White Grease for impeller install

Lithium.

Grease

Water pump grease from the auto parts store. Works great.

While I would have to say it was most likely lithium grease as well, dish soap works just as well.

Just about any grease will work, some people use dish soap as well, but I prefer grease in case the impellor doesn't prime right away. I usually use super lube myself.

Good point Cap. To expand on that a little more clearly, although soap will initially lubricate, it will dry out if left.

Since many, if not most, flexible impellers used on seawater pumps are made of neoprene, I would be very careful about what grease I used. If the pump was intended to be left unused for any period I would be extremely careful to determine the impeller material before using any grease of any kind.

I have never seen Super Lube or lithium grease effect it. But I know soap won't. As to the soap drying out, I always make sure the system is primed and flowing after changing an impeller. So I don't recall that ever being a problem.

I was told glycerine also works well as it does not break down rubber. This can also be found in personal lubricants (KY etc.). My wife really appreciated it when I sent her to the drug store on the way home from work for that one...

Sounds like Lubriplate assembly lube. I would rather use go-jo. Works like grease - dissolves like soap.

A silicone paste is a good choice. Petrolium products may deteriorate the rubber, try to avoid them.

I have always used dish soap. Aside from the lubrication ability, I also find out that it tends to clean out a little gunk when run thru the water passages at the initial start up. I'm not sure why someone would use it to install an impeller and then allow it to sit and dry out. I always run my stuff after installing the impellers to make sure all works and doesn't leak.

Stay away from any petroleum products.

Because the person installing the impeller is not always the boats owner who may not take his boat out again for a few weeks or even the following season. If you do the job yourself and take the boat out it should be absolutely fine. But I'd hate for it to be my mechanic's SOP.

A lot of times northern boats are serviced by their mechanic after a winter layup, they may get launched a week or many later when the owner is ready to use it. An impellor installed on a fresh rebuild and waiting on parts to finish up the job. There are many cases where this might be the case. Super lube is basically a dielectrical grease and is not supposed to harm rubber or nitrile. It is very similar in look and texture (but thicker) to the jabsco impellor lube they sometimes put in with the new impellor in the box. Anyways, I never use dish soap unless it's an emergency and I don't have anything else. Not that it doesn't work. I would stay away from Gojo, as it has chemicals in it for removing paint, grease, and who knows what else.

Super lube or lithium is good if it's going to sit. Dawn works well if your going to start it right away. I like it because a lot of boats it's a little tough to tell for sure if your pumping water. All those suds coming out leaves no doubt.

Hi,

Here is an interesting paper about these pumps

http://www.inscope.co.jp/jp/pic/Impeller.pdf