Changing outboard impellar?

[Turkeyman]

How many of you guys change the impellar on your outboards every year?

[fishinman]

It depends on how often you use your boat. Me every weekend plus so I do it every 2 years unless I notice a substantial decrease in pressure. Most outboard manufactures recommend it's replacement every year.

[blkdog812]

depends on the motor. some have smaller impellers and they need to be replaced yearly. some of the new ones you can go every two, but its not worth burning up a motor for the price of the impeller

[ash]

I have a follow up question to Turkeyman's - how many of you change the impellor yourselves and is it difficult ?

[Steve Perkins]

I change it myself every 2 - 3 years, I put around 300 hrs a year on the outboard.

On my merc it is easy, I did a Yamaha and the only hard part was the impeller keeper key.

Lower Unit oil 2 times a year or more.
Plugs every 2 - 3 years

.

[Bill K]

If you use the engine regularly each year ( meaning if it does not sit for months) than you can probably get by with changing impellers every two years. That is my rate of change. Bill k

[jimmy87]

change mine every year. its easy to do after you do it just once.. the shop manual is a must if its your first time around.

lower end oil 2 or three times a year. plugs and fuel filter once a yearr

[Jeff Huth]

Turkeyman,
I definitely would change it at least once a year, if I spend a long tournament week in shallow water, where you are pumping threw a lot of mud, I change it after the event. It is a cheap service and in fact if you take it to C and C Marine down the way from you, they are having a special untill the end of the year, 20% of all service labor.

Tell them Jeff Huth sent you, Greg, Jim, and Richard will give you the "hookup".

[Turkeyman]

Turkeyman,
I definitely would change it at least once a year, if I spend a long tournament week in shallow water, where you are pumping threw a lot of mud, I change it after the event. It is a cheap service and in fact if you take it to C and C Marine down the way from you, they are having a special untill the end of the year, 20% of all service labor.

Tell them Jeff Huth sent you, Greg, Jim, and Richard will give you the "hookup".

That's where I will be taking it, I'm currently changing the impeller on my 15 hp, so far it has been very easy. However, I not sure I want to tackle the 150 hp myself.

[1biggbass]

I did mine(175 Evinrude FICHT) at my buddies shop three years ago.It took us most of the day.We put the impeller on backwards the first try!
After that there was gasket seal on EVERYTHING!
It was getting late and I was rushing to get it done . We did have the manual ( now has gasket seal to mark the pages LOL)and all the proper tools.We muddled thru it and got it together.I crossed my fingers and said a little prayer.
Well I took it to the shop the other day to get the impeller replaced ( now three years has passed )and the lower unit serviced.The ( TR$USTED ) mechanic ran it and told me it was not needed .It had plenty of pressure peeing out.I think every case is different depending on how much you use it and how long its stored.The drier climates with long storage causes the rubber impeller to dry rot and harden.
So now I am going on four years,..................Chris

[drew]

I have seen many impellers that have lasted 3-5 years with little to no wear. Although it is a PITA when they fail, especially if your on a big body of water or in the middle of a tournament. Once a year I pull the prop to inspect the output shaft seal and change the LU lube. At this time I usually replace the impeller and peripheral components (gaskets, orings etc.). At some point there will be the need to replace the faceplate and pump housing or sleeve. With a little of experience you should be able to do the water pump service in less then an hour. Some manufacturers offer a kit which includes the impeller and gaskets.

How many of you guys change the impellar on your outboards every year?

[swordfish]

If, a motor sits without use impellors can dry and take a set, (monthes) otherwise with lots of use without too many weeds the impellor shoud be good for two years just change it and save the parts for spares, tho once a year is recomennded, pull prop every five trips or so to check for line on seals always change the lower unit lube every year especially before winter store the gears with fresh oil not used and acidic. Change lower unit oil before winter storage and impellor when ready to get back with it..

[corn griffin]

i change mine once a year.. but i do run in brackish water (honker bay) during striper season...i do it myself and its not too bad, a service manual is nice to have... most outboards are basically the same... sometimes a shift lever or a speedo tube can be a pain, but if u have someone to help lift while u line things up its easier.... also, a lil trick, put ur boat in REVERSE before u drop the lower unit... if u have a shift lever to line up this will make it easier AND u can wiggle the prop in order to make the drive shaft splines line up correctly (big help)

[Trace]

I change the impeller myself every two years and it always looks good. A friend who was a Merc mechanic told me that's what he did with his boats. It is easy if you take your time and have someone show you what to look for the first time. It's good to have some idea of what's going on with the outboard. Gear oil is cheap and easy to change too.

[Zedonis]

While under warranty it's a good idea to change every year. I have mine replaced ever spring (PRO XS 250). Just good insurance plus a check up by the mechanic never hurts. When warranty is up , and if I am not in another newer boat, I will be doing my own maintenance.