Volvo Penta 4.3GL Water Pump Removal

[James.slate87]

I'm new to doing the maintenance on my boat myself due to trying to keep the cost down. I noticed recently, after replacing the impeller, there's a leak in the water pump. Thought I had screwed up with the O Ring so double checked it. It was fine. After trying to research further, it seems like the seals in the pump itself have gone bad? I'm wanting to rebuild rather than replace, (again...to save money). Im just having a hard time figuring out how to loosen the belts on my motor to get the pump off. Only info I can find are for 3.0 or 5.7 motors. I don't want to just go in and start removing bolts and hope for the best.
(Not the best pic...but there's not much room between back seat and motor.)

 

[dypcdiver]

Slack off the alternator for one belt and the power steering pump for the other, then remove the pump support. Then you have 3 Allen cap bolts (5/16" or 8mm Allen key) that secure the pump to the crankshaft damper (have a length of tube handy as they are tight) .
Plenty of instructions on how to rebuild with new parts on YouTube that will save you a fortune.

 

[James.slate87]

Slack off the alternator for one belt and the power steering pump for the other, then remove the pump support. Then you have 3 Allen cap bolts (5/16" or 8mm Allen key) that secure the pump to the crankshaft damper (have a length of tube handy as they are tight) .
Plenty of instructions on how to rebuild with new parts on YouTube that will save you a fortune.

Thanks a lot! And yea, I've found plenty of videos and articles about how to rebuild; I just couldn't find anything on how to actually get the pump off. I'll have to wait till I get the rebuild parts I need before tackling this job. Thanks for the help.

 

[James.slate87]

Of course I didn't take a good enough picture and I can't remember. The two hoses connecting to the water pump. Can someone let me know which one is which? The hose that comes from top center of the motor vs the one that comes from the bottom left.

 

[Augoose]

The hose from the "bottom left" should be your raw water intake and that should go to the top port of the raw water pump. The hose coming from the "top center of the motor" of the thermostat housing should connect to the bottom port of the raw water pump.

 

[James.slate87]

Alright. I actually lucked up and put em on right. And I know, I'm not using proper marine mechanical lingo, but I also don't have much experience in motors. I'm just starting out.

Another question on this matter. Hooking up my hose with muffs to the motor...are you only supposed to run at idle speed? Cranked my boat after the install and revved it up just past idle to keep it from dying. The impeller housing was hot after a couple minutes. Is it not pulling water, or is the hose not giving enough water for the rpms? Would it be better to test it in the lake?

 

[Augoose]

Alright. I actually lucked up and put em on right. And I know, I'm not using proper marine mechanical lingo, but I also don't have much experience in motors. I'm just starting out.

Another question on this matter. Hooking up my hose with muffs to the motor...are you only supposed to run at idle speed? Cranked my boat after the install and revved it up just past idle to keep it from dying. The impeller housing was hot after a couple minutes. Is it not pulling water, or is the hose not giving enough water for the rpms? Would it be better to test it in the lake?

My quotes were not to give you a rough time on the terms, rather to ensure we identified the correct hoses.

I've read various threads about running on muffs, some say only for limited time periods with low rpms and others say its completely fine. Personally, I run my engine on muffs only at idle and for short periods. I do extended testing on the lake. Did you get your pump rebuilt? Have you placed your hand on hose #25 (in the illustration above) while the boat is idling to feel whether or not water is passing?

 

[James.slate87]

My quotes were not to give you a rough time on the terms, rather to ensure we identified the correct hoses.

I've read various threads about running on muffs, some say only for limited time periods with low rpms and others say its completely fine. Personally, I run my engine on muffs only at idle and for short periods. I do extended testing on the lake. Did you get your pump rebuilt? Have you placed your hand on hose #25 (in the illustration above) while the boat is idling to feel whether or not water is passing?

I decided to try the muffs again today. Turned on the water hose full blast and I held the muffs inward to create a better seal. Had my wife start the boat and ran for about 15 seconds. Only had a small amount of water come through the outlet. Went back to check, and the inlet hose and impeller housing were cold. Loosened the inlet hose and it was full of water finally. Guess it just wasn't getting a good seal on the muffs the first time.

 

[James.slate87]

My quotes were not to give you a rough time on the terms, rather to ensure we identified the correct hoses.

I've read various threads about running on muffs, some say only for limited time periods with low rpms and others say its completely fine. Personally, I run my engine on muffs only at idle and for short periods. I do extended testing on the lake. Did you get your pump rebuilt? Have you placed your hand on hose #25 (in the illustration above) while the boat is idling to feel whether or not water is passing?

I got the boat back out on the lake and the pump is pulling water just fine. The impeller housing feels cold to the touch and I can feel water being pushed through the hoses. I've got one more problem though...there's still water covering my engine compartment after driving it for about 5 minutes. I can't tell where its coming from, though. I can see a splash while the engine is running near the power steering but can't find the source. Anyone have some sort of an idea of a solution for this?

 

[Augoose]

Either stick your head down in the bilge, use a camera, or use a gopro (or similar) to inspect the engine compartment and see where the water is coming from.

 

[James.slate87]

Either stick your head down in the bilge, use a camera, or use a gopro (or similar) to inspect the engine compartment and see where the water is coming from.

It seems to be leaking from just behind and above the raw water pump. Can't tell exactly where. I don't know how else to explain it.

 

[James.slate87]

It seems to be leaking from just behind and above the raw water pump. Can't tell exactly where. I don't know how else to explain it.

Circulating pump?

 

[dypcdiver]

I agree, could be the circulating pump. Slacken off the "V" belt and grab hold of the pump pully and see if there is any play, if so replace it, takes about an hour or so.

 

[Lou C]

Also feel for roughness and/or noise in the bearing of the circulating pump when you turn the pulley. Easy job to replace just like any other Chevrolet small block in the last 65 years.
Just make sure to use a marine rated pump for a raw water cooled engine.