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THE $495 IMPELLER CHANGE


zags

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Just saw an email from a malibu dealer in the midwest stating impeller changes from $135 to $495.  I emailed them back and asked what circumstance would invoke the $495 price point.  Answer:  the M235.

Can someone chime in who's done a M235 impeller change.  I am dying to know.

I usually get a bottle of $10 wine for doing an impeller change for my buddies and that seems fair to me.....seems I am way to low on my pricing :)

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For my T23 it takes me about 30min (steps below)....and things sometimes get stuck or dropped.....so add a new impeller ($30) and I can see how they charge $135.

1) remove engine cover (3min)

2) remove the belt from the raw water pump (using belt tensioner).  (2min)

3) remove 4 bolts from raw water pump. (3min)

4) remove raw water pump (1min)

5) walk to work bench:  remove impeller, grease, and install impeller (5min)

6) reinstall raw water pump (3 min)

7) replace bolts (3min)

8) reinstall belt back on raw water pump (2min)

9) hose hookup and check for leaks (12min)

10) reinstall engine cover (3min)

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1 hour ago, COOP said:

The M235 is an absolute pain the A to change an impeller on. 

The pump housing is on the front of the motor under and slightly behind the heat exchanger. (Raptor 575)

The front of the motor is closer to the transom then on any other boat so less space to work.

The storage area is very small and hard to cram yourself into. 

And you can only get one arm in there. 

If the impeller is stuck you dont even have much room to get a puller in to assist.

They suck. 

Great design!

 

  • Like 2
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I just left the dealer to try and buy some insurance only to be told they don’t have any and can’t get any impellers in. Maybe later come winterization time he said. They were astounded that I had 260 hours on my original impeller. It was upgraded when they applied the fix for the bad pulley issue I guess. They said not to mess with it!

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This reminds me of the "pull the engine to change the plugs" thing GM pulled. The Buick Skyhawk, Chevy Monza, Pontiac Sunbird, and Olds Starfire of the '75-'80 model years were equipped with a 3.8 liter V-6 that was very large for the size of the engine compartment on these small cars. The result was that, in order to change the spark plugs on the right bank of the engine, you had to disconnect the motor mounts, attach a chain hoist, and lift the engine at least a few inches in order to be able to access those plugs.

Side note:  I tried to change the DRL bulb (driver's side) on my 2014 PF.  I would like to know what evil person designed it so that the trans cooler blocks the access to the bulb.  And why the bulb is not the usual twist/turn?  I am missing a bunch of skin off my admittedly not large forearm, so I cannot imagine what  alarge person does.  Or maybe the dealership emplys very small people to change thse bulbs.  Horrid engineering.

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The 410 in our 2018 23 lsv is extremely easy to change the impeller.  Plenty of room and you do not need to remove anything but the cover for the impeller.  10 to 15 minute job max.  

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It always seems to take me about 5 months:  remove pump, pull impeller, toss in ziplock bag, wait 5 months, reverse process:-)

@Eagleboy99 - don't forget the 428 Shelby Cobra...at least that one the test drive was well worth the effort:-)

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7 hours ago, Eagleboy99 said:

This reminds me of the "pull the engine to change the plugs" thing GM pulled

Just spent the better part of a day swapping a power steering pump on my 2007 Saab 9-3 V6 wagon.

When the first part of the instructions are "remove front bumper" you know you're going to be in for a treat. To remove the serpentine belt you need to remove the engine mounts. What a nightmare!

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15 hours ago, SouthsideBoarder said:

I believe I got the same email and was curious myself. Glad you posted. 

Wonder what model is the $135 or what the 23 LSV costs. 

It's about $400 - $500 for the 23 LSV with the 450 from our local dealer.

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Sounds like some people need to get over the fear of a wrench and DIY.

My process:

- Remove 4 bolts
- Pull the cover those 4 bolts were holding
- Remove impeller
- Installation is reverse of removal

If it's really stuck in there, squirt some soap or WD40 in there, bump the motor over a couple times to get it spinning (with the cover off) and yank it out with some pliers.

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56 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

Sounds like some people need to get over the fear of a wrench and DIY.

My process:

- Remove 4 bolts
- Pull the cover those 4 bolts were holding
- Remove impeller
- Installation is reverse of removal

If it's really stuck in there, squirt some soap or WD40 in there, bump the motor over a couple times to get it spinning (with the cover off) and yank it out with some pliers.

Kinda depends on the boat.  On the inlaws 2004 (Merc) LXI you have to pull the pump off the engine and then split the pump to get the impeller out.  Not the worst thing since it is an inboard, but a little more work than the impeller in my VTX

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22 hours ago, COOP said:

The M235 is an absolute pain the A to change an impeller on. 

The pump housing is on the front of the motor under and slightly behind the heat exchanger. (Raptor 575)

The front of the motor is closer to the transom then on any other boat so less space to work.

The storage area is very small and hard to cram yourself into. 

And you can only get one arm in there. 

If the impeller is stuck you dont even have much room to get a puller in to assist.

They suck. 

I have the Raptor 575 in my 2016 23 LSV.   I looked at doing this myself and decided to have the dealer do it.  I did these on all previous boats I owned.  This was is "special"

It is a blind reach to replace the impeller due to the supercharger extras obstructing easy access.  So far dealer (AWS)  has done the impeller change for ~$195.  I discussed with the Tech who did it last time.  He says it is a very time consuming replacement.   Think the higher price to replace may have to do with not wanting to do it plus the extra hours it actually takes to deal with the difficulty factor.   

I have not had it done this year so will see if the pricing has gone up.   Sorry to hear the M235 has the same problem.  Thought it was my "smaller" 23 LSV making it difficult to reach.  Still love the engine.  Nothing is perfect.  

 

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44 minutes ago, ORMailbuboater said:

I have the Raptor 575 in my 2016 23 LSV.   I looked at doing this myself and decided to have the dealer do it.  I did these on all previous boats I owned.  This was is "special"

It is a blind reach to replace the impeller due to the supercharger extras obstructing easy access.  So far dealer (AWS)  has done the impeller change for ~$195.  I discussed with the Tech who did it last time.  He says it is a very time consuming replacement.   Think the higher price to replace may have to do with not wanting to do it plus the extra hours it actually takes to deal with the difficulty factor.   

I have not had it done this year so will see if the pricing has gone up.   Sorry to hear the M235 has the same problem.  Thought it was my "smaller" 23 LSV making it difficult to reach.  Still love the engine.  Nothing is perfect.  

 

The M235 is even worse, less room around the motor and smaller compartment to fit in to do the work.

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2 minutes ago, COOP said:

The M235 is even worse, less room around the motor and smaller compartment to fit in to do the work.

"Because of the wartime shortage of men, most of the assemblers were women. Each B-24 required 313,237 rivets, so there was plenty of work for "Rosie the Riveter" and her peers. The Willow Run assembly line also employed 10 "midgets" who were recruited from circus sideshows and the entertainment industry. They proved invaluable for confined space assembly tasks, such as crawling inside wingtips to buck rivets."  Equal opportunity for all.

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20 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

"Because of the wartime shortage of men, most of the assemblers were women. Each B-24 required 313,237 rivets, so there was plenty of work for "Rosie the Riveter" and her peers. The Willow Run assembly line also employed 10 "midgets" who were recruited from circus sideshows and the entertainment industry. They proved invaluable for confined space assembly tasks, such as crawling inside wingtips to buck rivets."  Equal opportunity for all.

We joke often about needing an MMT, midget marine tech.

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3 hours ago, COOP said:

The M235 is even worse, less room around the motor and smaller compartment to fit in to do the work.

Wow cannot imagine it being worse.  Sorry to hear.  

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On 8/19/2020 at 4:19 PM, COOP said:

The M235 is an absolute pain the A to change an impeller on. 

The pump housing is on the front of the motor under and slightly behind the heat exchanger. (Raptor 575)

The front of the motor is closer to the transom then on any other boat so less space to work.

The storage area is very small and hard to cram yourself into. 

And you can only get one arm in there. 

If the impeller is stuck you dont even have much room to get a puller in to assist.

They suck. 

It’s not just that on the M235. Have you ever greased the zerk fitting on the rudder? Working on anything on the engine is pure hell. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

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10 hours ago, spikew919 said:

It’s not just that on the M235. Have you ever greased the zerk fitting on the rudder? Working on anything on the engine is pure hell. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

For sure. I dread the day one needs a steering cable.

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