water pump replacement

[shrpshtr]

hey all,

how much can i expect to pay to replace a water pump on my 5.0l mercruiser w/ alpha 1 stern? thanks in advance.

shrpshtr

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: water pump replacement

in the drive , 175ish, circ pump on the motor 150ish

 

[greg82255]

Re: water pump replacement

If you do it yourself the kit is about $25 online. Just did mine this year. Is it an Alpha 1 Gen I or Gen II? If you post the year then one of the experts will give you a link to the right kit. It's a pretty easy job

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: water pump replacement

thanks for the responses folks. i am considering doing it myself as the service shop is talking about a 2-3 week turn around time and i don't want to wait that long. i am not really sure of a couple of things mentioned in the replies.

1 - Bt Doctur - how would i know if the propblem is in the drive or on the motor. basically the boat ran fine one day for 3-4 hours. next day i didn't get .5 mile from the dock and it started alerting (audible) and overheating. white smoke/steam. it never shut off on me and when it cooled it would run long enough to heat back up to 220 again and audible. it's cleary not getting water i just don't know which pump is the reason for it. i also noticed i lost A LOT of hp when it started overheating. could that be another issue?

2 - greg - not sure how to tell if it's gen I or II. it's on a 2007 Sea Ray 205 Sport. would the year indicate generation maybe?

again, thanks for the replies thus far.

shrpshtr

 

[JWebber]

Re: water pump replacement

Main source the impeller, the engine pumps water thru the block an out the exhaust ports. Based on you r specs on the boat it a Alpha one gen II drive. But I don't know what they put on sea rays at that year, is it a Alpha outdrive unit?

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: water pump replacement

If it is infact an alpha its a gen II, the pump is not too tough of a job I would recommend a manual to help you through the first time(may get someone to post the section you need ) Once you do it its pretty easy for future changes, I do mine every other season just seems like 30 bucks of real cheap insurance. or if I have the drive off for any reason I just do it. Get the kit not just the impeller it has all of the o rings, quad ring, drain/vent plug washers etc. in it. Plan on changing your drive lube at the same time its very easy and should be done yearly. Have a helper if possible it really helps with the grunt work the first time around.

 

[greg82255]

Re: water pump replacement

If it's a 2007 then its a gen II

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: water pump replacement

Here's some good reading from the Adults Only sticky on it.
How To: Replacing Merc Alpha style impeller
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=387864


see if your up to the task.

You can probably find a youtube video on it as well. I know there are some for the Alpha One, not sure on the Gen.2

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: water pump replacement

thanks for all of the great info folks. i reviewed the download of the manual and it looks like something i might be able to accomplish. i have a question though before i begin. with a reasonable certainty, do the above mentioned systems sound like the impeller or might my problem be the water pump attached to the motor? thoughts? i'll gladly clarify if necessary. thanks again all.

 

[Fedds]

Re: water pump replacement

I've never had to replace the one on the motor...then again I seem to always swap boats for a different one every 3-5 years

If you ever started the motor out of the water or without the earmuffs on, ran it in the mud or sand, more than likely the one in the outdrive is toast.

My newbie mistake on my first boat was bumping the motor over on the trailer out of the water to ensure the battery was good before taking it to the lake. That lasted about 4 times before I got no cooling. I wish I took a picture of the impeller...it was a molten pitted mess of black.

 

[vandentr]

Re: water pump replacement

Impeller first, then pump. Weakest to strongest...

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: water pump replacement

you folks are great. i think i am going to give this a try. they're still talking 2-3 weeks turnaround time at the shop so i don't have a lot of choice really. i do most of my own automotive work so i have a good bit of tools. are there any special tools that would be helpful with this project? good way to hold lower unit after removing it from the boat? etc. thanks again all for the great information. defintely top notch.

shrpshtr