2002 Ski 196 Impeller change problem

[peteSki]

I'm looking to change the impeller in our ski club boat, it's a 2002 Ski Nautique 196 with the Excalibur engine. On this model the raw water pump is not belt driven but rather mounted on the crank. Problem is, the engine is too far forward and the plate that must be removed to get the impeller out is touching the floor, so there is no way to remove it without lifting the engine. Anyone seen this before? There is about 2" of space between the transmission and the floor at the rear of the engine, and I think normally this should be touching, which would give the space needed at the front to change the impeller. Check out the photo.

Pete

[bill zeller]

If I remember right, there are 3 screws on the impeller cover. Two of the screws are easily accessible but the one on the bottom is just below the carpet line. What I did was loosen the two exposed screws and somehow managed to loosen the bottom screw with a Phillips screwdriver at an angle, enough to hinge down the plate leaving the bottom screw in place but loose, and get access to the impeller. Mine is a 2001 with an apex engine but I think its pretty similar to yours, Poor design for sure,