OK noew this is interesting...
Twin Crusader 270s. Started them at the dock the other day to check on an ignition upgrade and one went real hot quickly. Shut her down in time to avoid any problems but there was no reason this should have happened (and thank goodness did not happen while underway. So I got curious and removed the raw water pump. Sherwood E35 - original equipment. Pulled off the back cover...where's the gaskit? Who did the last service to this thing anyway? I haven't had the boat that long so this is my first time into the pumps. Impeller doesn't look old but I pulled it - no woodruff key!!! Gone - missing. Now in use there is no way for that part to go missing as it can't get around the impeller, so that means it hadn't been installed to begin with. Nuts. I figure the impeller has been spinning fine without one and finally started to slip or bind. Some wear on the back cover because without a gasket the tolerance would have been too tight, so there was rubbing. Not bad, could be put back in service. Some shaft play, not sloppy and could go for a couple more years. But I'm thinking I'll go with the Sherwood major repair kit, runs slighty lover one hundred bucks. But the whole thing has me bugged so I have decided to simply replace both pumps and have two on standby in the parts locker. So far in checking prices Boatfix is cheapest for OEM at $185 each. For the extra maybe $160 total over buying two major rebuild kits I will have one heck of a lot f piece of mind. And since at the same time I am replacing all manifolds, risers, elbows and such on both engines I'll be sitting good for years to come. But my question is - what about this missing key and the sudden lack of flow? Anybody have thoughts???
Twin Crusader 270s. Started them at the dock the other day to check on an ignition upgrade and one went real hot quickly. Shut her down in time to avoid any problems but there was no reason this should have happened (and thank goodness did not happen while underway. So I got curious and removed the raw water pump. Sherwood E35 - original equipment. Pulled off the back cover...where's the gaskit? Who did the last service to this thing anyway? I haven't had the boat that long so this is my first time into the pumps. Impeller doesn't look old but I pulled it - no woodruff key!!! Gone - missing. Now in use there is no way for that part to go missing as it can't get around the impeller, so that means it hadn't been installed to begin with. Nuts. I figure the impeller has been spinning fine without one and finally started to slip or bind. Some wear on the back cover because without a gasket the tolerance would have been too tight, so there was rubbing. Not bad, could be put back in service. Some shaft play, not sloppy and could go for a couple more years. But I'm thinking I'll go with the Sherwood major repair kit, runs slighty lover one hundred bucks. But the whole thing has me bugged so I have decided to simply replace both pumps and have two on standby in the parts locker. So far in checking prices Boatfix is cheapest for OEM at $185 each. For the extra maybe $160 total over buying two major rebuild kits I will have one heck of a lot f piece of mind. And since at the same time I am replacing all manifolds, risers, elbows and such on both engines I'll be sitting good for years to come. But my question is - what about this missing key and the sudden lack of flow? Anybody have thoughts???