Impeller help!

[Mark101]

Hey guys, so I'm in the middle of changing out the impeller on my 1985 mercruiser 260 and all seems simple enough but for the life of me I cannot get the old impeller off! I assumed it would just slide up the shaft but nope! I can wiggle it back and forth a wee bit till it hits the key but will not slide up! Is there a trick to this part of the process? Trying to get some use out of the boat this long weekend but not till this job is done! Any tips are certainly appreciated!
Cheers!

 

[kenny nunez]

On the opposit side of the drive key get a sharp chisel and with a suitable hammer holding the chisel with the blade vertical start hitting the impeller to spread the metal sleeve of the impeller. Once it comes off file the shaft until the new impeller slides on. Be real careful to not get the gaskets mixed up on the stainless plate.

 

[Mark101]

On the opposit side of the drive key get a sharp chisel and with a suitable hammer holding the chisel with the blade vertical start hitting the impeller to spread the metal sleeve of the impeller. Once it comes off file the shaft until the new impeller slides on. Be real careful to not get the gaskets mixed up on the stainless plate.

Got it thank you! I watched a video of a guy doing this job before attempting and his just came up with the housing! Some guys get all the luck I guess! Lol
Cheers!

 

[Bt Doctur]

theres a burr on the driveshaft most times from lack of maintance. file and/or sand to make sure the new impeller slides on
first.

 

[Mark101]

theres a burr on the driveshaft most times from lack of maintance. file and/or sand to make sure the new impeller slides on
first.

Yup, noticed that literally doing that right now lol
Thanks for the help again guys!

I have to say, this forum has some awesome knowledge and the responses are super fast! Much appreciated everyone!!

 

[Mark101]

OK so what started as a "this seems simple enough project" seems to be a bit of a pita! Managed to get everything installed, put the lower unit back on being careful to make sure everything lined up inside its proper spot, tightened the bolts and tried to move the throttle and its bound up somehow! I guess I gotta drop the unit and try again! Is there a trick to doing this? Should the throttle be in neutral when installing unit? I read somewhere to have the throttle in full forward when removing so that's what I did!

 

[Bt Doctur]

control MUST be in FWD, drive must be in FWD

If you only dropped the lower there is a specific way to install it or you may really damage the lower unit

 

[Mark101]

control MUST be in FWD, drive must be in FWD

If you only dropped the lower there is a specific way to install it or you may really damage the lower unit

OK so control in forward and I assume I have to lock the prop somehow in forward as well while mating the lower unit? And I did only drop the lower!

 

[Mark101]

And just so I don't make another rookie mistake, when standing at rear of boat looking at prop, clockwise is forward?

 

[Mark101]

OK I got it! Put everything into forward and eased all the bolts little by little and she went right in and throttle moves as it should! Last hurdle now is to put some fluid and test it out! First time doing this job was a bit of a task but going forward now it'll be simple! Not to count my chickens yet but I certainly could not have done it without the advice here! :encouragement:

 

[Bt Doctur]

fill from the bottom until it comes out the top hole

 

[Rick Stephens]

I would recommend that you always, in the future, pull the entire drive and not just the lower half. Installing the lower by raising it to meet the upper hanging at whatever angle off the boat, is tough, tougher yet to get it without damaging a seal or misaligning the shifter. Besides, you should annually be checking/greasing u-joints, gimbal bearing and condition and dryness of the bellows.

Working on your entire drive with the lower slid into a slotted board is so easy in comparison to splitting on the boat that it makes little sense to ever leave the upper still attached.

 

[nola mike]

Next time around remove the whole outdrive and then split it. Lets you check the bellows, alignment, etc. And it's easier to put it back together.

 

[Mark101]

fill from the bottom until it comes out the top hole

Yes sir! Went and got the pump for that! Fired her up in the driveway and all works great, I can tell alot more water is coming out of tailpipes! Loading up to go put her in the water for a proper test now!

 

[Mark101]

I would recommend that you always, in the future, pull the entire drive and not just the lower half. Installing the lower by raising it to meet the upper hanging at whatever angle off the boat, is tough, tougher yet to get it without damaging a seal or misaligning the shifter. Besides, you should annually be checking/greasing u-joints, gimbal bearing and condition and dryness of the bellows.

Working on your entire drive with the lower slid into a slotted board is so easy in comparison to splitting on the boat that it makes little sense to ever leave the upper still attached.

Point taken! For me tho thus is not a car or motorcycle so it's baby steps lol! I may have to pull the whole drive for a possible lower cable change! I'm still in diagnosing mode for that! This overheating issue just happened right in the middle of that issue! With this boat it looks like I'm gonna be in the FastTrack of learning boats!
Cheers

 

[Rick Stephens]

Point taken! For me tho thus is not a car or motorcycle so it's baby steps lol! I may have to pull the whole drive for a possible lower cable change! I'm still in diagnosing mode for that! This overheating issue just happened right in the middle of that issue! With this boat it looks like I'm gonna be in the FastTrack of learning boats!
Cheers

First thing to do is make an outdrive stand. My first one was a hunk of plywood with a slot through it that the lower slid in supported by the lowest cavitation plate. Mine just sat on a couple sawhorses allowing easy access to the bolts holding upper to lower. It is really easy, 5-10 minutes, to pull the entire sterndrive and slide it into said stand. Since then I have made a cart that lets me roll the outdrive around on and work on them. For a while there I was taking outdrives apart seemingly all the time.

If you are replacing the lower shift cable, the one BIG tip is make sure you tape a pull wire to it as you pull it out so you can tape said pull wire to the new cable and pull it into place with the correct routing. That little trick will save you finding little monkeys that can reach in and pull stuff through tiny confined spaces.