Impeller questions HELP!!!

[Flux]

Well I opened up the boat today and was gonna wait until next weekend to do all the maintenance for the first trip of the year. Was basically farting around and got the spare impeller out, so I decided to check the pump and see what I was up against. Pulled the hoses and then the pump without a hitch. Opened up the housing and there is my impeller with 3 fins completely gone and 2 more half gone. Luckily no problems last year on the water, but I now know I really pushed my luck.

Inspected the impeller housing, looked good. Lubed up the new impeller with Silicone Grease and worked it in there. Knocked the key out the first two trys but got it the third (3's a charm right??). Inspected the wear plate, just a tiny bit grooved so I will wait on that one. All is well thus far but I am slightly confused right now.

Question 1: I have a black paper gasket, does it need to be treated or should I just clamp it down dry?? Should I put silicone grease on the housing and wear plate between to sandwich the gasket?? I am assuming that it gets wet and expands, sealing the housing, but am not fully sure. The Original was whitish plastic like teflon tape, I took it off and cleaned up the surfaces. I don't want that thing sucking air.

Question 2: I now know there are 4 fins floating around my cooling system, probably sitting near the thermostat. Should I most definately open up the thermostat and see?? Maybe replace the thermostat while I am at it??

Thanks in advance, I got two weeks to get our baby up and running and simply can't wait.

Oh yeah 02' SANTE with the excalibur. Thanks again.

[boysrus]

The gasket can be dry - and was probably designed to be that way. Though I'm not familiar with the black one that you describe, but would assume it's the same. I've greased them plenty too, though, and never had a problem. It definitely helps hold it in place while you get everything lined up.

As for the impeller blades - you're probably better off trying to find them now, rather than when you're floating in the middle of the lake. Can you pull off a hose from the therm housing and backflush it with a garden hose? Sometimes you can push them back out into the blige without tearing everything apart.

Good luck.

[skinautique]

Pull the hose from the impeller housing to the trans cooler and flush that line. more than likely, the blades are there. No need to grease or lube any of the things in the impeller housing. You can put some soap in there when you put the impeller in to help things slide into place.

[Flux]

Thanks for the advice fellas, I owe lot's of folks here 12 packs, I might be up to a full case or two with Ski.

My 02 has cooling lines doing laps around the engine, somewhat confusing. After the impeller it actually goes through the V-Drive, so I pulled it there and back flushed, replaced hose. Pulled the one at what I am guessing is the thermo housing on the top back of the block and flushed back that one too. Good fun on a V-drive, I now need a chiropracter from contorting myself to get at all these connections.

Put a little silicone grease on the gasket surfaces and snugged down the wear plate, no sweat. Replaced and made sure the belt was tight. Fired it up on the garden hose, no problem. Did notice a nice amount of wobble in the alternator belt, so I tightened that one too, it was wiggling bad taking up slack and loosening. I do keep extra belts in the boat.

Did notice that the dash oil pressure gauge was not registering, it fritzed a bit last year so I need to track that one down now. Fun never ends.

Thanks again, looking good for now.

[Hydrofoilmaniac]

I ran across this link when trying to source a seal kit and get it overnighted to me in the morning (still no luck on that misson).
http://www.hypropumps.com/Marine/downloads/3022.pdf#search='sherwood%20pump%20impeller%20dire ction'