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Raw water pump "chirp"


EchelonMike

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Hey all!

I have a chirping sound at idle coming from the raw water pump at idle on my 1997 Echelon LX with 350 Magnum engine. It is loud enough to hear clearly when idling. In the spring, I replaced the impeller, and also the housing the impeller spins in because I cracked it on accident. I can't tell if the sound goes away with revs because the sound of the engine/exhaust/wind.

Water flow and water temps are all great; the noise is just highly annoying. Is there a way to lube the shaft behind the pump pulley? Is this chirp a sign of a pending bearing failure or something that will leave me stranded?

Thanks,

-- Mike

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Have you ruled out belt chirp? Have you checked the belt for dryness and cracking?

Hey all!

I have a chirping sound at idle coming from the raw water pump at idle on my 1997 Echelon LX with 350 Magnum engine. It is loud enough to hear clearly when idling. In the spring, I replaced the impeller, and also the housing the impeller spins in because I cracked it on accident. I can't tell if the sound goes away with revs because the sound of the engine/exhaust/wind.

Water flow and water temps are all great; the noise is just highly annoying. Is there a way to lube the shaft behind the pump pulley? Is this chirp a sign of a pending bearing failure or something that will leave me stranded?

Thanks,

-- Mike

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I had a similar sound coming from my raw water pump on my response. 3 trips later the impeller went out. I have to wonder if the sound was from the impeller rubbing on a piece of rubber that had come loose. Dontknow.gif (just a thought) It would be a good idea to at least carry a spare in your boat.

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If it's a composite mercriuser housing, did you install the plug into the impeller. There's a plastic plug that sits in the end of the impeller that rubs against the front of the housing.

Or maybe you overtightened the housing plate or missed removing part of the old impeller.

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If it's a composite mercriuser housing, did you install the plug into the impeller. There's a plastic plug that sits in the end of the impeller that rubs against the front of the housing.

Or maybe you overtightened the housing plate or missed removing part of the old impeller.

Yes, it is a composite mercruiser impeller housing. The housing is new since I cracked the inlet hose bib on the original housing when removing it. The rubber impeller itself, the o-ring sealing gasket, and metal wear plate are also all new at the same time as the impeller housing install. I don't recall seeing a separate rubber/plastic plug in the list of parts that came with the housing. If memory serves (I installed this at the beginning of the season), the impeller shaft is D-shaped and so I don't know where this plastic plug would install. On the back side of the housing is the inlet and outlet connections. The plastic plug goes on that side of the housing, and does it push into the center of the rubber impeller?

The tensioner pulley and the serpentine belt are also new, as the tensioner pulley was rattling badly in the spring. But I will check that too to make sure it is not just a noisy belt. It sounds like it is coming from the pump and not the belt/pulley.

I'll have it all apart soon anyway to winterize (sniff), so I'll check it out then.

Thanks for the suggestions!

-- Mike

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