MM 1.5 tap with a T handle to thread. End result looks like a proper Volvo puller tool. Would rather have paid my local shop $20 for a tool from Volvo instead of the hassle. Local machine shops here are at least $75/hr for shop time. I wish I lived next door to Tafflad, LOL.

 

[Tafflad]

This is why the simple tool works so well.
Standard bolt screw in, does pull out the impeller a little, with a hole drilled down centre of bolt and tapped …. Screwing this central bolt in very easily winds out the impeller.
I did grease the housing & splines before reassembly.

 

[Grub54891]

I use the puller described and, also give the impeller a shot of quicksilver power tune spray. helps alot getting them out.

 

[lazywater]

Having done this job today, I can safely say that a bolt by itself will be very hard to pull out the impeller by hand. I would not have been strong enough to pull it free without the leverage of the center bolt. I tried pulling a fully inserted bolt and could not make the impeller budge. The center bolt was key to making it come out easily per Tafflad's recommendation. If I were trying to pull it with just a single large bolt, I would spray the housing with silicone lube to have a fighting chance.

The repair tech at the marina said to use liquid dish soap on the inside of the housing or glycerin so the impeller will slide in easily. He said to avoid any oil based lube in contact with the rubber. Volvo used to provide a packet of water-soluble glycerin lube with their impellers. You can get glycerin from any pharmacy (It's also the main ingredient in K-Y Jelly). He recommended a small dab of grease on the spindle and the o-ring. If you are worried about the grease migrating to the rubber and causing damage, you can use a silicone plumbing grease that is rubber safe like Slick-n-Slide. Some car brake caliper greases are also silicone based and rubber safe with the added benefit of being heat resistant.

I'm not going to use any grease (silicone or otherwise) on the actual impeller because I'm worried about sand at the local boat launch getting sucked up into the impeller housing. If any sand sticks to the rubber fins, they'll wear pretty fast. I'm assuming if you launch in deeper water, the water will flush any lube you use so it won't matter. If you install the impeller just before your first outing and don't have a lot of sand in the water, any lube will probably do fine as it will wash out right away before causing any deterioration to the rubber.

Now that I've seen how badly distorted my impeller fins were from sitting out of water (mashed completely flat at the bottom with depression marks from the inlet/outlet ports), I have decided to wait to install the new one until opening day. It did come back to shape by leaving it on a warm air register for a few hours. It will become my emergency spare on the boat with the bolt puller and a small adjustable wrench.

Access in my boat required pulling the bench seat and removing the aft carpeted split panel.

 

[Tafflad]

VP state a specific spec grease to cost inside of pump housing and lid Synthetic ’superlube’ with PTFE… I bought a small 200g tub last year … not expensive, last my life time.

 

[rg737]

Thanks to this thread, I made my own similar tool. I used a 3/4 x 16 plug that had an allen head. Drilled through the middle for a 3/8 fine thread bolt from my A/C clutch removal tool. You are correct, the impeller comes right out with a puller! Yes, my impeller was SHOT! Thanks for all your help!

 

[kd4jaz]

Not sure it would be imperial size ... so far all screw & bolts have been metric on this.
15mm Sepentine tensioner, 9mm screws holding on pump cover.
is this motor all metric ? Or a mix

The thread on the impeller is 3/4"-16

 

[Donald0039]

Never owned a VP before .... have 2020. V6-280-C-N
after discussions in separate post, only remaining winterising task is to remove impeller.

I removed front plate, but cannot get impeller out.
I have tried for over an hour with various needle nose pliers, and it does not budge.

Am I correct there is nothing holding it on ? There is a female thread showing, but according to service manual it states it should pull out.
.
Tried need,e nose pliers, anybody any tips?
.
View attachment 330029

The small O-ring at 12 o'clock is a keeper for the bolt. They go on the the bolt after the front cover to prevent the bolts from falling out of the front cover and into the bilge and never to be seen again.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The thread on the impeller is 3/4"-16

This is an old thread. Please read the rules