Impellor - Am I being dumb?

I bought a Speedseal for my Yanmar GM10 and am Donald Ducked if I can get it watertight. Back to the old cover and with practice and the correct spanner can do it i no time...
 
Funnily enough I had an MD11C on my last boat and fitted a Speedseal, after which I had cooling problems. When I went back to the original cover I had no probs. In fairness to Speedseal, their products are beautifully made and I am fairly sure that my pump housing was out of spec. It won't put me off buying a Speedseal for the Yanmar.

BTW I still have the virtually unused seal for the MD11C here with me in Spain. Anyone interested, preferably someone close by!
 
On the Perkins 4107/8 it is much quicker to unbolt the pump from the block, and change the impellor in free air. Mine was only 1 inch from the bulkhead but could be worked out so it lay on the rocker cover... Make sure you stuff an old towel or similar to catch any falling nuts studs etc
 
I don't know about the Kubota engine, but can thoroughly recommend the Speedseal (have fitted one to both my previous and present 1gm10). You can buy spare thumbscrews from them. You can also buy stainless thumbscrews from www.a2a4.co.uk, which may help. Lastly, would it be possible to fit a small electric pump and some plumbing which could be switched on in an emergency or even as a permanent replacement for the existing? I know engine vs pump speed is an issue, but maybe it's possible???
 
Thanks for that...I had been thinking about this,approach as well (ashamed to say my impellor has been in for 4 or 5 years and 500hrs !).



Regards Nick
 
Oh Dear .... my impellor in my 4-107 is YONKS old .... I had the engine fitted as replacement for my seized 4-99 some years ago ... it had stood in the marina shed for 3 yr ... and I'm sure the impellor was never changed then and certainly not by me since ...

Here's a shot of cooling water flow from it .......

At idle .....

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At fast engine speed ..

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The 4-107 / 4-99 etc. the older 4 serires - pump is nicely on front of engine and well clear to work on ... unless of course you have engine box that is rear orientated !!

Perkins manual has a dire warning about not disturbing the Pump adaptor plate when removing the pump itself ... otherwise you'll need special tools to re-align it ...

Ignore me actually - just thought I'd post !!
 
Yes Nigel my access is from on top which is great as I can sit on top of the engine whilst working on it...but of course puts the pump up against the fwd bulkhead, which makes it a bit tricky to get at..

Not sure about the 'adapter plate' hav'nt found that before, is it some nasty surprise I would find if I remove the pump or somthing...maybe I will read the manual before I start rather than when I find Ive created a problem!

Regds Nick
 
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I put off changing my water pump impellor because it's so difficult to get at. I know that's dumb anyway - but am I going about it the wrong way?

Engine is a (Kubota) Hydromarine DM12 and the pump is on the rear right side of the engine, just forward of what I assume is the flywheel housing. Gap between the housing and pump face plate is about 2cm.

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The generator in my vessel is run by a Kubota with the same set up for the water pump. The shaft is driven by the end of the camshaft.

The only really sensible thing is to remove the pump and change the impeller in your workshop. The two bolts holding the unit in place are a pain to get to and you have to turn them a flat at a time. Mine has small clamps that hold the pump body. I align the engine so that the notch in the end of the shaft matches the end of the pump, have the two bolts on with a couple of turns and jiggle the pump back into place. Hook the clamps in place one at a time and tighten up the bolts. My engine has more than 10,000 hours and I have done this quite a few times. Sometimes it takes ages , other times a few minutes. Have fun.
 
Thanks Fishermantwo. Good to hear from someone who has dealt with the situation. I couldn't get a spanner onto the nut losest to the center of the engine but maybe I just have to try harder.

SBC. My flow had gradually gone down but certainly not stopped. Enough for a bit of steam to come out of the exhaust at cruising speed. Very glad I bit the bullet and changed the impellor as one of the vanes was completely detached and drifting around in the pump body. If it had gone into the outlet pipe I think things would have deteriorated quickly!
 
The Speedseal knurled nuts can be difficult to tighten enough by hand. I milled coin slots in them, after the photo was taken I milled a second slot in each at 90 degrees to the first.
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An alternative would be to drill tommy bar holes at 90 degrees.
In the confined space on my Yanmar the standard impeller remover will not fit. I made a special one as shown below.
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I think I probably need a thicker O ring. I tried nipping up the screws with pliers but that rather defeats the purpose of it. Shame really as it's very nicely made. Now I just leave a correct spanner, gasket and screws handy. Free Speedseal to anyone who wants one.
 
I may have missed the post, but has anyone suggested removing the impeller completely and fitting an electric pump instead? It worked for me, and a few others I know.
 
The pump is mated up to an adaptor plate on the engine ... if this is disturbed - the gear mesh is out of alignment and damage results. So taking of the pump is ok - but NEVER touch / move the plate that fits between it and the engine.
 
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