The grooves are not good, but the impeller is fine
Thanks. Putting order together tonight for this and some gaskets that I'll need for other things i'll be checking the next couple of days.
Upon close inspection of the pump assembly, i noticed the wear patter in the outer housing is kinda 'sloped' if that makes sense? Think of an auto tire that leans in or out a tick at the top. It's definitely noticeable.
So while i plan on still taking some other things apart for inspection i have some tech questions about the groves (based on the condition, i'm gonna assume this is the original pump assy).
As i understand info post on threads here, grooves would / could allow water to 'slip' past the blades of the impeller. If this is correct, then yea, i think i can safely assume this is part of my problem, if not all of it. Still, I plan on continuing looking at other things.
But back to the grooves. If water is slipping past the impeller blades, wouldn't it not cavitate a little and generate some air bubbles? Just curious as i didn't see any obvious ones, but it was a PITA to stick head down there and watch so....
Next on the list is the lower unit and a look inside the oil / ps cooler....
Thanks again to everyone who's provided their thoughts and info to date. MUCH appreciated!!