Impeller Service

[elreyos]

Hey diesel folks I need some advice. If all goes as planned we will be splashing the 510 at Lake Mead next week. I'm concerned about the Impellers because they have been dry for three weeks. I can't find any record of them being serviced before. Is there anything I should do pryor to firing the engines? I have spares(shewood 18000). How difficult are they to replace? I have the 18000 Impeller puller. The engines have 180 hrs. There was good flow from the exhaust and the temps were around 180'.

Thanks

 

[osd9]

Being dry for 3 weeks is not a big deal. Around here, and further north, boats are high a dry for months on end....we call it winter.

Two things....Impellers are a wear item. They need to be changed. And, they should be changed BEFORE they go bad. Since you have no record of the impleller being changed, then I would suggest you change them, mark your log book entry, and then expecet to change them every two or three years depending on your usage.

As for how difficult they are to change is directly proportional to the access you have to the water pump. The actual mechanics of the change are relatively simple. There are some tips to getting the old one out and the new one in. I will defer to those with more experience on your engines and pumps.

If you change the impeller in the water, don't foget to shut your seacock and even more importantly, don't forget to open it back up when you are done....just ask Gary...

 

[Four Suns]

The 18000 series impellers are big and very hard to get back into the pump housing in tight quarters. Maybe I just don't have strong hands but trying to center those monster impellers on the shaft is rather difficult even if you have good access. I did a writeup on how I change these beasts on my QSM-11's here (same water pump as your engines):

http://clubsearay.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1122

Scroll down a bit and you'll see where I talk about the system I use. I had to change an impeller about 6 weeks ago due to leaving a seacock closed for a few minutes and it took less than 10 minutes to change it (in a 110+ degree engine room). Just follow the advice in that thread even when removing the old impeller or the cams will slide out with the impeller and you'll be fishing a little metal pin out of the bottom of the intake hose.

 

[Pirate]

Impeller Source

Try Tony Athens at sbmar.com for the impellers. Better impeller, less $$. Just finished mine yesterday and I truly loathe the port side of the port engine. That place is just not fit for humans.

 

[Pirate]

Try Tony Athens at sbmar.com for the impellers. Better impeller, less $$. Just finished mine yesterday and I truly loathe the port side of the port engine. That place is just not fit for humans.

 

[elreyos]

Ok Guys thanks. Gary I remember that episode of your vacation. I was amazed at how quickly you changed those impellers. Thanks for the tip on that pin. I have a BIG NOTE that I leave on the helm reminding to open those thru-hulls. Dominic do you haul out your boat during winter?

Thanks again


Andre'

 

[osd9]

...... Dominic do you haul out your boat during winter? Andre'

She spent last winter on the hard. This winter, I plan to keep her in the water. Short haul in the spring for PM and then back in. I have done it both ways, but prefer to leave it in the water.....

 

[Warren]

Dom you have obviously done an impeller change since the purchase. Did you need an impeller pulling tool? Or did it slide in and out easily? If yes did you buy it from Cat? I'm assuming that the 3116 impeller will look the same. And they recommend white grease - did you use Cat grease or just gen purpose teflon..
Thanks,
Warren

 

[osd9]

Warren:

The impellers on both mains were changed by the CAT Technician as part of my pre-purchase agreement. I watched him do the impeller changes, and quite honestly, it is much simpler than the impeller change I did on my 8.1s the season before.

There is a tool you can buy from CAT, but you really only need a 3/4" X 16 thread bolt. Use a little dishwasher detergent and you should be good to go. The tech did have to remove a fuel line on each engine to make the job a little simpler. The port engine will be magnitudes easier to access than the starboard, so practice good on the port before attempting the starboard. Also, and in general, you may want to pre-order a few cans of CAT white spray paint to touch up afterwards.

later,

 

[Warren]

Thanks Dominic. I can see why the port engine would be easier to change from the "aisle" and I figured that those hoses might have to be moved or disconnected. I am confused about the 3/4" bolt though - is there some inside thread protruding from the center of the impeller once installed?

Got the paint. I think the impeller job will likely til the spring before launch. Why freeze a brand new impeller for 4 months? So your suggestions will be noted in my maintenance prep book.
Cheers,
Warren

 

[Four Suns]

Your pumps are made by Sherwood. Cat does not make waterpumps or impellers so buying an impeller from Cat (or waterpump) is waisting your money. Find the sherwood model number of your pump and you can get impellers, rebuild kits, pullers, etc. from much cheaper sources. Believe it or not, Cat and Cummins share some basic parts! Of course I have to get mine with the harmonic distortion dampeners.

 

[elreyos]

Well I changed my impellers over the long Holiday week end. It wasn't to bad. The port engine was relatively easy. The strbd required some gymnastics. I used the tool that Sherwood supplys and lots of glycerine hand soap to lube them up. The old impellers actually looked pretty good (200 hrs) . Took about 2 hrs actual work. Next are on engine fuel filters and oil change.