Impeller Disintigrated

[AdeL]

Hi Guys

I'll post some photos of my impeller during the next day or two, I can't believe what it looks like. Anyhow, I was taking my 10 year old daughter fishing (her choice, I would rather be boarding). We set off from the dock and heard a squeak from one of the engine belts. We thought nothing of it. Anyhow we idled over to a fishing spot and then just drifted around. At the end of the day we idled back to the dock, put the boat on the trailer and when I opened the engine bay to pull the plug the heat hit me. The engine was so hot that the hour meter I have tied to one of the cooling hose's had melted. The next day I pulled the pump and as suspected the impeller had disinitigrated and damaged the plastic housing while it was at it. I've ordered a new kit from SKIDIM that includes the housing. While I wait for the parts to arrive I started to pull hoses to clean out the bits. Luckily the Echelon has a transmission fluid cooler in line with the hose directly after the pump. The cooler also acts like a filter and I found all the impeller bits along with the plastic parts from the housing in the cooler. I cannot believe how the impeller ripped itself to pieces.

This is more of a story than anything but does anyone know which way the impeller turns so that I can bend the new blades in the correct direction.

[G-Mack]

It does not matter which way the vanes are installed.They flip to the right direction on the first revolution.

[Sixball]

Hope you don't have more damage if it got that hot. You should check for oil in the water or vice verse you can crack or warp heads at Hi temps. you will also need to watch your exhaust hoses the heat will sometimes cause them to separate. You will need to watch things closely when you put it back on the water.

Good luck

[Bill_AirJunky]

Hope you don't have more damage if it got that hot. You should check for oil in the water or vice verse you can crack or warp heads at Hi temps. you will also need to watch your exhaust hoses the heat will sometimes cause them to separate. You will need to watch things closely when you put it back on the water.

Good luck

I've seen the exhaust hoses get destroyed by hi heat.

Assuming your block & heads are cast steel (no aluminum, like in an LT1), then the engine should do OK.

How old was the impeller? Just a guess, but it had to be pretty old. I've never gone more than 2 yrs or about 100 hrs without changing it.