Hi here,
I have a 1988 5.7L Mercruiser with an Alpha 1. This is the second time I have replaced a water pump kit. This year, with the experience of doing it once last year, I had a little bit more confidence to do it again, and noticed a couple things I wanted to ask about. I get a kit from my local boat shop and it comes with more O rings and gaskets than I need. Last year, my first time, I matched up everything based upon what I took out...this year, with a manual, watching videos and after having done it once before, I realized there is a rubber seal that slides over the shaft and sits on top of the impeller housing and another O ring that goes on the shaft toward the spline at the top in that groove. (I am aware of the little red one where the oil travels)
Last year when I pulled the lower drive off, I didnt see either the shaft O ring or the rubber seal on top of the impeller housing, so I never put them on from the kit that had extra gaskets and stuff because I didnt see it at the time when I pulled it out. Had no issues last year with them not there, but the manual I got shows they go on, so I made sure to put them on this year.
I found an O ring up inside the upper unit where the lower unit shaft slides into. I got really confused, because I could not see in my manual if there was supposed to be one up there? It was chewed up. This O ring has a metal band around it. Hard to explain, it was like a wound band, a tight spring like band, surrounding the rubber O ring which had a concave groove to accept the band. Based upon everything I can read/find, the only thing that should be up inside there is the lower unit shaft so the splines meet up to turn the prop and the only O ring that should be up in there, is on the shaft just below the spline where there is a groove for one. But the one that came in my impeller kit didn't look like the one I pulled out from up in there.
My friend and I both came to the conclusion that it must have been an old O ring that was on the lower unit shaft that slipped off in the past when removed and went unnoticed until I saw it. Dont know why there was any metal in that O ring because nothing in my kit looked like that. Maybe it was from another manufacturer, or a really old one? Are we correct in thinking there is only the O ring on the shaft under the spline that goes up in there?
The second question is the impeller housing. Last year the one I used had a protrusion at the top around the hole for the shaft. The rubber impeller rubbed on it and there was melted rubber at the top of the housing. The fins looked fine, the impeller was changed last year so it wasn't old. My friend noticed that and also that the new kit I got, this time a Mercury kit, not generic, didnt have the protrusion at the top. It was smooth. Has anyone else noticed anything like that with a non Mercury brand kit? Is it possible I was given a kit last time for a gen II Alpha 1 drive or something?
I have a 1988 5.7L Mercruiser with an Alpha 1. This is the second time I have replaced a water pump kit. This year, with the experience of doing it once last year, I had a little bit more confidence to do it again, and noticed a couple things I wanted to ask about. I get a kit from my local boat shop and it comes with more O rings and gaskets than I need. Last year, my first time, I matched up everything based upon what I took out...this year, with a manual, watching videos and after having done it once before, I realized there is a rubber seal that slides over the shaft and sits on top of the impeller housing and another O ring that goes on the shaft toward the spline at the top in that groove. (I am aware of the little red one where the oil travels)
Last year when I pulled the lower drive off, I didnt see either the shaft O ring or the rubber seal on top of the impeller housing, so I never put them on from the kit that had extra gaskets and stuff because I didnt see it at the time when I pulled it out. Had no issues last year with them not there, but the manual I got shows they go on, so I made sure to put them on this year.
I found an O ring up inside the upper unit where the lower unit shaft slides into. I got really confused, because I could not see in my manual if there was supposed to be one up there? It was chewed up. This O ring has a metal band around it. Hard to explain, it was like a wound band, a tight spring like band, surrounding the rubber O ring which had a concave groove to accept the band. Based upon everything I can read/find, the only thing that should be up inside there is the lower unit shaft so the splines meet up to turn the prop and the only O ring that should be up in there, is on the shaft just below the spline where there is a groove for one. But the one that came in my impeller kit didn't look like the one I pulled out from up in there.
My friend and I both came to the conclusion that it must have been an old O ring that was on the lower unit shaft that slipped off in the past when removed and went unnoticed until I saw it. Dont know why there was any metal in that O ring because nothing in my kit looked like that. Maybe it was from another manufacturer, or a really old one? Are we correct in thinking there is only the O ring on the shaft under the spline that goes up in there?
The second question is the impeller housing. Last year the one I used had a protrusion at the top around the hole for the shaft. The rubber impeller rubbed on it and there was melted rubber at the top of the housing. The fins looked fine, the impeller was changed last year so it wasn't old. My friend noticed that and also that the new kit I got, this time a Mercury kit, not generic, didnt have the protrusion at the top. It was smooth. Has anyone else noticed anything like that with a non Mercury brand kit? Is it possible I was given a kit last time for a gen II Alpha 1 drive or something?
