Out drive water pump killed?

scatgo

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
362
Can you destroy the water pump buy running the engine without muffs? I had a power steering fluid leak so I took the water hoses off the cooler and ran the engine for a minute to see if power steering fluid was leaking into the cooler. I did start to get some white smoke from the hose that came from the out drive so I shut the engine off. After I hooked the hoses back up put the muffs on the engine it would start to over heat after about five minutes of idling. Went to take the termostate state out but it was already gone. I pulled the hose that feeds the engine from the out drive and water was coming out. May be just not enough? Before all this happened the temp gauge would stay at 160. And that was with a missing freeze plug. Now it pegs the gauge at 240. If I did kill the water pump wouldnt the water pressure from the garden hose push the water through the engine?
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Yes, you killed the water pump impeller, and most likely the housing too. Engine should NEVER be run without water to the drive when the drive is installed, not even for a few seconds.

Have a look in the 'stickies' for the videos I did on servicing an Alpha One water pump. All the information you need to pull them apart, and what to look for as far as serviceability goes...

Chris......
 

scatgo

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
362
Cant find the video. But thanks. I just put that water pump in. When I got the boat the out drive was apart so thought is was a good idea to star out with a new pump. I am new to boats this is my first but I should have known better. I am kicking myself in the ass big time for this
 

Rick Stephens

Admiral
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
6,118
Cant find the video. But thanks. I just put that water pump in. When I got the boat the out drive was apart so thought is was a good idea to star out with a new pump. I am new to boats this is my first but I should have known better. I am kicking myself in the *** big time for this

Go easy on yourself. Everyone has had a learning curve. Just the hard part is it costs money every time you learn something new. Well, that and time taking it apart again. I did the same thing once, testing a problem and kept turning water on and off, forgot once. New impeller - knew I'd done it pretty quick, less than a minute - but the impeller was hard as a rock when I pulled it. And had left rubber on the cup.

Money is waaay overrated. Boats make sure of that :D

Rick
 

scatgo

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
362
Great video. Thanks. Got the new water pump in the out drive but still over heating. Any suggestions as to where I should Look first?
 

KD4UPL

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
653
When you took the old burnt one out was it all there? If you really ran for a whole minute with no water I would think maybe some pieces came off and got lodged in the lines somewhere. You may have to start and the back and look threw the whole cooling system to find any impeller pieces that got lodged somewhere.
I've always been told that even a few seconds without water is long enough to burn it up.
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2010
Messages
3,008
If it got bunt up too you should replace the entire assembly including the lower and upper housings not just the impeller.
 
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