How often do you change your water pump impeller

[Buck9]

I have a 2005 115hp mercury optimax and was wondering if I should be changing the water pump impeller. It has about 400 hours on it and has rarely been in sand or mud. The water still comes out fairly strong, but wondering if its just time???

Originally Posted by Buck9

I have a 2005 115hp mercury optimax and was wondering if I should be changing the water pump impeller. It has about 400 hours on it and has rarely been in sand or mud. The water still comes out fairly strong, but wondering if its just time???

line her up this season next to someone with a new one and compare.
but i would compare off idle to see the diff with a little rpm as well.

[leeelmer]

After a bad experiance i change mine every 250hrs not saying someone cant get thousands of hrs out of them but impellers are cheep motors are very very expensive just my two cents

Originally Posted by leeelmer

After a bad experiance i change mine every 250hrs not saying someone cant get thousands of hrs out of them but impellers are cheep motors are very very expensive just my two cents

i agree. care to share what happened?

[hunted]

Is this a big job? How much would it cost at a shop. 115hp merc.

[Kingfisher]

If you ever take a motor into B&L Marine you will have to change your impeller almost imidiately afterwards. Their tank that they use to run the motors is an old steel tank that is all rusted. The rust will get in and amost instantly ruin your impeller.

How do I know this. Well I had a 9.8 Merc that I had in there once. It came back with the leg all brown like rust. When I questioned it they got all Pis sy. They finally admited that their tank was steel and maybe a bit rusted. But wouldn't do anything about my water pump now being screwed.

That was a number of years ago. They might have even gotten a new tank by now. But I bet their bad attitude and the condensending way they treat their customers hasn't changed a bit.

Rob

[lifesaflyin]

still the same one in mine since 1978

manual says if water is streaming out the indicating hole than there are no problems, thats good enough for me.. I dont care for having the obsesive compulsive parts replacing disorder.

[skidderman]

A half hour to an hour change and easily do it yourself job if you have any mechanical abilities. The trick is the bolt under the trim tab. Before putting bolts back on put anti seize on them. Easy job.

[thunderheart]

Originally Posted by leeelmer

After a bad experiance i change mine every 250hrs not saying someone cant get thousands of hrs out of them but impellers are cheep motors are very very expensive just my two cents

X2 ... salt is way worse than fresh but its cheap insurance

[Buck9]

The sports store in LLB quoted the complete kit @ $84. So yes i am going to replace it. Looks like a Couple more weeks here till ice off.

[bloopbloob]

Originally Posted by Buck9

The sports store in LLB quoted the complete kit @ $84. So yes i am going to replace it. Looks like a Couple more weeks here till ice off.

Very good choice. I bought a used boat, and because of an $80 bad impeller it cost me a 75hp motor on my first trip out. Replaced the impeller, but damage was already done.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by lifesaflyin

still the same one in mine since 1978

manual says if water is streaming out the indicating hole than there are no problems, thats good enough for me.. I dont care for having the obsesive compulsive parts replacing disorder.

That's been my experience as well.
I put hundreds of hours on outboards without a water pump going bad. And under the worst conditions for a water pump.
Running the Peace in the spring when the silt level is so high you can feel it in the water, late in the fall when everything freezes in minutes if not protected.

I have had to replace water pump impellers, after freezing them sold and tearing the blades off trying to start the frozen motor. And one that wore out, on a very old Johnson Sea Horse. Like the man says, as long as you have water circulating everything is good to go. If it stops, you have a problem.

But I agree, it is cheap insurance. And an easy fix.

Originally Posted by skidderman

A half hour to an hour change and easily do it yourself job if you have any mechanical abilities. The trick is the bolt under the trim tab. Before putting bolts back on put anti seize on them. Easy job.

Sometimes the water tube can be a pain to line up. Everything else, except the bolt under the anticavitation plate/trim tab is straight forward.

[Buck9]

So I'm wondering if it is a lack of cooling when I'm pulling the kids on a tub that every so often I get an alarm on my boat. Once I stop it goes off in about 10 sec.. This would be the only indication that I potentially don't have enough cooling. It never beeps when trolling or running only heavy tube use.

[Unregistered user]

Originally Posted by skidderman

A half hour to an hour change and easily do it yourself job if you have any mechanical abilities. The trick is the bolt under the trim tab. Before putting bolts back on put anti seize on them. Easy job.

Don't use anti-seize if the motor goes in the salt-chuck.

[ViperV7]

I don't take chances I will put 2 season on each impeller. Reason being I had a 15hp evinrude impeller that crumbled apart. And unfortunately my Dad borrowed it and overheated on me. And after I replaced it, it never ever did run the same even after the rebuild of the complete top end.

So now for as cheap and simple as they are to replace I'll let the impeller go through one winter storage and replace it after it's second winter.

Just my $0.02

You will hear every different opinion on here. Some good and some not so good.