How long will it take me to change impeller

[oGaryo]

Hi practical forum folk I've the usual never ending list of chores to get through this weekend from SWMBO but I'm buggered if I'm not going to spend a little time on the boat getting things ready for the 2nd week of May... the lad's Rugger season finishes on the 2nd May so my weekends become free(ish) from then on.

How long do you reckon it'd take me to change the impeller on an Alpha 1 Gen 2 sterndrive for the first time?? I have the impeller kit already so no need to go shopping and half a brain... only half mind you, not a cell more Just enough to decipher the service manual I'd say.

Many Thanks Gary

 

[Monique]

I dont know the specifics of your engine but it is very easy. I took about 30 minutes the first time but could now do it in 5 mins with one hand tied behind my back.

GL

 

[Koeketiene]

I do it in 10-15 minutes, and I have 2 left hands attached to two right-hand wrists

 

[oGaryo]

thanks guys... I'll plan for 2 days work in that case.. knowing my (in)competence

 

[oGaryo]

on a more serious note.. just ran the engine up on the muffs and it's running rough at idle so I'll be doing all the usual checks such as timing, earthing, fuel cleanliness, push rod gaps, vacuum leaks etc but one worrying sign is the temp goes up to 180 degrees, sits there for a minute then drops to 165(ish) as I presume the thermostat opens up.. it then immediately but smoothly climbs back up to 180 degrees, drops back down again once more and then finally, it rose to 180 yet sits there until I turned it off a few minutes later.

It should run at 160 degrees

Is this a clear symptom of a blockage in the waterways or a bust impeller providing too little water flow through the engine, or indeed, a bit of both?

The thermostat is new by the way, changed a couple of months ago.

 

[jimmcgee]

Can you post a picture of your impellor when you change it, cos this is the way mine acts just now, but 2 weeks ago the alternator/water pump belt snapped on my first outing of the year ,
and I cruised back 8 miles with no over heating or other damage , you can run the 3.0 on the leg pump at low revs .

 

[PetiteFleur]

It all depends how urgent it is - if tied to your pontoon or ashore as long as you like - when you are drifting towards the shore with no power, as quickly as possible! I tested this some years ago when I forgot to turn on the cooling water before dropping the mooring, and I only realised when I noticed the exhaust was louder than usual - I reckon it took under a minute to change the impellor - I did have a speedseal fitted and the spare impellor, modified impellor removal tool(specially bent pair of cheap longnose pliers) were immediately to hand. You can work very quickly when the tide is taking you ashore!

 

[Baddox]

The time taken also depends on how much access you have. One top tip that helped me was to compress the vanes on the impellor using cable ties. These can be snipped off as the impellor slips into the housing. Make sure you note which way around the vanes are flexed or folded to accommodate the direction of rotation.

 

[Haven't-a-Clue]

Well, the first time I changed the impeller on my Beta, it took me half an hour.........'cos I couldn't believe I had done such a staightforward job right the first 3 times, "it can't be this simple, can it?". KY jelly is a fantastic water based, water soluable (sp?) lubricant.........especially when yer forgets to turn the sea-cock to 'on' after finishing the job.......doh! Took me 3 minutes to whip the cover off and check that the impeller was OK. Must get a spare,though.

 

[oGaryo]

guys, am I correct in assuming your impeller experiences are changing them witin the engine room? mines in the lower casing of the outdrive, involves draining gear lube, dropping the lower outdrive, replacing impeller, refitting lower unit and refilling with gear lube and all the little bits in between such as greasing a few things and aligning stuff when refitting the unit etc

"stuff" and "things" being very technical statements so apologies for going in to techno babble mode for a moment or two there