easiest outboard to change impeller

schoonerdog

Recruit
Joined
May 16, 2008
Messages
3
I just changed the impeller on my Nissan. I've changed impellers before, and had a friend who'd also done it on his Mercury several times. Oh my god! Of course changing the impeller was a snap, but freaking getting the thing back together again took 2 hours. Other engines it's about 15 minutes. In light of my pain, what is the easiest outboard for changing impellers that others have worked on? I'm thinking of yamaha or honda as great outboards but I've never changed their impellers.
 

AguaSki

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 4, 2005
Messages
545
Re: easiest outboard to change impeller

I don't know the the easiest outboard to change the impeller, but I would like to submit my 1978 140hp Johnson as one of that is a pain. Getting the lower unit off is no problem, but reconnecting the shift rod takes a minor miracle. There is just no finger space to work the screw into the correct position on the shift rod. I would like to know if the professionals have some sort of special tool that I don't have. I dread the next impeller replacement.
 

wildmaninal

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
1,897
Re: easiest outboard to change impeller

I don't know the the easiest outboard to change the impeller, but I would like to submit my 1978 140hp Johnson as one of that is a pain. Getting the lower unit off is no problem, but reconnecting the shift rod takes a minor miracle. There is just no finger space to work the screw into the correct position on the shift rod. I would like to know if the professionals have some sort of special tool that I don't have. I dread the next impeller replacement.

LOL, it took me and my cousin to get the shift rod in place on my 1978 85hp Evinrude. That was a allot of fun, I had a set of needle nose pliers grasping the shift rod in the only spot I could get to (near the foot while the foot was in place). I was moving the shift rod up or down and turning it left or right when needed. My cousin had to push the rod with a long flat head screw driver to where he needed it with a small mag light shedding light on the subject. Had an extension magnet handy to place the bolt in the shift rod hole, normally my cousin has a strong but small magnet he can clasp on to the screw driver but he must not of had it that day. I was using a bungie strap to hold the lower unit up when I was working on it by myself, my cousin sort of just jumped in and helped me out later on.

Another one that is a pain is the 1964 5.5hp Wards Sea King :eek:, what a mess. You have to remove the power head to get to the shift rod just like you do on the 1959 Johnson version (I had at one point), but the shift rod is swirled around the drive shaft on the sea king. Found out that the bracket that the shift lever slides into must be removed in order to get the lower unit back up in place or else you aint gonna do it with what little space that motor gives you to work with. The worst thing is I got to take the lower unit back off of that motor to work on the water pump yet again :(, should be a breeze the next time :rolleyes: yeah right.

The 1957 35hp Evinrude was a pain only because I broke 2 bolts or at least I thought I did, I sheared off part of the head on one bolt and did break the other bolt. I kept dropping yet another bolt that tightens down the shift rod where they join. I dropped that bolt down in the casing 2 times and to be honest with you I didn't take it out the 2nd time that it happened :redface:. What ticks me off is I got that motor apart and the impeller was like new in that water pump and everything was clean, but the spaghetti seal or gasket for the lower unit was missing so I did replace that. This motor is ready to go as far as I'm concerned, just trying to get the money up to buy longer fuel line for the old pressure tank so I can boat test it.

Broke 2 bolts off of the 1957 35hp Johnson lower unit, but I haven't tempted to get that motor back together yet or bothered getting the broken bolts out either. The impeller was really really bad in that motor.

I had that 1959 5.5hp Johnson apart 6 times trying to get the water pump working, I finally got the right impeller for it :redface: lol. I was given the wrong impeller at first. It turned out to be an easy motor to work on, you can take the power head off, undo the shift rod, and have the lower unit off in less then 30 minutes, or really if you work fast enough you can have it apart and back together in 30 minutes.

Making sure the water tube is lined up with the water pump is always fun on any motor.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
28,195
Re: easiest outboard to change impeller

Easiest ones? HD / TD Johnsons, Martins, Gale motors, with the wobbler pump behind the propeller.
 

cdoliver

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
211
Re: easiest outboard to change impeller

I don't know the the easiest outboard to change the impeller, but I would like to submit my 1978 140hp Johnson as one of that is a pain. Getting the lower unit off is no problem, but reconnecting the shift rod takes a minor miracle. There is just no finger space to work the screw into the correct position on the shift rod. I would like to know if the professionals have some sort of special tool that I don't have. I dread the next impeller replacement.

I super-glued the screw to the end of my screwdriver... that worked for me. I just changed the impeller yesterday.
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: easiest outboard to change impeller

On my V6 Johnson it took all of 2 minutes to get the shift rod bolt in...I guess i was really lucky. A 1/4 inch drive swivel adapter and a drop of RTV gasket sealer in the socket to hold the bolt in place.I wrapped the swivel with electrical tape to stiffen it up some...First try went right in.;)
 

DRIFTER_016

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 5, 2008
Messages
360
Re: easiest outboard to change impeller

My 1991 90HP Merc is a snap to change. No fiddling with clips and such, just 5 bolts on the LU and 4 on the upper pump housing. Put in gear before removing LU so that the drive shaft can be lined up by turning the prop and your done.
 
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