changing the impeller in 6.2 liter merc

[Blu Ballz]

I am not motor savvy, but don't want to spend 500.00 + for a service. Does anyone know how easy it is to change the impeller or know where there are any instructions or how-to's? My manuals do not make any mention of the impeller. Also, where is the best place to buy one? It seems like all the boat stores in the SF valley have closed up. Any help is greatly appreciated.

BB

 

[RiverDave]

I will get you your answers tomorrow AM.

RD

 

[Boat Tech]

Could try Eric at Maveric Marine
14832 CALVERT ST
VAN NUYS, CA
91411-2707
Phone: 818-989-4445

Eric should have what you need parts wise.:thumbsup

 

[spectras only]

Picture of my 6.2 . The water pump pulley is the lowest one on the left [starboard side] . The tensioner pulley you have to loosen up to remove the serpentine belt is on the top right . When you loosen the nut on the pulley shaft it lowers the pulley to remove the belt or raises it and tightens the belt. It's a clever [ rack & pinion ] design .Amazing that Mercruiser actually thought of it . Easiest way to remove the impeller is to remove the whole pump itself . The 6.2 has a brass body vs plastic for the 496 . The impeller shaft has a D shape , so make sure you get the right impeller. Some people use hose clamps to bend the blades for easy installation , myself I use dish soap on the impeller and inside the impeller housing , turning the impeller while pushing it on the shaft inside the housing. It's really quite simple . Make sure you hook the hoses back the right way , because they can easily be switched up or down.If you find your old impeller missing some blades ,you may want to reverse flush the hoses , because blockage will cause overheating. The most likely spot to find pieces stuck would be in the P/S cooler at the top back of the engine.

 

[69 1/2]

Info is quite good on how to change it, only thing I do differrent is use a zip tie instead of a hose clamp. You might just have an Alpha drive though, then it is a whole different story as the pump is in the lower unit.

 

[Skyskier]

Picture of my 6.2 . The water pump pulley is the lowest one on the left [starboard side] . The tensioner pulley you have to loosen up to remove the serpentine belt is on the top right . When you loosen the nut on the pulley shaft it lowers the pulley to remove the belt or raises it and tightens the belt. It's a clever [ rack & pinion ] design .Amazing that Mercruiser actually thought of it . Easiest way to remove the impeller is to remove the whole pump itself . The 6.2 has a brass body vs plastic for the 496 . The impeller shaft has a D shape , so make sure you get the right impeller. Some people use hose clamps to bend the blades for easy installation , myself I use dish soap on the impeller and inside the impeller housing , turning the impeller while pushing it on the shaft inside the housing. It's really quite simple . Make sure you hook the hoses back the right way , because they can easily be switched up or down.If you find your old impeller missing some blades ,you may want to reverse flush the hoses , because blockage will cause overheating. The most likely spot to find pieces stuck would be in the P/S cooler at the top back of the engine.

trust me on this one !!!................I WAS gonna save a buck one year an did the impellar change inside my boat barn, in the shade with a fan blowin on me ............it's a whole lot more of a shitty job doing it on the beach, in a cove, when it's 115 fukin degrees................Tim @ dirtydeeds, he'll do it right, the first time..................I MIGHT do mine again, someday..........in february or march

 

[Uncle Dave]

Its more of a knuckle banging, skin cutting job than it is a technically difficult one.

Try to make sure the impeller is "crushed" by the zip tie, or clamp (if you choose that route)- in the right direction- you dont want it flipping backwards when you fire up. (I use dove instead of zips and hose clamps)

Inspect the plastic housing thoroughly.

Although i wouldn't pay 500, I happily pay 200 to keep the skin on my hands.


UD

 

[DaveC]

Its not that hard. The hardest part is getting the two big hoses off. They are like radiator hoses, they don't wanna come off. You have to encourage them. The good news its not a flimsy radiator so you can use more encouragement. :skull (use something to unseat the hose from the housing before trying to get it off)

It takes me 15 minutes. 5 minutes getting beer and 10 minutes working on it.

Good tips here.

1) To get the new impellar into the housing use a little dishsoap. I rub the soap on all the veins before I even attempt to install it.

2) Take the whole pump off the motor. Work on the bench!!!

3) Make a note of which way the belt turns the pulley before you start. Once you get the new impellar into the housing turn the pulley in the direction the motor spins it to make sure the impellar is seated correctly.

4) If you can remove your back seat to get at it, that would be a HUGE plus!!

5) Try not to run your boat dry of water upon restart.

If you are like Uncle Dave, buy some Mechanix gloves to save knuckles.

 

[TPC]

The pick-up pump is located on the port side of the motor at the rear of the boat. Here's what you'll see after you pull the port engine panel out. You can just see the pump behind the fuel filter (blue arrow).

Remove the belt by first backing off the locknut (blue arrow) and then turning the smaller bolt (red arrow) On my particular model V-drive engine this pulley is located on the port side above the pump. It may be in different locations on other models.

Remove the fuel filter from its bracket and pull it out of the way. Loosen the hose clamps (blue arrows). It?s a good idea to take note of which hose goes to which outlet. My outlets were marked ? yours may not be if the housing has been replaced with an aftermarket item.

Remove the two bolts holding pump bracket to motor block. The pump is now free. Removing the pump from the engine compartment may take some maneuvering of the pump and the fuel filter. As you pull the pump towards the back of the boat the hoses should pull off the back of the pump. If the hoses seem stuck, it may help to gently pry the hoses a little to get them loose.

Alternate View of Components Here?s an alternate view looking straight down from above just in case you having trouble locating something. * Blue Arrow - pump bracket bolts. * Yellow Arrow - Pump. * Green Arrow ? Hose clamp * Red Arrows - Nuts to remove fuel filter and bracket

Once you have the pump out and on your bench, make a note of the bolt and nut locations for reassembly. Three of the bolts just hold the impeller housing to the shaft/pulley assembly. The other two (red arrows) hold the housing and also secure the bracket on the pulley side with nuts. If you ignore or forget this step, it can be confusing when trying to reinstall the pump as the bracket will go back on in several different positions.

Here's what you can expect to find when the pump housing is removed. Once you clean out the impeller pieces, check the impeller housing carefully - it is usually plastic. If there is any damage such as scoring, it should be replaced. There are also two o-rings. The first you can see on the impeller housing (blue arrow). The second is a small o-ring on the shaft, beneath the thin steel plate. I didn?t remove the plate for this picture, but the yellow arrow shows the approximate location.

An important consideration is the location of all the old pieces. Sometimes chunks of the impeller can get caught in your cooling system and cause a blockage. First time out after replacing the impeller, always keep an eye on the temperature gauge to make sure there aren?t any problems.

When inserting the new impeller, it?s easier if you use a little lubricant. I used some marine grease, but silicone spray or even binding lube will work.. It?s a tight fit and you will have to bend the impeller vanes. Just try to bend them to follow the direction of rotation. On my pump the rotation was marked on the housing. If you happen to get the vanes backwards they are flexible and should flip over when the motor is cranked.

Reverse these steps to reinstall the pump. Double check all your nuts, bolts, and clamps.

Thanks and Apologies to Rz Mike

 

[Blu Ballz]

You guys are awesome. Thats for the detailed instructions. I am going to do it this weekend!!!

Thanks,
BB

 

[CampbellCarl]

BB
Also keep in mind that both of the above descriptions are of VERY different installation (ie port/starboard) notations. First was a I/O referal to where stuff is. TPC's is reversed cause his boat has the motor in backwards from the first ie TPC's front of motor faces rear of boat and vice-versa.
All good advise here, just don't follow both locations from both threads!

Carl

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Also, Try The Anchor (I believe its in Reseda?) They have EVERYTHING and The Boat Hunters in Burbank actually is pretty good about stocking routine maintenance stuff like that.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Also, feel free to hit me up if you want a hand. I think I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands this weekend

 

[TPC]

Also, Try The Anchor (I believe its in Reseda?) They have EVERYTHING and The Boat Hunters in Burbank actually is pretty good about stocking routine maintenance stuff like that.

Yep the Anchor still in biz after all these years.
They have a good supply of impeller kits at reasonable prices.
Reseda Bl and Kittridge:

http://www.theanchor.biz/

 

[Uncle Dave]

If you are like Uncle Dave, buy some Mechanix gloves to save knuckles.

True.

I also slice "real good" on excess hose clamp ends.

UD

 

[Blu Ballz]

I called every boat sho from SF valley to Santa clarita to Simi Valley and the cheapest was $500 including parts. I just want oil changed and impeller...hell....just impeller would be fine. Most of these places charge $200 just to look at it. WTF....I can look at it for $200.

 

[CampbellCarl]

I called every boat sho from SF valley to Santa clarita to Simi Valley and the cheapest was $500 including parts. I just want oil changed and impeller...hell....just impeller would be fine. Most of these places charge $200 just to look at it. WTF....I can look at it for $200.

$189.99 if you order today! But wait!..........if you order in the next 30 minutes, we'll throw in a free set of Ginsu steak knives............

 

[DaveC]

$500 bones. Fawk that. :thumbsdown

We got ya covered. TPC is the man, he gave you the step-by-step pictures and everything. :thumbsup

Now go get it done. Its really not that hard. Just don't do it when it gets hot.

BTW can you unbolt your back seat easily? Is yours a V-drive? If you have a v-drive you motor is backwards, like in TPC directions. . If its an I/O its facing the "correct direction" which is forward.

I called every boat sho from SF valley to Santa clarita to Simi Valley and the cheapest was $500 including parts. I just want oil changed and impeller...hell....just impeller would be fine. Most of these places charge $200 just to look at it. WTF....I can look at it for $200.

Well that perfectly understandable.. Hose clamp ends were invented by Satan.....

Have you ever seen those rubber tabs that slip over the end of hose clamp ends? buy a box, they come in assorted sizes.

True.

I also slice "real good" on excess hose clamp ends.

UD

 

[TPC]

I use this pump style oil change evacuator from West Marine (for some reason Rex doesn't sell it).

A couple of pumps and it draws the oil out of the crankcase thru the dipstick tube.
Has a nifty pour spout to empty. :thumbsup

 

[Blu Ballz]

I have an I/O so the location will probably be different than TPC's.

 

[DaveC]

The electric one is the shit. its the bucket with the big ol electric motor on top of it. Its like $100 but worth every fucking penny. :thumbsup

West marine

My junk has 10 quarts so I need some muscle.

I use this pump style oil change evacuator from West Marine (for some reason Rex doesn't sell it).

A couple of pumps and it draws the oil out of the crankcase thru the dipstick tube.
Has a nifty pour spout to empty. :thumbsup

 

[DaveC]

TPC's is just facing backwards. Envision yours facing forwards. Pulleys in front. So if you are facing the motor it will be on the lower left corner. Look for the two big hoses in the pictures.

trust me, the hardest part is getting those fawking hoses off. :swear Have you ever taken an old radiator hose off. Same issue. :skull

I have an I/O so the location will probably be different than TPC's.

 

[TPC]

The electric one is the shit. its the bucket with the big ol electric motor on top of it. Its like $100 but worth every fucking penny. :thumbsup

West marine

My junk has 10 quarts so I need some muscle.

Oh yeah the 12V electric one with the Jabsco pump is the way to roll. :thumbsup
I have so much stuff spread out all over so cali, the 6 + qt pumper works for us.

 

[spectras only]

I have an I/O so the location will probably be different than TPC's.

Location is the same on yours as it is in the picture I've posted. I have twin 6.2's with Bravo 1X drives.

 

[mjc]

The only thing i would add is i use a light gease on the inpeller so there is less chance of burnup on inital startup.

 

[Blu Ballz]

So far so good.....Got the pump out but wasn't able to find any boat shop open today that carried the correct impeller. The hardest part was actually taking out the batteries, battery boxes and unhooking all the wires to the amp and battery switch so I could get the panel out. Hopefully I can find the impeller tomorrow at a local boat shop and finish it up. Thanks for everyone's pics and instructions. They were spot on. :thumbsup

BB

 

[buddyk]

I am not motor savvy, but don't want to spend 500.00 + for a service. Does anyone know how easy it is to change the impeller or know where there are any instructions or how-to's? My manuals do not make any mention of the impeller. Also, where is the best place to buy one? It seems like all the boat stores in the SF valley have closed up. Any help is greatly appreciated.

BB

post what size motor so we can know what drive.
is your w/p in the outdrive or belt driven?
#1 and alpha I or II are in the drive.
bravo and late gen 7 pumps use 2" impellers and they are mounted on the engine.
the 2" impellers are 5/8 single FLAT or 1/2 double FLAT hubs,
.
post what u-got.

 

[buddyk]

Info is quite good on how to change it, only thing I do differrent is use a zip tie instead of a hose clamp. You might just have an Alpha drive though, then it is a whole different story as the pump is in the lower unit.

IF YOU LUBE THE IMPELLER AND THE CUP, JUST TURN THE SHAFT AND PRESS THE COVER DOWN. NO CLAMPS NEEDED

 

[buddyk]

I am not motor savvy, but don't want to spend 500.00 + for a service. Does anyone know how easy it is to change the impeller or know where there are any instructions or how-to's? My manuals do not make any mention of the impeller. Also, where is the best place to buy one? It seems like all the boat stores in the SF valley have closed up. Any help is greatly appreciated.

BB

a great amount depends if you have a serpentine or v belt pump.
v belt pumps are clamped in a bracket. take off pulley with 4 bolts, take off the hoses ( mark what is what) loosen the bolt and the pump slides back to service.
if you have a serp belt the pump is held byu a few little bolts. take off the belt and hoses and service it off. look carefully if the impellere did damage on the ends. if damaged on ends, a special kit is necessary not just an impeller. search google for 496 severely damaged pump kit.