TOPIC: Water pump woes

I've had a few interesting calls lately.

1. New impeller, calls back says it doesn't pump at all.
Asks if the impeller only pumps when in gear or something.
I have him make sure motor is cool. Start motor, no water coming out feed hose port side on F model.
Have him rev engine, no water.
Drive shaft is not turning.....................
He didn't know where the crankshaft/driveshaft coupler went when it fell out removing lower unit so didn't put it back.......
True story.
Installed coupler and wala, she pumps/runs fine.
I imagine Dick just spit his coffee all over his keyboard hearing this one!!

2. New impeller, only water at 2k rpm and above.
Block full of scale. Actually I've had 4 or 5 of these in last month.
I wouldn't install a new impeller unless port side water jacket plate pulled and block de-scaled.
Huge difference. I've seen scale up to top of number two once, in general I see it up halfway on number one.
Water comes in top of port side, goes down port side under number one and up stbd side. If the water is restricted by all that scale, pumping efficiency is severely impacted.

That's no joke about the scale buildup. I took the side covers off of the first one I rebuilt and noticed it was almost totally blocked off. The last two I bought I pulled the covers first thing and cleaned them out before I ran them. They were most likely never apart and needed cleaned out bad. How often should the side covers be pulled? Or was there ever a maintenance interval for this?

billr wrote:

I've had a few interesting calls lately.


I imagine Dick just spit his coffee all over his keyboard hearing this one!!

You would think the oil running out the bottom would be a bigger concern than no water pumping! After 20 yrs of dealing with the '60's era Honda's nothing surprises me.

The very first Bearcat I bought had a cracked block, the scale inside it was so bad it had actually plugged the cracks from leaking.

Every other year, or every year.
On the older ones that the block drained I'd do it every year.
I fired up this one last night after descaling, huge difference in telltale stream at idle.
Can't wait to launch the little 14T, losing a day as hurt my knee somehow, dammit...

yeah he said it was "pumping oil fine but no water".