bravo impeller
Here's the pump and impeller. The spindle is similar to the blade spindles on a lawn tractor, and the bearings can fail in a similar manner. The impeller housing is plastic and bolts to it. It can be very difficult to access depending on the brand of boat. You can see two old impellers. The fins become brittle as the rubber dries and hardens and break off with time as you can see. When they break off the pump partially works for a short time before it disintegrates. The pieces can end up in the thermostat housing and block the flow of water to the exhaust manifolds which can crack. Definitely less expensive to pay ahead on preventive maintenance let alone the possibility of getting stranded and having to get towed on a beautiful summer day.
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