Beta engine water pump

[ghostlymoron]

My pal has new Beta engine. He lives on his boat in Dartmouth and rarely moves but uses the engine occasionally to charge batteries. He's had to replace the impeller twice when he's noticed the engine overheating and poor water flow. On stripping down he's found broken impeller blades that have migrated towards the heat exchanger and removed the bits and replaced the impeller. He thinks it might be due to barnacles growing in the stationary pump and damaging the impeller when he runs the engine.
This seems a possibility but could it be something else. He doesn't say he's ever found barnacle remains.

 

[macd]

I'd be very surprised if it's barnacles, but clearly something's wrong if it's trashed two impellors with (you imply) very little running. Might be worth his checking the pump faces before running it next. Equally, whether it's slow to prime.

 

[doug748]

Unless the spec has changed, Beta fit a Johnson pump, the OEM Johnson impellors are shockers.

The replacement Jabsco, from memory, is 653.001. I have found they last several seasons, the Johnson ones I had failed to do 100 hours.

 

[macd]

Unless the spec has changed, Beta fit a Johnson pump, the OEM Johnson impellors are shockers..

They've fitted both Jabsco & Johnson in the last few years, but I think Johnson most recently.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I bought a replacement pump trom Beta a couple of years back - it was a Johnson, the original was a Jabsco & I was surprised at the cost - it was very reasonable, well under £100 from memory. I refurbished the original which is now kept as a spare.

 

[dovekie]

Has he removed the heat exchanger and completely cleared the seawater channels through it? I found several channels blocked by pieces of impeller after a similar failure on a Beta. I don't know if back pressure from the blocked channels in the exchanger might compromise impellers.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Yes, he retrieved all the bits.

Has he removed the heat exchanger and completely cleared the seawater channels through it? I found several channels blocked by pieces of impeller after a similar failure on a Beta. I don't know if back pressure from the blocked channels in the exchanger might compromise impellers.