Water pump leak?

[PutMeOnTheWater]

4.3 GL-D
3869251
4012141889planning on taking the boat to the lake today but figured I’d be smart and start it at home first this time. Noticed a little water getting splashed around by the belt. I think it’s coming from the water pump? The other thing that seems odd is last time I ran the boat on the hose, it didn’t really change temperature when running for 10+ minutes. Today it was up to 170 or so within about 5 minutes. Looking for any insight and for someone to tell me I probably shouldn’t take it out today. (Or someone that tells me I SHOULD) thank you!

 

[PutMeOnTheWater]

Found this video on YouTube
Same motor. Looks like same issue. He walks through a few different repairs before landing on the solution for him. Impeller and O ring, hose sleeves that connect to the housing worn out, and then finally replacing the entire pump assembly because the built in seal had failed. I assume these are the steps I’ll need follow as well. As far as taking it out today, I think I could go, not the best idea but should be okay if I keep an eye on it? And the water on the belt may affect the power steering pump performance that could cause problems. I guess that doesn’t really answer why it got to temp so fast though. Sorry, thinking out loud and trying to answer my own questions lol

 

[ESGWheel]

Just seeing that you posted 20 mins ago. The answer is DO NOT go out. More to follow.

 

[ESGWheel]

Two issues here:

1. You are leaking water into the boat and even though a seemingly small leak the thing about them is they can rapidly become large leaks.
2. Your previous experience is you did not reach 170 on the hose (did not even move in 10 mins) and now within 5 mins you did. This is a clear signal that something is wrong with the cooling system. And overheating an engine is one of the sure-fire ways to destroy it.

My suggestion is to pull the Raw Water Pump and thoroughly inspect it. I suspect you will find several issues including a damaged impeller. Pull it, disassemble it and post pics and ask lots of questions.

 

[PutMeOnTheWater]

Two issues here:

1. You are leaking water into the boat and even though a seemingly small leak the thing about them is they can rapidly become large leaks.
2. Your previous experience is you did not reach 170 on the hose (did not even move in 10 mins) and now within 5 mins you did. This is a clear signal that something is wrong with the cooling system. And overheating an engine is one of the sure-fire ways to destroy it.

My suggestion is to pull the Raw Water Pump and thoroughly inspect it. I suspect you will find several issues including a damaged impeller. Pull it, disassemble it and post pics and ask lots of questions.

Thanks @ESGWheel !
Got into in and here are some pics. It all looks to be good with the impeller. There’s a chance that last time I only ran it for a 3-4 mins and this time was closer to 10 but I’m not 100% sure. Here are some pictures. I’m thinking if I reassemble and still leaks than I need to replace the whole pump assembly. Also apparently there’s supposed to be a little rubber boot on the end of the bracket that keeps the pump from rotating that I’m missing as well.

 

[PutMeOnTheWater]

Wondering also if the rust at the base of that stem may be an indicator that water is getting past that seal.

 

[ESGWheel]

I must run for now but here are my initial thoughts:

• The backing plate looks to be grooved which would limit the pumps effectiveness
• You need to take out the impeller and look for scoring in the pump housing as well (pics helpful)
• If the impeller is more then 2 or 3 years old, suggest replacing it anyway but even if you do not

Once back together, run it on muffs again and only at idle. Ensure you have good water flow to the muffs. Watch the temp and see what happens while also checking for water flowing out as expected. A rapid rise in temp and / or exceeding 170 and / or low flow coming out of the engine are all indications something wrong.

 

[ESGWheel]

The little rubber cap on the anti-rotation bracket is nice to have but not critical. Item no. 5 of link.

The inner seal does look compromised and may be the reason for the leak. Hard to tell but look at the highlighted area in the pic below.

A good source for rebuilt pumps is a gentleman on eBay link. Many have used him with good results. Me too.

 

[PutMeOnTheWater]

I ordered one on Amazon that arrives tomorrow . Looking at the link you shared, I might regret saving that $115

 

[ESGWheel]

many folks on this forum have had bad experiences with knockoff raw water pumps