Mercruiser 5.0 MPI Seawater Pickup Pump

[tsipa]

Hi everyone, I just bought my first boat and I am getting ready to winterize it. I have done a lot of research and the one thing I am unsure about is the seawater pickup pump. The engine manual I found online says to drain it if my engine is equipped with one. I haven't been able to find it so I am thinking it's in the outdrive which is an Alpha 1 Gen 2. I am hoping that someone with more knowledge can weigh in. Thanks.

 

[alldodge]

You have a Alpha Gen 2 drive and do not have a seawater pump. Your pump is in the drive so no need to drain, it will drain on its own.

Being your first boat you should do all the maintenance
Pull drive, drain lube, split drive and replace impeller and maybe even the pump
Check alignment
Check gimbal bearing

And your serial numbers for Drive and motor are swapped on the ID plate

 

[tsipa]

Thank you. This is very helpful. In my case I believe the engine would be considered drained if I pull the 7 plugs, probe them and pull the thermostat hoses, correct? Am I able to change the gear lube before I service the drive or does the rest of the service require the gear lube to be drained?

 

[harringtondav]

A block drain pipe plug on each side. Probe to dislodge any sand as you mentioned to ensure full draining. A plastic manifold drain plug on each side. Those are the only plugs necessary to drain. Remove the water circulating hose from the top of the circulating pump and drain. Remove the raw water supply hose from the power steering cooler and drain.

You'll need to drain the lube from the drive before splitting it for work on the water pump. Fill it after the work is finished and it's back on your boat.