I have a 98 Force 90 hp
I did an impeller change yesterday and everything went smooth except for the water tube seal. My factory service manual states that if the seal stays in the water tube when taking the lower unit off then I should fish it out and and place it on the water pump before putting the LU back on.
My Issue, I could not get the seal out, I am not even positive if there is one in there. I felt around with my finger and there appears to be a seal (cylinder) but to keep it from falling out there feels to be a rubber gasket or O ring to keep it in. Do I have to take the seal out of the tube to just place it on pump to put it back in the tube?
Since the impeller change for my 98 90 hp was different from the sticky at the top I thought I would write the steps that I used for my model. Perhaps someone who knows can list all the years that this process will work for.
Impeller replacement
1)Tilt engine up and put in forward gear
2) Remove the 5 nuts holding the LU on (mine were 10 mm). None of these bolts are hidden, they are all exposed and easy to get to. The best way to explain the location is that 2 are right next to the vent screws for changing your LU oil. Two more are in the exact same location on the other side. The fifth and final is located between the LU and the fin used to adjust the boats tracking.
3) Remove the lower unit. I had to knock mine a bit to loosen it with a block of wood. I would guess that mine weighed around 50 lbs so I had no problem taking it off by myself. As a newbie I was worried that once all the nuts were off that the LU would just fall off. This is not the case so do not worry there is enough friction from the bolts and drive shaft to hold it on un-supported
4) The water pump will be right on top of the LU. I set mine in the grass and worked on it there. Simply remove the 4 bolts (mine were 7mm) holding the cover on.
5) pay attention to the order that everything comes off. Basically you have in order the top housing, impeller, drive key, gasket, metal plate, and another gasket.
6) only issue I had during the process was that I would put the drive key on the flat part of the shaft and then would slide the impeller over it. This made it difficult to get into the housing. I then just put it in the housing and lined it up with the drive key and it worked fine.
7) put the 4 bolts back on to secure water pump housing.
8) put motor in Neutral (manual told me to start in gear and put it in neutral to put back on) and replace the LU.
I did mine in 1 hr, now that I know what I am doing I bet I could do it in 20 min or less.
Only thing missing from this process is the water tube seal that I have asked about. Hopefully someone can answer my question.
Thanks
Gazelle
I did an impeller change yesterday and everything went smooth except for the water tube seal. My factory service manual states that if the seal stays in the water tube when taking the lower unit off then I should fish it out and and place it on the water pump before putting the LU back on.
My Issue, I could not get the seal out, I am not even positive if there is one in there. I felt around with my finger and there appears to be a seal (cylinder) but to keep it from falling out there feels to be a rubber gasket or O ring to keep it in. Do I have to take the seal out of the tube to just place it on pump to put it back in the tube?
Since the impeller change for my 98 90 hp was different from the sticky at the top I thought I would write the steps that I used for my model. Perhaps someone who knows can list all the years that this process will work for.
Impeller replacement
1)Tilt engine up and put in forward gear
2) Remove the 5 nuts holding the LU on (mine were 10 mm). None of these bolts are hidden, they are all exposed and easy to get to. The best way to explain the location is that 2 are right next to the vent screws for changing your LU oil. Two more are in the exact same location on the other side. The fifth and final is located between the LU and the fin used to adjust the boats tracking.
3) Remove the lower unit. I had to knock mine a bit to loosen it with a block of wood. I would guess that mine weighed around 50 lbs so I had no problem taking it off by myself. As a newbie I was worried that once all the nuts were off that the LU would just fall off. This is not the case so do not worry there is enough friction from the bolts and drive shaft to hold it on un-supported
4) The water pump will be right on top of the LU. I set mine in the grass and worked on it there. Simply remove the 4 bolts (mine were 7mm) holding the cover on.
5) pay attention to the order that everything comes off. Basically you have in order the top housing, impeller, drive key, gasket, metal plate, and another gasket.
6) only issue I had during the process was that I would put the drive key on the flat part of the shaft and then would slide the impeller over it. This made it difficult to get into the housing. I then just put it in the housing and lined it up with the drive key and it worked fine.
7) put the 4 bolts back on to secure water pump housing.
8) put motor in Neutral (manual told me to start in gear and put it in neutral to put back on) and replace the LU.
I did mine in 1 hr, now that I know what I am doing I bet I could do it in 20 min or less.
Only thing missing from this process is the water tube seal that I have asked about. Hopefully someone can answer my question.
Thanks
Gazelle