OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

[GeminiB]

Having trouble with my 88 Bayliner Capri overheating.

A little history:
I have had my boat for 3 summers now. Summer 1 I had my trottle cable replaced (which had melted on top the engine) and I had my impeller replaced.

Summer 2 I had one incident when the boat overheated and shut off. I had the boat checked out and nobody could find anything wrong.

Summer 3 (two weeks ago) I was out on the river and again the boat got hot and shut off. This time instead of going to the shop I decided to check and replace the thermostat and gasket. The project went great and I ran the boat for about 30 minutes and it did not over heat and I could feel the cold water and hot water going to and from the thermostat. Well last Sunday I took the boat out and it did great until the end of the day after a 25 minute stretch at 35-40 mph. As soon as I stopped the temp shot up to 250.

Today I opened up the waterpump area and pulled it all apart and took it to the boat marine store. They said everything looked new but that the impeller looked a little too big. I have attached a picture and I would like to know what you guys think. I can not turn the rubber piece at all and the metal part that houses the rubber part is not perfectly round.

Help and need any information you guys might have because I don't know what to do now.

Is there a fuse that turns the metal rod that fits into the rubber impeller part?

I have ordered another impeller just in case the one the shop gave me infact is too big.

Help...damsel in distress

 

[RoyR]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

Wow, definitely looks to big...I'm amazed it actually worked Probably just the fins not all in the same direction, mistake during installation?

 

[dubs283]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

the housing is supposed to be out of round, no issue there

the impeller does not look like its too big, but tough to tell by looking at a picture as opposed to seeing it in your hands

it does appear that the veins of the impeller are not all facing the proper direction, possibly installed wrong

make sure the shaft the drives the impeller is rotating and not stripped

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

Looks like the correct one to me.It needs pulled out and all the fins turned the correct way.That is strange the way just a couple of them are facing the wrong way.
Holding the housing in your hand use a large flat blade screwdriver and turn the impeller in counter clockwise.A little grease in the housing helps it slide right in.Then align the V shape in the center with the pump drive shaft.
Use a very thin coat of aviation gasket sealer on the rubber housing seal.

The only other impeller i could think of that is too big is for the King Cobra and i doubt it would fit that housing at all and they are much harder to find so i doubt that is the one you have.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

I agree that all "looks" normal in photo, other than the vane direction. I just did one in my standby leg, and it too is 10 lbs. of rubber in a 5 lb. housing.

 

[GeminiB]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

Thanks for all the all the suggestions.... I will kick off my work clothes when I get home and give them a try. I too knew something was wacky with the fins going in opposite directions. I will attempt to turn it and try again. I won't purchase the new unit yet until I rule out all other options. Thanks

 

[Vinkress]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

This puzzled me too. When installing the impeller, use some dish detergent and rotate the housing opposite the direction or rotation as you seat it onto the shaft. When I replaced mine in the boat I bought this year, it looked like the PO had prolly run the boat out of the water, the housing was warped and there was what appeared to be some melted plastic or rubber blocking the passage where the little hose attached. It is definitely supposed to look that large and the impeller housing is eccentric.

 

[King P.V.]

Re: OMC I/O 2.3L - Water Impeller

Go back to your OMC Cobra dealer. There is a different water pump impellor and therefore, a differetn"cup" that goes into the housing. It's call'd a "low pressure/low volume water pump kit. It's specific to the 2.3 liter model. BTW, always glue the new "cup" into the housing to help prevent slipping of the "cup" inside the plastic hsg. Also, the stub shaft that drives the impellor is pressed into the u-joint shaft. Although I've heard that they can "slip" I've never seen one. So, you shoud "mark/scribe" the two shafts to see if they spin/slip. If they do, then you need a new u-joint shaft assy.