I'm going on my third year on my 228 Seafarer /Yamaha 250 with 90 hours on it. My past boat, a 209 with a Yamaha 175 I replaced the water pump every two years reguardless of the hours.Do you think this is over kill?. I was wondering what everyone elses opinion is as to when to replace it. I may be just trying to save some cost to pay for the friggen gas this year. :hmm
water pump replacement
- Thread starter Grady 228
- Start date
I just tore mine out this week after three years and about 120 hours. One thing stated is that the impeller can take a set and not pump efficiently because it doesn't straighten out to create the vacuum necessary. I did notice that the vanes were curved when I removed them from the housing. In addition, when I replaced the pressure valve (HPDI) I found a piece of broken O-ring which I assumed was from the pump. After removing the pump, the large 0-ring was torn and pieces were missing. Fortunately, I used a gasket sealant on the housing to the plate seal and it did not appear to be leaking. I would probably just replace the impeller as the bottom plate and metal housing looked brand new. If you have time, remove it and then replace just the parts that you think you need. SIMYamaha is a great resource. Cost was $80.00 for the deluxe kit. The impeller alone is $25.00 I feel that if you are replacing regularly, you don't need to replace all of it. I am sure others will feel differently. I feel it is also good just to disassemble these parts so that when you need to, you can.
Grady 228 said:
I have friends that have never, yes never, replaced the impeller and their motors ar 20+ years old. Many at my club go many years before changes. A lot depends on how the motor is uses and in what water. Shallow/sandy areas can cause sand to get pumped and that quickens the wear on the parts, more so the wear plate than the impeller.
All vanes will take a set, that is not an issue. The centripetal force squeezes the vanes against the housing. Of course as the vanes become stiffer, the sealing may not be as good as before but it usually good enough.
I change mine when the guilt of not doing it gets greater than the dread of dropping the LU and getting that stinking woodruff key out
4 or 5 seasons usually.My boat gets water impellers (engine's and genset), fuel filters, fuel water separators, sparkplugs, and an oil change in the lower units every year, though I put about about 150 hours a year on them. Probably more for peace of mind during crossings to the Abacos. I would change them based on time rather than hours as rubber becomes increasingly brittle and stiff with age. Maybe not as much of a necessity if you're not going long distances off shore.
Do you kick up sand or mud regulary, or mostly deep and don't see sand ?
I went three years no problem, all parts even wear plate looked great still, but rarely kick up sand.
I was thinking going 4 yrs next time.
I went three years no problem, all parts even wear plate looked great still, but rarely kick up sand.
I was thinking going 4 yrs next time.
Gman25
GreatGrady Captain
If you decide to go past 2 yrs I would at least drop the lower unit and grease all the bolts and shaft where it seats in the head. Heard some people who had issues where they couldnt drop the LU because the shaft locked in the head.
'05 300 Marlin F250's
'05 300 Marlin F250's
At 475 hours I replaced mine on a pair of Yamaha F225s. They looked like new and there was no corosion on the bolts and the woodruff key poped right out. I bought the kits but next time I'll just buy the impeller and will only purchase the kit if I see wear on the plates, etc. My boat is used in fresh water that is fairly clean. I'd think diferently if I was in salt water and didn't fresh water flush the engines after use.
dduflo said:
Just currious, how many months or years (age of parts) did that 475 hours of use cover?
Motors were assembled in '05 and i bought them new in late '06. Parts were replaced in the early spring of 2010.
I just replaced mine on my F225's and they were last done spring of 2006. They looked fine and probaly could've gone another 4 years but the boat stays in a slip so it's hard to change the during the season. On a trailer boat 5 years doesn't seem unreasonable unless your pumping sand and mud every trip.
As others have mentioned, water conditions, sand-mud and other debris, play a huge part in wear. I change mine every 3 years just as a safeguard. One thing also needs attention on at least a yearly basis is the prop shaft. Usually forgotten by most, I remove and check for fishing line at the end of every season and apply a heavy marine grade of grease before re-assembly and torque to spec.