Replacing Impeller

I read somewhere that putting it in a zip-lock when you winterize will keep it better than if it gets air to it. ...might be overkill, but it's easy enough.

Spray silicone lubricant is what I have used for years. No greasy mess, spray the housing & the impeller, rotate the impeller when installing. Do not forget to check the end plates for wear. If groove are more than light scratches the impeller life will be shortened. Also when laying up for the winter pump coolant thru the pump into the engine. This will make the impeller last many seasons. That winter layup seems to cause more impeller problems than anything else.

Never neglect the impellar it is the heart of the cooling sytem went out the other day temp started to climb took the pump apartand man it looked like the dog got it made it back popped in a new one and away u go 30 sec. is ok unless the boat has sat and the little bit of water that stays in the hoses and pump has dried up just one hit of the key on a 1 yr old impellar could break a vane and send it in were u dont wont it!

If you don't know when the previous owner replaced the impeller, then I would definitely recommend replacing it (or at least remove it and inspect it).

FWIW: Just for kicks, I held my raw pump in my hand (just installed new impellar) and then turn the pulley by hand in both directions while watching the impellar. The impellar easily and quickly changed directions with not damage to the impellar vanes as they flexed the opposite direction. So, my advice is do not worry about the orientation of the impellar vanes during reassembly. I also used a bit of dielectric grease upon reassembly (i.e. silicon grease).

Altough I agree that Vaseline is petroleum based, I doubt it will do much harm. The vaseline will quickly be washed away before it has a chance to attack the rubber. Also, vasoline is highly refined to the point that it may never attack the rubber. As a modeler, I have used vaseline for years (before switching to silicon grease) on plastic gears of radio controlled race cars. Never have I attributed a gear failure to vaseline attacking the plastics or rubber parts. I have not proof, just a hunce based on life experience.

Also in the FWIW catagory: I have for years started the engine in my boats while the boat was still on the trailer and without connecting a water source. I did this to ensure the boat would start prior to heading for the lake. The run time was minimal, about 30 sec max. Now, as a rule, I change impellars every other year and never have I seen evidence of my practice causing noticable or excessive impellar wear. My thoughts are that I simply do not run the engine long enought for the friction to cause enough heat to cause any problems. Now, I am not suggesting this as something other should do, but I always find it amusing when people will absolutely will not start the boat for even a second or two without a water source connected.

Hi, thought I'd chime in just for kicks. I have an 84 Barefoot Nautique with a PCM 454.
My buddy forgot to turn the engine off when we pulled the boat out of the lake and it ran for a minute out of the water before we shut it off, so I thought my impeller might have been killed.

If you're sitting in the driver's seat looking back, the water pump is on the lower left, at the front of the engine. There are 2 hoses going into it, about 1 1/4" diameter. There is a plate with 4 bolts and a pulley that cover it up.

I just removed the 4 bolts that held the pulley on, removed the 2 bolts that held the pump on (note which way the pump came off, or your engine will overheat when you put it back together), then removed the 3 bolts that held the pump together. Impeller sits right inside there, make sure not to lose the rubber O-ring. Mine came out with needle nose plyers pretty easily. It turned out to be just fine, so I didn't need to replace it. I just twisted it a bit and pushed it back in, no lube or anything. There is no way on earth you could replace the impeller without removing the pulley on this boat.

Once you know where it is, it should take less than 20 minutes to take it apart and put it back together, even for a novice mechanic.

And so ends my impeller experience.

I had to remove the pulley on my 96 SN. I did not use soap though. Is that just to make it easy to slide in? Mine went in with no problem without soap.

Are you sure the pulley has to be removed on a '97 model?

My old 60 - 70's are like that, but the newer models just have 3 bolts on the front cover to remove???

It is inside the raw water pump. On my 82 ski nautique, if you are looking from the front of the engine to the back, it is on the bottom left side of the engine.

The raw water pump will have a pulley on it that you will have to remove. You should also see two large hoses going to the pump.

Once you have the raw water pump off, there is a cover that you remove to get out the impeller. Be sure to look how your impeller is situated before taking it out. Remove it, and lube it up with some soap or armor all and slide it back in so the veins point the same direction as the one you took out.

Jason