Impeller Gasket Installation

[SkeeMan]

I have a 2001 Malibu Response LX with the Monsoon 325 HP motor with 44 hours. I have a water leak occurring what appears to be behind the impeller which leads me to believe it's the impeller gasket. Are there any tricks or advise on replacing the impeller gasket? Thanks

[Pistol Pete]

If the leak is coming from behind the entire impeller housing, you need a new pump.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Wow, I never even thought about that. Assuming the water pump on the front of these things is the same as on our car or truck, there is a weep hole on the underside of the pump, which would be between the impeller housing & the engine block on our boats. Getting to it would involve removing the exhaust & still be a royal PITA only fit for a contortionist.

The point is to signal the end of the bearing/bushing in the pump. So it would probably take quite a few hours to fail.

Edited May 22, 2009 by Bill_AirJunky

[SkeeMan]

Wow, I never even thought about that. Assuming the water pump on the front of these things is the same as on our car or truck, there is a weep hole on the underside of the pump, which would be between the impeller housing & the engine block on our boats. Getting to it would involve removing the exhaust & still be a royal PITA only fit for a contortionist.

The point is to signal the end of the bearing/bushing in the pump. So it would probably take quite a few hours to fail.

The leak appears to be directly behind the back of the impeller ahead of the water pump. Does just replacing the impeller sopt a leak in that location ?

On skidm web site they show a seal that "Seals The Pump Housing To Shaft (Indmar) Open side faces impeller, closed or solid side towards bearing. I'm not sure what I should do to get back on the water ? Any advise would be appreciated ... Thanks

[Bill_AirJunky]

The leak appears to be directly behind the back of the impeller ahead of the water pump. Does just replacing the impeller sopt a leak in that location ?

On skidm web site they show a seal that "Seals The Pump Housing To Shaft (Indmar) Open side faces impeller, closed or solid side towards bearing. I'm not sure what I should do to get back on the water ? Any advise would be appreciated ... Thanks

Sounds like a call to the guys at Skidim are in order. I'm not sure if there is a way to nail down exactly what is leaking. Might be best to replace the pump, seal, & impeller all in one shot.

I don't believe there is anything special about the water pump on a boat engine compared to a car engine. You can confirm that with the Skidim guys. But it might save you some cash to get the water pump from your local Napa type auto parts store.

[wienrdog]

Sounds like you might be able to get away with a new seal. The gasket it on the front between the cover & the pump & wouldn't be affected by the leak you describe.

Replacing the impeller will not stop a leak in that location.

You could order both seal & pump at the same time, the return pump if the seal works for you - it's a pretty significant savings, but just replacing the pump will be much quicker. You'd be out the shipping to get/return, but the turn-around time would be shortened by a few days.

SkiDim does turn around orders very quickly, so you could likely do 2 separate orders within a week or just over.

You're likely going to have to press the old seal out & press the new one in - or have someone do it for you to not damage the new seal while you're replacing it.

I believe there is a difference in the circulating pumps impellers vs car circulating pump impellers to last longer in the raw water vs. anti-freeze.

[wienrdog]

Sounds like you might be able to get away with a new seal. The gasket it on the front between the cover & the pump & wouldn't be affected by the leak you describe.

Replacing the impeller will not stop a leak in that location.

You could order both seal & pump at the same time, the return pump if the seal works for you - it's a pretty significant savings, but just replacing the pump will be much quicker. You'd be out the shipping to get/return, but the turn-around time would be shortened by a few days.

SkiDim does turn around orders very quickly, so you could likely do 2 separate orders within a week or just over.

You're likely going to have to press the old seal out & press the new one in - or have someone do it for you to not damage the new seal while you're replacing it.

I believe there is a difference in the circulating pumps impellers vs car circulating pump impellers to last longer in the raw water vs. anti-freeze.

[SkeeMan]

Sounds like you might be able to get away with a new seal. The gasket it on the front between the cover & the pump & wouldn't be affected by the leak you describe.

Replacing the impeller will not stop a leak in that location.

You could order both seal & pump at the same time, the return pump if the seal works for you - it's a pretty significant savings, but just replacing the pump will be much quicker. You'd be out the shipping to get/return, but the turn-around time would be shortened by a few days.

SkiDim does turn around orders very quickly, so you could likely do 2 separate orders within a week or just over.

You're likely going to have to press the old seal out & press the new one in - or have someone do it for you to not damage the new seal while you're replacing it.

I believe there is a difference in the circulating pumps impellers vs car circulating pump impellers to last longer in the raw water vs. anti-freeze.

Thanks for the info ..... I'll give skidim a call

[Pistol Pete]

I think we're all confused as to exactly where you are stating the leak is coming from. Can you supply a pic?