Is this enough wear on the impeller?

[62Scout]

Motor is a '73 Johnson 85HP Powershift II. Bought the boat about a year ago with no known service history...ran it on the lake half a dozen times, then it sat for about 8 months. Just dropped the LU for inspection of the impeller. It looks OK to me, save for a few minor cracks on the inside curves of the blades. Rubber still is flexible. I've been wrenching on cars for decades, but this is the first boat motor I've played with, so I just don't know if there's some other tell tale on this that says I've been running on borrowed time, or if it's actually OK to just put back together as-is. Though I'm glad I pulled it apart anyways..found one of the lower seals on the water tubes have nearly disintegrated.

 

[racerone]

Replace it if you do not know how old it is .-----

 

[oldboat1]

^^+1. Just replace it while you are in there. Any cracking means replacement is due or overdue -- Do not flip the impeller over in hopes of getting more mileage out of it, assuming your key slot would let you do that.

 

[Lightwin 3]

Replace-cheap insurance.

Nice engine BTW. One of the best OMC ever made. I ran one for YEARS.

 

[62Scout]

Ok..wasn't sure. Just ordered up a complete kit with housing. Thanks!

 

[F_R]

I presume you ordered the upgraded pump kit with a plastic housing w/stainless steel liners. A wise move if you did.

 

[Scott Danforth]

fyi - those cracks in the impeller says teh impeller replacement is long overdue

 

[62Scout]

I presume you ordered the upgraded pump kit with a plastic housing w/stainless steel liners. A wise move if you did.

I'm pretty sure it's the plastic housing, though I don't know if it's upgrade or not. It's the Johnson/Evinrude OEM 439140 kit that I ordered. I figured by the time I bought the OEM impeller and water tube seals, as I had read that there was significant problems with the Sierra impellers breaking free from the hub, I was pretty much at the same price as the housing kit anyways. I saw some references to the plastic housing, which my current one definitely is not plastic. I was searching for a while, and couldn't find anything that explained why the plastic is better than the non-plastic versions.

Either way, I was contemplating getting just the impeller kit by itself without the housing, but then I also saw some posts that said the replacement impeller was a smaller diameter, and apparently intended for use in the plastic housing. So I figured better to safe, and just order the whole kit with housing to make sure I get all parts that fit with each other.

 

[F_R]

439140 has the plastic housing with stainless liners. You're good.