Impeller?

[SuperD]

What is the longest you've had an impeller last? Mine is past the standard maintenance period but seems to be performing just fine. Has anyone just had it last for years and years?

[Fallriverguy]

The one in my main motor has lasted 13 years. It still shoots a very strong stream.

[Bduck]

13 yrs is a long time. The key to having it last is to never run your motor dry even if its for seconds. Rubber deteriorates. Also, it wouldn't hurt to open it up for inspection to see if you you haven't picked up small debris that can clog the passages to your engine. I have had that to happen. Causes the engine to run warmer than normal if not overheating. Since your going to be in there, time to change it. I have worked on jet engines for 35 yrs and seen the different impellers (from rubber to metal types) on the various pump systems and what has happen when you pick up foreign material both soft and hard type. The theory is still the same on how they work and preventive maintenance in my book is a must. You can't go wrong with changing it. Good luck and Good fishing.

[Fallriverguy]

It is a long time and needs to be changed. I think I am running on borrowed time right now.

[Kokaholic]

My impellar has not been changed. My motor is a 96 mariner. However it is going in next week to get done. I know that I am on barrowed time for sure. It has been going. But i am not taking any chances.

[HiTechKoke]

Not that I am proud of it but I just changed the one in my T8 Yamaha at 860 hours and it was still pumping water pretty good. I wanted to save $250 as well to spend on more fishing gear. :-) It turned out to be a pretty easy operation once you have done it once. Only 2 of the 5 rubber splines were slightly bent and the motor was still pumping out plenty of water but it was due.

I had the service guys do the 115 last year and it still looked like new with only 200 hours on it so I'll likely wait linger the next time around.

Kevin

[sickday]

I have only let mine go for about 3 maybe 4 years. I don't want to take the chance of it going out and burning up the engine.

[SuperD]

I keep hearing Clint Eastwood in my head, "Do ya feel lucky punk, well do ya?"

[Full_Monte]

When you install your new impeller, make sure you bend the blades in the correct direction when inserting it in the cup. Also, put some liquid hand soap or mechanics lanolin hand soap (with no grit) on the impeller blades. This will provide initial lubrication on start up in your driveway (along with water supplied to the ear muff attachment at the end of a water hose).

[Kokaholic]

I am having a guy do mine that is a boat mechanic for a major boat shop that does part time work ont he side. I am going to see if I can work things out to be there with him when he does mine so that I can see how to do it and learn from him to do my own from here on out. I am also doing my lower end fluid change at the same time. This way I am good to go.

Then I will do the wheel bearings and two new tires and spin balance on them and I will be ready for the waterthumbsup

[Fallriverguy]

I did have the impeller fail on my 6 hp Yamaha kicker. Thankfully it has a thermal kill switch which saved the motor from overheating. I replaced the impeller and thought I was good to go. The following season I had a bear of a time trolling with my kicker. It kept dying at slow speeds and the plugs were constantly fouling. It took a few phone calls, but the Yamaha dealer in Madras told me to check the temperature of the motor. He said it should be too hot to hold my hand against it. It never got hot and luke warm was the hottest it got. I figured the thermostat had failed and ordered a new one. When I replaced the thermostat I found it was fine. What had happened was the plastic housing for the thermostat had melted when the impeller failed. The thermostat housing was deformed in such a way that it blocked the thermostat from closing completely. Since the repair three years ago it has run like a champ.

[Propnut69]

I try and have the impeller on my kicker done every two years,or about 500 hundred hours. My main motor I have done at about 100-150 hours.That is usually about every three years also. Last august i was on the water when I lost the impeller on my kicker,sure ruined a good day of fishing. I keep a faithful eye on my impeller discharge during the day.

[SuperD]

With the urging of some friends, I'm in the process of trying to order the parts to do my 150 and T8. This is one of those things I rather throw money at than try myself but hope to overcome the fear. tooexcited

I'll give and update when I hit my first road block or have a completed project.

[Full_Monte]

With the urging of some friends, I'm in the process of trying to order the parts to do my 150 and T8. This is one of those things I rather throw money at than try myself but hope to overcome the fear. tooexcited

I'll give and update when I hit my first road block or have a completed project.

It's not hard. It helps to have the factory service manual with all the exploded views of the assembly and the instructions how to do it. I did it on my Yamaha 25 hp in about a half hour. I like to read the directions before I start, and have all the tools on hand to do the job.

[Kokaholic]

I just Picked up my boat today from having the impellar and the lower end fluid serviced. Parts and labor, the whole Enchilada! was 134.00 Bones. I dont feel to bad about that. My old impellar was 11 years old. My motor is a 1998 Mercury Mariner 60 horse. The old Impellar was still in decent shape. The fins were starting to bend over a little. Nice piece of mind though knowing that its all done and ready to go. HE also did a start up and went through all that and ran like a scalded dog!

[Bduck]

I just Picked up my boat today from having the impellar and the lower end fluid serviced. Parts and labor, the whole Enchilada! was 134.00 Bones. I dont feel to bad about that. My old impellar was 11 years old. My motor is a 1998 Mercury Mariner 60 horse. The old Impellar was still in decent shape. The fins were starting to bend over a little. Nice piece of mind though knowing that its all done and ready to go. HE also did a start up and went through all that and ran like a scalded dog! Its always a piece of mind knowing you have your boat in top running condition. I've been up #$%^ creek a couple of times. Now I have 2 motors (1 kicker) and don't have to be in a hurry to come off the lake to fix one of them. Fishing goes on. After all, preventative maintenance is what its about.

[Fallriverguy]

I have ordered the impeller for my main motor and will replace that and change the gear oil. Now that the snow is almost gone I have a place to do the work.

[SuperD]

I did both my motors yesterday with the help of a friend. The wasn't so technically tough but just a PITA with the way Yamaha has a few things engineered. We broke a part on the 150 that doesn't come in the kit so I had a detour to a marine shop for the part. If you plan on doing a F150 Yamaha, you'll need this part. It is a plastic shaft collar that is impossible to get off without breaking. If you tell me what motor model you have, I'll try to help you get the right part number.

[Fallriverguy]

I did my 50 hp Yamaha yesterday. A pretty easy job really. I'll not wait 13 years to replace it next time. The old impeller looked surprisingly good. There were no cracks and the rubber was still fairly supple. I do feel much better and will not worry all season about a failure.

[SuperD]

I think a water pressure gauge is the way to go. When I fired up my motor at home to test it, the pee stream about knocked off one of my fence boards. What looked like a solid stream before I changed impeller is quite a bit different than it is right now.