3 year old thread

 

My buddies with wakeboard boats like Globe Run Dry impellers for their ballast pumps, inevitably those get left on and the impellers self destruct. The Run Dry impellers last much longer under that kind of abuse. I can remember one occasion a couple years ago I was in a buddies shop staying hydrated, and we could hear a humming noise. Turns out the ballast pump was on, and had been on for hours. We pulled the impeller out and put it right back in, it looked just fine.

On engines I only use factory parts, and I replace everything. Marine engines should never see a "run dry" condition anyway. The vast majority of water pump failures are caused by lack of maintenance, or off brand parts. You won't find any Sierra parts in my shop, unless you are looking in the trash can for impellers that have failed and separated from the bushing.

 

Has anyone here got any experience using the high end Globe "Run Dry" impellers? I'm curious if the higher grade rubber they use stays flexible longer. They are definitely a lot more expensive. Kirk

 

I had one on my Penn yan about 15 years ago.... it worked really well but I cant tell you about longevity (only had that impeller about two years).

 

Ditto all the good info from others including changing the impeller just because of age/hours. One thing you might consider before pulling the impeller if you don't find an obstruction at the pee hole ( which I have found the majority of my own blockages) follow the hose(s) and look for where the hose attaches to the motor. sometime sediment can gather in places then get moved by the water to a point where they plug. don't assume the only place pee hoses plug is at the end. and then, if you find a plug and clear it, change the impeller anyway knowing that you actually found the problem, not just threw parts at it.

 

I had this happen to my honda last spring right after i did an oil change. When i put the cover back on the motor i had kinked the pee hose and hadn't noticed it. On the honda, the 1/4" hose inside the cover is easily removed. i just pulled it off completely and fired up the motor, and it was peeing like a big dog. then I checked the hose and it was clear. When i put it back together again i watched it closely and realized what i did to kink the hose....So it could be as simple as that...

I too would recommend changing the impeller. Parts are cheap, and its easy to do. but use original manufacturer parts, or sierra. Stay away from the cheap Chinese aftermarket stuff and they hold up better.

This last year i did an impeller replacement in my kicker for the first time and it was pretty easy to do. (400 hours on it) I also did the impeller on my Mercruiser I/O . that one went out after about 300 hours. That went well too. Just pay close attention to disconnecting your shift rod and getting it back together on your outboard in the same location so you don't need to adjust it.

There are a ton of You tube videos out there showing different methods. A lot of guys put the new impeller in the casing prior to sliding it down the shaft over the key. I found it much easier to put the new impeller on the shaft over the key, then turn the vertical shaft clock wise as i pushed down on the casing. it slipped right together easily.

Good luck! Kirk

 

I know the bigger Mercs have a thermostat and won’t pee until up to temperature.

 

Thank everyone for the help. Much appreciated!

 

Just a note for those using wire to unclog the pee holes, a stiff piece of monofilament like 200# or weed Wacker line is a good way to unclog those wasp/spider nests vs the wire. I've seen a couple times where people poked a steel wire through the rubber tattle tail pee line trying to unclog it.

But yes replace that impeller if it's 5 years old or more.

And if it's freezing out be careful firing up your outboard as there could be a little frozen water trapped in the impeller that can tear a fin off on start-up. Good way to start motors in freezing temps is to lower the outboard into the water after launching and let it sit a couple minutes to let the river/lake water get into the impeller area and melt any ice melt for a couple minutes from the water contact before starting. And when you pull it from the water, lower the engine and let it drain after use and bump the motor over with the starter a couple revolutions but don't let it run, to let the little bit of water drain out of the impeller. Most folks in the valley or coast don't have an issue with this as it doesn't get real cold here or they aren't using their boats during the cold spells. Duck hunters and eastern folks have occasional issues with this.

 

Just a note for those using wire to unclog the pee holes, a stiff piece of monofilament like 200# or weed Wacker line is a good way to unclog those wasp/spider nests vs the wire. I've seen a couple times where people poked a steel wire through the rubber tattle tail pee line trying to unclog it.

But yes replace that impeller if it's 5 years old or more.

And if it's freezing out be careful firing up your outboard as there could be a little frozen water trapped in the impeller that can tear a fin off on start-up. Good way to start motors in freezing temps is to lower the outboard into the water after launching and let it sit a couple minutes to let the river/lake water get into the impeller area and melt any ice melt for a couple minutes from the water contact before starting. And when you pull it from the water, lower the engine and let it drain after use and bump the motor over with the starter a couple revolutions but don't let it run, to let the little bit of water drain out of the impeller. Most folks in the valley or coast don't have an issue with this as it doesn't get real cold here or they aren't using their boats during the cold spells. Duck hunters and eastern folks have occasional issues with this.

Agreed, heavy mini or speaker wire is what I’ve used.

 

So the above responses were good things to check but if you haven't changed the impeller since 2009 it is probably time to do it. The general recommendation is every 3 to 4 years regardless of usage. The rubber tends to get harder and brittle with age not wear; that is one of the things that can cause it to fail.

It is not difficult to drop the lower end and check things but as mentioned above make sure the supply tube gets properly connected when you put it back. Some have hose type adapter sleeve others O rings for the connection seal. Plenty of you tube videos on how to do it. As far as the pump goes it is easy to replace the impeller just make sure the key is in its proper place on reassembly....a little grease or petroleum jelly helps hold it there.

 

Same...mud wasp thing...We put tape over it now when storing...

 

What Duke said...... try that first

 

If it’s been a while since replacement you should just go ahead with impeller replacement.

There’s a possibility the telltale can be plugged, but that usually happens when the boat is parked and a spider or wasp crawls in- less likely to happen while motor is running and peeing. You can confirm by running a piece of heavy mono up the telltale hole.

Engine temperature is the way to tell for sure unless you have a smartcraft gauge and water pressure indication.

 

First thing I would do is run a wire up the pee hole. Corrosion, spiders, etc. It would be very strange for the impellor to crash all at once. Maybe if only one fin left and it broke. Seems you would have noticed low water flow beforehand.

 

This. I‘ve had to “rod out” the pee hole on my T9.9 a half dozen times.

 

There is also an O ring on the tube that goes from the impeller up to the top side of the motor. You might check that.