sterndrive impellor

[dsbunton646]

I know its recommended that the impellor be changed every three years I beleive it is. But is there any indications that it is failing or damaged in between services, beside the obvious drive meltdown. It has been almost three years since mine was changed out. It currently seems ok and the tem gauge for the actual motor is in range, although I'm not sure that is any indication of the actual drive temp.

[seapuppy]

actually....the first sign of impeller damage is your temp goes up....of course it's really recommended to change them out every yr for an alpha one drive...I mean...not trying to insult anyone intellegence...but for 25 bucks....in an alpha one drive...it's an easy cheap fix for peace of mind.....now the b3 drives are a bit harder to replace....so..they are recommended to replace them at 250-300 hrs....
now...really...the impeller is one of the most important pieces of eqpt on the boat...without that impeller ...the engine won't stay cool enough to move the boat....

so...I recommend change out the impeller each yr on the a1 drives...it's an easy thing to do....the b3 drives the manufacturer recommends 250-300 hrs...



SP

[cunuck]

SP is right change it is cheap and worth the peace of mind .I change my B3 every year just to be sure and never have to worry.

[oldno7]

Does anyone have a copy of the procedure to replace impeller?(bravo 3--7.4)"98"

[biggerseagar]

The bravo outdrives the waterpump with the impeller is in the engine compartment. Lower left side. Two hoses to take apart ( top and bottom) and inside the housing is your impeller. You can buy just the impeller or the complete hosuing and impeller.IMHO the second way is best. Go to you tube to find a demonstration or buy a clymer manual for your year and make. The hardest part is getting the new impeller into the housing and after that remembering what bolts went where (different lengths). Tighten up your belt and your done. If you do this in the water make sure you can raise that bottom hose up as high as you can because you will siphon water into the engine compartment Not a good thing.

Your marina price will be around 100 bucks for the complete kit, ebay you can find them for 60 or less. Again IMHO get the mercury brand.

Hope this helps

Roger

[cunuck]

I don't know if you can get the hose up past the water line so it won't drain?????I have changed then off the water .I was thinking of putting a ball valve (brass) in line for a shut off any one ever done that or seen one in line????it could be hose clamped in the open position so no danger of closing by mistake.What do you think???

[biggerseagar]

cunuck..........I have done it before..........you just have to plan your route that going to take the hose up and the water stops. You will get water in the bilge. Dry vac it out.

Yes it is much easier out of the water if you have that option availible.

Roger

[dsbunton646]

I have never changed the impellor on my boat. How difficult on the a1gen2? is there a step by step video or manual? it has been done by a mechanic, but not me. Is it something I can do easily?

[seapuppy]

Ds...if you have the slightest amount of mechanical skills...you can do it.....empty the drive oil ....lift drive a little...bout half way up...put gear lever into fwd....remove 6 bolts at the mid part of the drive around the cavitation plate....grab lower unit...give a little wiggle and remove drive....
on top of the lower unit you will see an access plate with 3 bolts...remove those and there's your impeller....replace the oil passage gasket or your drive oil will seep out between the drive halves when you replace it....
then put the new impeller in noting where the blades of the old impeller pointed ...your new one should look just like the old in when you took it out.....reverse assemble....replace oil by pumping from the bottom up....your done...new impeller in your drive...

SP

[biggerseagar]

If you have the alpha drive which the water pump and impeller are on the lower drive, like steve has pointed out how to do this, and still not sure there is a great how to do video on you tube. This guy really does a great job with showing you all the finer points, do's and don't of tackling this job. Worth a look!

Roger

[dsbunton646]

Sweet. Thanks. Sounds simple enough. I was a little confused because I see some impellor kits for 33.00 and there are some water pump kits for like 100.00. Wasn't sure what the difference is. So just need the impellor and oil passage gasket and good to go. Any recommendations or links on where to buy the kit? A1gen2 (99 1900sr)

[seapuppy]

west marine has them......any local chandlery will have them....ebay.....


SP

[CountryME]

Here are some pics of what the break down of what an Alpha 1 Gen 2 look like.



I recommend building yourself a stand to slide the outdrive away from the hull. It then works as a great work stand.

[dsbunton646]

Nice. Thanks for the pics. I can just take the lower portion off though right to change the impeller? or do is it easier to take the whole drive off and then seperate?
I will give it a shot when the boat gets back from the painters. Thanks everyone for the help.

[CountryME]

You need more than one person if you are going to take apart just the lower portion. It's too heavy and awkward to do with just one person. The other advantage of pulling the whole drive is you get to inspect the bellows and grease the splines.

[seapuppy]

if your going to just replace the impeller...then no..you don't need to pull the whole drive....however if your going to check the bellows, grease splines, check alignment...then yes the whole drive has to come off....


SP

[dsbunton646]

I'm just looking to replace the impeller, for now. I checked the utube video and it seems pretty straight forward. After the holiday weekend I will order one and give it a go. On a positive note, I just left the painters and saw my boat sitting outside the spray booth all shiny with some new paint and a buff. Starting to look good!

[jrings]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but I am thinking about tackling the impeller change on my new to me this year 2004 2400SR. 5.7L 250hp 2bbl with Alpha 1 gen 2. Can someone verify if this is the right set of parts (see link below) I will need and are there any special tools needed for this? Is it recommjended to go ahead and pull the entire drive to lube the splines and check the u-joints?

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/SIE...epair+Kit.html

[seapuppy]

I know this is gonna sound aweful but I don't think that's not the right parts..the impellor doesn't look like the long legged star shown....

it looks more like this one

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...classNum=10417


SP