Changing Impeller - Westerbeke 4.5 bcgb

[Water U Lookin' At]

I have some questions about how to change the impeller on my Westerbeke 4.5 bcgb generator:

Has anyone else performed this changeout?

How do you get to those little phillips head screws to open the impeller cover? I figured you have to take the hose going to the heat exchanger off, but even then it seems tricky.

Any advice or tips/tricks to this "simple" repair?

Thanks in advance!

Eddie

 

[Water U Lookin' At]

All,

I downloaded the Westerbeke Owner's manual and found their simple explanation for changing the impeller. I've attached a Word doc in a .zip file for your perusal.

Eddie

 

[sbw1]

Ah...if only it were so simple.

 

[Dancin Dave]

I thought the screws were slotted not phillips. I use a combo of a long skinny screwdriver as well as a small s shaped screwdriver and a socket or a very long skinny wrench. the new impellor will come with 2 extra screws for replacing any damaged or lost screws.

 

[Alex D]

All,

I downloaded the Westerbeke Owner's manual and found their simple explanation for changing the impeller. I've attached a Word doc in a .zip file for your perusal.

Eddie

Veeeeery funny !!

They don't show all the stuff that's in your way BEFORE you get to the pump, let alone the screws ...

My 4.5 BCGB has also slotted screws in the pump cover and if I pull the closed coolant system hose in front of the cover and unbolt the bilge hatch at the ram to lift it up further it is relatively easy to get to.

You can see the RW pump in the below picture right in front of the closed coolant system hose that comes from the right side of the heat exchanger and below the oil filter. There are RW hoses attached to it. Easy to see you cannot get to the pump cover without removing the hose or the pump and even if you pull the hose, you still need a stubby screwdriver.

 

[aprilfools63]

I am posting this a day late and a dollar short, but I figure that it may provide some useful information. Anyway, the mechanic at my marina takes the entire pump assembly off. There are two screws on the bottom of the pump pulley that can be loosened to allow the belt to come free, then you can remove the raw water hoses from the top and bottom of the pump (after shutting the seacock). Finally, rotate the pump and remove it. It is much easier then to remove the set screw. On my genset, there is a screw on the side of the pump that can be removed, then you can turn the impeller until you can reach the set screw with a thin flat-head screwdriver). The entire process takes about 15-20 minutes.