Impeller question

[FLCERIK]

I have a year 2001 SAN which I have not had out yet this year. Today I hooked it up to the fake a lake and started the motor. It took me about 90 seconds to properly adjust the fake a lake so the impellor was sucking in most of the water from the hose. During that 90 seconds only a small amount of water was being sucked in and a small amount was coming out the exhaust.

My question is do you thing I melted my rubber impellor during the 90 seconds it was getting very little water? Anyone have a similar experience?

[DanielC]

There is really no way of knowing what shape your impeller is in. You really need to look at it. It could be fine, or it could be ready to shed impeller blades in to the cooling passages of the motor, and that will be a lot more work than just changing it.

[ag4ever]

I would personally replace it.

It is a fairly easy job on land, but I would not want to try it in the water.

[lakers5]

Impeller question

Personally I would ensure that you have a spare one in the boat and the appropriate tools. When you next get to the lake watch your temperature closely. If you have a heater, turn it on...if it does not blow warm and the enginge is warm, shut it down quickly and replace the impeller. Its really not that hard to do.

[AirTool]

..... Its really not that hard to do.

He has a non-serp vee drive. I'm thinkin' I'd rather change that impeller at the house.

[FLCERIK]

Thanks for the input. I have changed the impeller befor and it is a pain being that I have a V-drive. I will probably go ahead and change it this winter.

[seanxtreme3000]

Could i get a stepe step guide on how to change it and maybe a pic or 2, i have a 03 SANTE 210

Thanks

[iceman991]

hey guys i have a 05 210 and need to replace impeller. whats the correct way to loosen and retighten serp belt, just dont want to ruin anything in the process of replacing. pics and instructions would be great! thanks in advance.

[DanielC]

There is a spring loaded idler pulley somewhere on the engine. I am not a GM, guy, so I cannot be more specific than that.

Once you find the spring loaded idler, the serpentine belt is really easy to loosen, or change. You just have to figure out the proper tool, and "trick".
Some idlers use a box end wrench, others have a 1/2 square hole you can stick the end of a breaker bar, or a ratchet into.

There may be a possibility you do not even need to remove the belt. Look at your pump. I think the three holes in the pulley are so you can have access to the bolts holding the pump impeller housing to the pump body, and you can remove the impeller part of the pump, and leave the rest, along with the belt in place. I think.
Some of you GM gurus cone in an provide the information on GM impeller changes.

[iceman991]

thanks daniel! my mechanic said the idler pulley is on the top left if facing motor from rear of boat. think it is a 5/8 in. bolt. so being that its spring loaded it automatically adjusts belt tension? is there a spec. torque on the 5/8 bolt? the rest of the job i have figured out. thanks again all. thanks in advance.

[slmskrs]

checking impeller with engine running

If you ever suspect an impeller is having a problem, the quickest/fastest way to check (rather than checking the engine temp, heater output, etc. which would be too late for the impeller), is to reach down and put your hand on the back of the raw water pump (watch your fingers, etc. around moving belts, pulleys, etc). If it is working properly and water is flowing, it will be cool (lake water temp). If it is hot, shut off the engine, as no water is flowing and the impeller is creating the heat and damaging itself!. If the boat is hot and has been sitting for a while, if you feel the pump before starting, the pump will be warm/hot (from the engine heat). However, when youi start the engine, the pump should be cold (lake temp) within a few seconds (5-10 max).

If enough water was flowing from the fake-a-lake to keep the pump from heating up, then the impeller will be fine (of course there's no way to know that without feeling the pump). I suspect that the impeller is okay if there was some water always flowing through it since the water would keep friction and heat down. That said, if you haven't changed it in a while and you are getting the boat ready for the season, now is a perfect time to change it (easy to change in the water on a GT-40).

By the way, this is the best method to test if a new impeller is working or not. When I've replaced mine, I actually have my hand on the back of the pump then I start the engine. I know within seconds if it is working (or not, such as when I have twice put the pump back in backwards and the flow was the wrong direction so started getting hot rather than cooling down).

Lastly, I highly recommend putting an in-line "T" after the strainer and before the tranny cooler with a garden hose connector. This way, you are not forcing water into the system (such as when the engine is off) since the extra flows out the intake port in the hull, and it is easy to see if the RPMs are too high for the water flow (if RPMs are too high, water stops flowing out the intake port). Also less hassle and it has the additional benefit of washing out the strainer since the excess water is backflushed through the strainer.

Gordon

[DanielC]

The spring tension in built in the idler pulley. No adjustment needed. just make sure the belt is in all the right grooves, and that is it.

[iceman991]

thanks daniel.

[Quinner]

Assumming it is the same as my 05' Excal its very easy (on a straight inboard anyways), before you remove the belt you want to loosen the (3) Allen bolts on the impeller pulley, then remove the belt as Daniel explained, socket or wrench is all you should need, then remove the Allen bolts and pulley, behind will be (3) bolts, 10mm maybe, remove those and that's it. Be careful not to lose the rubber O-Ring on the housing, if necessary a little dish washing liquid helps the impeller go back in easier.

[AirTool]

hey guys i have a 05 210 and need to replace impeller. whats the correct way to loosen and retighten serp belt, just dont want to ruin anything in the process of replacing. pics and instructions would be great! thanks in advance.

This is the proper way and the tension is automatic.