1965 Roamer 37'. 327F Engine. Couple of questions. 1. Are the impellers in the the "intake" pump or the "circulating" pump? 2. How do I remove to get at the impellers? 3. Are gaskets generic water pump gaskets or do I need to get special ones for a Chris Craft engine? I don't readily see how to remove them and I don't want to just start removing bolts. Thanks of any help. Mike
The impellor is in what is called the intake pump. On the back side of the intake pump (normally called a raw water pump) should be the cover plate (access) for the impellor and it is held on with some small screws or nuts....like #8 usually, you could take off the access plate and pull the impellor out. Then lubricate the body and cover with lithium grease or dialectrical grease (a thin coat on all of it including the shaft) and put the new impellor in. You're going to have to close the seacock before doing this and open it when all finished but prior to firing up the engine. The gasket would also need to be made by whoever made the pump, impellor, etc. and some come with the impellor kit, some gaskets or o-rings you need to purchase seperately. You can usually match the impellor up from a chart based on fins and size if you cannot read the part number and manufacturer on the impellor, whoever made the impellor most likely made the pump, there also might be a part number on the impellor cover plate, which may need replacing or sanding if it's got wear on it. You may need to completely dismount the pump to access the back side of it and change the impellor.
Looks like you have to take out the belt and the pulley first on this one. Also, when you pull the old impeller check it for missing pieces... if chunks of the rubber bands are missing you new to find them downstream, typically at the heat exchanger inlet. If you don't they will restrict water flow
Thanks for the replies. I already have the impellers. I just need to figure out where to get the gaskets. I had heard about checking the fins to make sure they weren't broken off. What is the purpose of the "circulating pump" if you have a "intake pump"?
On a raw water setup You need the raw water pump to pull sea water to the engine because the circulation pump isn't self priming. Now if your engine has a heat exchanger, the circulation pump moves coolant around the engine and thru the HE where it is cooled by raw water
