2000 XStar Impeller change...help!!
 

Hey guys,
I've been in the process of getting my 2000 xstar ready for the upcoming season and I attempted to change out the impeller over the weekend. This is my first attempt in this boat but have done it/seen it done on others. I pulled the cap off the impeller housing easy enough but have had no luck getting the old impeller out. I've pried with a screw driving and yanked with pliers to no avail. Does anyone out there have any words of wisdom that may point me in the right direction? I think I've heard people suggest turning the motor over before, I'm assuming to help break it loose from the housing. Any truth to this?
Thanks in advance!

I could never get my impeller out until I got the idea to squirt a little binding lube in the housing. Bump the starter and it will pull right out with a small pair of channel locks. If you will lightly lube the housing when you reinstall it, it'll help there also.

Check out the How to Change Your Impeller Video on new website
 

Check out the How to Change Your Raw Water Pump Impeller on new website that just launched today. You can find the video at http://inboardonline.com/how-to/

I actually tried sparying with wd-40 and letting it sit, still wouldn't budge. I'll try bumping the starter on my next attempt and see if that helps break it loose.
Thanks!

Well that stinks..our mechanici used the WD40 and came off like a charm... Oh well, Good Luck.

Try using 2 paint can lid removers after soaking it with WD40. You can also use 2 needle nose pliers.

I use two large screw drivers on my 2001 x-star. One on eachside, it's always tuff, mainly because it's hard to lean over the motor that way and hold two scewdrivers at once. But that always worked for me. I have heard of folks using small bearing pullers as well.

I have a 99 Xstar but its a similar setup. There is hardly any room to get back there and get any kind of leverage on that thing but the steps previously posted worked for me.

I use a small needle nosed channel lock that does a pretty good job. I squirt some dish soap mixed with a bit of water all up in that housing and on the impeller, bump the starter a bit, and then with any luck can grab one of the rubber vanes and start pulling.

Then bump the starter again and get it to rotate about 180 degrees and pull again and repeat until it starts coming out. I generally end up totally destroying the impeller in the process of getting it out, but who cares I personally am not going through this process to "inspect" the impeller, I just replace it.

Also, I put a small small dab of the waterproof trailer bearing grease on the splines (the metal part) of the new impeller in hopes that it makes the next removal a bit easier.

I have heard of a few different people making or buying some type of puller for this, I would love one.

Jabsco makes an impeller puller that makes it pretty easy. I've got one and it's basically a small gear puller.

2 flatheads and 5 min of muscle, just did it last night

I use Needle nose vise-grips (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...1798S43415620P), just don't crimp to tight. They give a solid grip and a surface to get a prybar if needed. But I perfer the soap and bumping the motor method.

Cheers,
DC

Two screwdrivers!

Thats an awesome site. Thanks Natalie.

I'm gonna take another crack at it saturday morning so thanks for the great advice!

Thanks so much!

I hope to get some more how to videos up soon. We have about 3 more that have already been filmed, just have to get them edited and posted.

Let me know if there are any how to's videos that we should look into filming in the future.

And Joe next time we do an impeller video, I'll make sure the impeller is difficult to get off :)



Good night

the key is to put some type of never sieze or white lithium grease on the shaft of the pump when you re install it. we do it all the time and never have any type of problem when the boats come back in a year later....