How To Change Out an Indmar Raw Water Impeller
 

Good video on how to change out your impeller. Could be mistaken, but appears to be an Indmar engine in the video.

http://www.inboardonline.com/how-to/

If only it were that easy on a Merc

Is it really that easy? I'll be doing this myself from now on if its this simple. Thank you very much Travis!

sweet source for info. thanks man!!

Its really a cake walk except popping it out depending on the angle your at. Getting it loose can be a pain you have to pull straight out!!! Any angle your hosed. Very easy DIY.

I just dig that someone is starting a site like that, hopefully they work into some more complicated stuff and do some more in depth how-to's on it.

If only you could pull your motor and put it on a stand..... then changing the impeller really would be that easy. However, if you have a V-drive and your water pump is at the stern of the boat, it's not quite that easy to get to. You can expect a few bloody knuckles when removing the impeller. It's definitely do-able, but a major pain in the ass. I still change mine myself because I can't see spending $175 to have someone else do it, but if the dealer only charged $25 I would let them do it every time!

A few tips that will make removal easier on a V-drive....

-- Soak in WD-40 for about 1/2 hour before removing
-- Use a pair of small vice grips to grab the impeller. I have a set that fits perfectly between the rubber veins on the impeller. Once locked on you can really give it a pull to break it free from impeller housing
-- Have a mirror handy and LED flashlight to see the impeller housing, this helps when locking vice grips onto the impeller (no way to see it without a mirror with a Supra CAT-ETX motor, not sure on other boats)
-- Apply some grease/anti-seize on the shaft of the impeller before installing new impeller. This will make the next removal much easier
-- When installing the new impeller after starting in by hand, you can use a block of wood (2x4) to tap on it to get the impeller flush in the housing
-- Do not over tighten brass bolts, they strip out easily
-- Replace impeller once at beginning of season, the longer they stay in the harder they are to pull out

LOL
I changed mine this year and when I was done my right forearm looked like I had been in
a bar fight with a drunk grizzly bear!

Thats why I bought an impeller puller. If you plan on having any inboard for a number of years it is well worth the $60 for one.

You guys are making this out to be way harder than it is! Follow these simple steps and it will be a breeze!
1. Remove Cover, 4 bolts – Use a mirror for a V drive the first time so you can see what you are doing, after this, you will have a mental memory the next time.
2. Spray 3 or 4 good spirits of WD-40 around the impeller
3. Bump the starter a couple times, DO NOT START
4. Take a Paint Can Opener with the barb facing the rubber impeller, about 1” into a slot on the impeller
5. Pry out the Impeller
6. Spray the new impeller with WD-40 and replace, you will have to squeeze and twist to get it in place, it is a splined shaft
7. Tap the brass spline with a hammer, to make sure you have it all the way in
8. Replace cover and new gasket, it is offset, so will only go on one way.
9. Replace bolts.
10. Done, in less than 5 minutes

"Done, in less than 5 minutes" change my impeller in 5min
and you get $20

Yeah, it may be a relatively straight-forward procedure, but it isn't a 5 minute quickie. On a V drive, it's going to take 15-20.

But, that isn't a bad thing. If you're working on a boat and in a hurry, you're doing it wrong. Take your time, enjoy the work, and know that it will pay off next season!

Instead of WD-40, i would suggest a more rubber friendly solution like pure silicone spray or past. petroleum based solutions and other chemicals can cause some rubbers to swell and or soften. If the new impeller is done in the fall, you may have an issue come spring or later in the season.

I agrre with CHP I would not put WD40 on the new impeller. Use a lube made for assy. rubber products. Many of the Johnson kits come with some.
Is it as easy as the video makes it look. It all depends on the boat! Do a VLX where the muffler is a 1/4 from the waterpump. They dont always come out so easy. I have changed close to a 1000 of them and some come out easy and some dont. It can be a nice DIY project but its not always sunshine and roses as the vidoe portrays. But it is a helpful video. Just take a look at how much access you have to the pump thats the main factor.

Most of the kits come with a lubricator to put on it when you reinstall it.

I changed mine on the Indmar and removed the whole housing. It took another 10min, but NO BLOODY KNUCKLES!!!!!

Yeah... I haven't changed mine in at least 300 hours. I need to get off my butt and swap it out!

Mine has at least 2 seasons on it. I need to get it changed in the spring. I was planning on making an impeller puller out of some paint can openers, a piece of steel, and some washers and wingnuts. I read somewhere that you can use zipties around the impeller to get the fins bent down in the right direction to make it go in easier.

I read its almost impossible on an ilmor!

Straight from the WD40 FAQ:rolleyes:
http://wd40.com/faqs/
What surfaces or materials are OK to use WD-40 Multi-Use Product on?

WD-40 Multi-Use Product can be used on just about everything. It is safe to use on metal, rubber, wood and plastic. It can also be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40 Multi-Use Product.

What does WD-40 Multi-Use Product contain?

While the ingredients in WD-40 Multi-Use Product are secret, we can tell you what it does NOT contain. WD-40 Multi-Use Product does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, graphite, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

WD40 is petroleum-based and the impeller manufacturer warns against using petroleum-based products on them. So do what you will and good luck.

Blanket statements like the ones WD-40 make concerning "safe" to use on rubber, as opposed to specific warning on the part of Johnson saying "do not use petroleum based lubes".... I'm going with the specific warning rather than the generalized statement.

He is not exaggerating. I did my new impeller last week in 5 minutes easy. 4 easy to access bolts, cover pulls off, pull out impeller, slap in new one, new gasket, done.

Indmar really did this thing right at least on my motor.

my indmar impeller change litterally took 5 min. Needle nose vice grips are the impeller changing man's best friend. I wouldn't use wd-40 either, but dish soap is a trick that a mechanic taught me a few years ago. It lubricates well and is gone within seconds of starting the engine. My new impeller also came with lubricant so i used that, but I think dish soap is actually less messy and helps get the grease off your hands when done too. Multi tasking at its finest. :)

2011 Axis with Indmar 335.

Took 7 minutes... would have only taken 6 but I dropped one of the cover bolts and my pliers.

On my engine the sea-water pump housing sits way out in front, all alone, the only thing making it semi-difficult is the exhaust.

1. Remove 4 bolts.
2. spray soapy water into housing onto impeller very liberally.
3. bump over engine a few times, do not let it start up.
4. needle nose pliers, grab a vein on the impeller and pull straight out. Pull hard. If this doesn't work, then grab opposite vein and pull hard, then back to original... back and forth until it gets about 1/4" out, then it will come all the way out real easily.
5. Dry inside of housing, and grease well with lube provided.
6. grease edges of each vein of impeller
7. intall impeller, twisting while pushing until you feel it line up on spline and it stops. Rubber mallet or soft wood 2 x 4 with hammer and gently tap it in to seat it.
8. new gasket on cover plate and install bolts, careful not to tighten bolts crazy tight as they will strip and a new housing will be needed.

5 minutes.... doable. 20 minutes if you barely know what a socket driver is.

My PCM impeller takes about 10 minutes, half of that is rerouting the serpentine belt. PCM was smart when they designed the stainless pump in 2003, they put O rings on the bolts so they stay in the housing.

I also put a mark on the top of impeller housing and cover to help realign cover when putting the cover back on. I use a dab of white automotive touch up paint.

Regarding WD-40, I don't think its a problem if you run the boat on a fake a lake after installation to confirm there are no leaks. Might be an issue if you let the new impeller soak in the WD-40.

My pump is leaking from the back side (engine side). Anyone experience this?

Answered my own question. Found a rebuild kit $50

http://www.ebasicpower.com/p/MAL9-45700/MAL9-45700.html

I've replaced the seal in mine and it is about a $2 part at a supply house. Be sure the seal has a stainless spring in it or you'll be replacing it again next season.

Also, to easily remove the impeller, insert a small screw driver in each side about an inch or so and it can be easily pried out.

bump the starter and they almost always will work there way out enough to grab

Agreed that WD-40 or any solvent should be avoided on the rubber. It results in degradation of the material from breaking down the molecular structure. Great for rust and seeping into tight spaces but you can watch it disintegrate a styrofoam cup over time and significantly reduces the longevity of any rubber product. I am surprised in this website's winterization instructions they tell you to store the impeller in Vaseline....also results in a change of the rubber durometer. Silicone grease is a better solution to prevent drying causing brittle material.

So I went 810 hours on the original impeller. It still looks pretty good. Figured since I have it out I'll change it. It was definitely a pain to get out. The two screw drivers were key though. Thanks for that suggestion.

Skiing made me board,
Lyle
Oregon School of Wakeboarding

Glad to hear the screwdrivers worked for you. Prying both sides at the same time is the trick. I find that you're less likely to bust a knuckle using that method rather than tugging on it with a pair of pliers.