another winterizing question, impeller

[Chia]

Do i need to remove the impeller? i have removed the intake hose and turned the engine over while fogging,,,there can't be any water in the impeller housing anymore??

[tvano]

i'd recommend it especially if you are running a globe impeller.

i think that the globe has a tendency for the vanes to take a set to the shape of the pump.

i go so far as to reverse the impeller (spin it the other direction) for the last few months of the season.

[Bill_AirJunky]

The direction of the vanes is not an issue. When the shaft spins, their going to go the way they want to go, regardless of how you set them.

If your running the Johnson, you might need to pull it to keep it from drying out. I have run the Globe for 2 yrs in a row twice now. Both times they have come out looking like new.

Hard to believe we're already talking about winterizing. Our water is still well over 70 degrees.

[Chia]

The direction of the vanes is not an issue. When the shaft spins, their going to go the way they want to go, regardless of how you set them.

If your running the Johnson, you might need to pull it to keep it from drying out. I have run the Globe for 2 yrs in a row twice now. Both times they have come out looking like new.

Hard to believe we're already talking about winterizing. Our water is still well over 70 degrees.

our water is still in the high 60's but my 2 months at the lake is coming to an end...getting ready to shrink wrap it and park for winter.

[GreenMan]

As an exercise in cheap insurance, I just replace mine each year when de-winterising.

Gives great peace of mind knowing that the impeller is not going to bother me, interrupt my holiday or potentially damage the expensive engine.

[rogermulligan]

Hi guys, I just got a 2002 sunscape vls - just winterizing it here in BC canada - and unfortunately, the water is getting very cold.

I hope someone can help me out... I drained all of the water from the hoses and block plugs, put the rubber cup over the intake

and ran the hose to a bucket of antifreeze and turned the engine on. I was fully expecting the pump to start sucking up the antifreeze fairly quickly - it didn't happen.

So, I lifted the hose out of the bucket and fed it by hand with a funnel at a height above the bottom of the boat hoping to give it a bit of gravity feed, it still didn't seem to work very well.... lots of antifreeze running out of the sides of the rubber boot over the intake though (maybe not a good seal, but it was as tight as I could get it).

Next I put a "T" fitting inside the boat into the 1.25" intake line and disconnected and capped the end that normally connects to the bottom of the boats intake feed. The "T" side went to a 3/4" clear tube that I ran to a pail of antifreeze again (all this to ensure it wasn't sucking air too much).

Again, the pump did not draw the antifreeze very well.

Again, I gravity fed with funnel until all the air was out of the clear tubing - This time I had success! the pump pulled the antifreeze through and I was able to get it to

siphon out of a pail, but each time if it got any air in the line, it would lose the prime and have a very hard time getting it back.

My question is: is this "weak" sucking of the pump normal? shouldn't it be able to draw enough preasure to deal with air in the system? or do I have to manually prime each time? I watched a U-tube video and they had no such problems. Maybe until all the lines feeding the pump are filled, it will have troubles? however, the U-tube video showed no such issues. (by the way, the impeller was apparently brand new from the boat dealer that I got it from.) How long can the engine run without getting it's own prime before damage can start to occur?

Thanks,

Roger.

[Migel83]

Hey Roger

Last year was my first attempt at winterizing our boat with anti-freeze and I had the same issues your describing. I believe that when all the water is drained out of the system that little impeller does not have the suction to pull the anti freeze in and prime the system. Like you I got it to work by gravity feeding but it was a pain and made a nice mess.

In mho I'd say your pump suction is normal, the system just lost prime. As long as your impeller is in good shape the pump will draw once it is primed.

I just watched a video on winterizing by Malibu dude and noticed there was a battery operated pump on the jug containing the anti freeze. This would help fill the lines and force the anti freeze into the system and help the pump prime.

Some impellers are designed to "run dry" and can be run for quite awhile with no water. I have the standard Johnson impeller and I try not to run it more than a couple minutes without water or anti freeze.

I'll be winterizing in the next couple days and if I find a good way to get it primed without making a mess I'll let you know

[rogermulligan]

Hi Migel, good comments, gives me some confidence that something is not broken. I am considering next year to leave the 1 1/4" feed line to the impeller full with water since this is likely the hard part to prime. yes it will be diluted and pushed through but if everything else is emptied is will likely be OK. I know lots of people that don't bleed off any water before putting the antifreeze through - might have to run the antifreeze through a bit longer. My brother catches his in pails coming out of the exhaust and re-uses it. (but in Vancouver we don't really get very cold)

Roger.

[MalibuTime]

Hey Roger

Last year was my first attempt at winterizing our boat with anti-freeze and I had the same issues your describing. I believe that when all the water is drained out of the system that little impeller does not have the suction to pull the anti freeze in and prime the system. Like you I got it to work by gravity feeding but it was a pain and made a nice mess.

In mho I'd say your pump suction is normal, the system just lost prime. As long as your impeller is in good shape the pump will draw once it is primed.

I just watched a video on winterizing by Malibu dude and noticed there was a battery operated pump on the jug containing the anti freeze. This would help fill the lines and force the anti freeze into the system and help the pump prime.

Some impellers are designed to "run dry" and can be run for quite awhile with no water. I have the standard Johnson impeller and I try not to run it more than a couple minutes without water or anti freeze.

I'll be winterizing in the next couple days and if I find a good way to get it primed without making a mess I'll let you know

That is about 1 minute 58 seconds longer than I would run my engine with no water (or antifreeze, except I don't use it)

Edited October 2, 2012 by MalibuTime