[C38] Changed seawater pump impeller fail

[Pierre Patino]

Yes. I think it's downstream from the pump as well. Next weekend's project
is to figure out the yoga to get in there and inspect.

On Sun, 7 Mar 2021, 6:42 am charles, <charles at finn.ws> wrote:

> It is not the pump!  I am guessing your heat exchanger is most likely
> plugged.  It sits on the rear of your engine above transmission.  My old
> one got plugged with zebra mussels that enters system as an egg and grows
> while engine is off.  There are cleanout ports on exchanger but I opted for
> a larger one.
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Max soto <maxsoto at gmail.com>
> Date: 3/6/21 6:44 PM (GMT-06:00)
> To: Catalina 38 Listserve <listserve at catalina38.org>
> Subject: Re: [C38] Changed seawater pump impeller fail
>
> Really weird.  Those pumps are, or supposed to be self priming for up to
> 6’. How old is that pump?  Look for wear in the housing. Somethings the cam
> might need to be replaced
>
> Regards,
> Max Soto A.
> +506-8312-1367
> Alajuela, Costa Rica
>
> On Mar 6, 2021, at 14:04, Pierre Patino <pierre.patino at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
>
> OK, new information (and I may be an idiot too!).
>
> I got a pressure gauge to measure the output at the Oberdorfer raw water
> pump. I was able to estimate around 8-10psi  (the needle jumped back and
> forth due to the nature of the pump mechanics) so I thought that seemed OK.
> I have yet to find the pressure specs on that pump so I'm not sure. The
> flow rate into the bucket as stated earlier is definitely "enough" and
> around 2-3gal/min so I believe that's close to spec.
>
> I then hooked up the dock water line to the outlet hose which leads to the
> heat exchanger. Using the least amount of water pressure I could muster by
> barely squeezing the sprayer's handle (sprayer was coupled to the hose via
> a barbed fitting) I was able to see water coming out of the exhaust. So now
> I'm back where I was, completely perplexed.
>
> I thought about something a colleague at work said: "did you purge the
> line?".  Well, I've never done this before when changing the impeller so I
> thought "why not?".
>
> I was extra careful when disconnecting the dock's water hose from the hose
> to the heat exchanger and I kept my finger in place to keep the water from
> spilling out. I also raised the other end of the intake hose above the
> water line. I carefully fitted them together and then tested again.
>
> Amazingly, this worked! Water flowed out of the exhaust for several
> minutes after turning the engine on.
> Problem fixed? Time will tell.
>
> Questions:
> Am I an idiot for not purging the line? I've never had to do that before.
>
> Also, I paid close attention to the water coming out of the exhaust. The
> flow is  quite uneven. A bunch of water comes out and then much less and
> then a bunch more and so on. Is this expected?
>
> Thanks again!
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 8:33 PM Max soto <maxsoto at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Wow, honestly this is a though one..  years ago I had a persistent
>> problem that there was no water in the exhaust, but it happened every now
>> and then...  turned out it was a little piece of mud or barnacle that was
>> trapped between the thruhull strainer and the barbed fitting on the other
>> side of the valve.  That piece seemed to have life of its own. I blowed air
>> through the hose and easily heard the bubbles coming out on the water, so I
>> thought the intake was not the problem.  This piece was freely moving in
>> the thruhull and clogged the intake every now and then. .. just my two
>> cents.
>> Regards,
>> Max Soto A.
>> +506-8312-1367
>> Alajuela, Costa Rica
>>
>> On Feb 8, 2021, at 20:44, Pierre Patino <pierre.patino at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> Hello All
>> As the subject implies, I failed to do this properly I believe. I bought
>> the replacement impeller parts and removed the old one. Removing the old
>> impeller was easy. I cleaned the cavity (there was some salt buildup, my
>> fault for waiting too long)  and when I proceeded to put the new impeller
>> (looks exactly like the old one), I was unable to put the snap ring back.
>> I'm not sure how important this is. In any case, I put the cover on with
>> the new o-ring and started the engine.
>> Now I notice zero water coming out the exhaust. I feel something's
>> buggered up and I'm not quite sure what the fastest way to troubleshoot is.
>> Suggestions?
>>
>> By the way, the intake valve is open so I know it's not *that *operator
>> error.
>>
>> I've made sure the impeller spins by running the engine and checking that
>> the shaft has rotated as well as the impeller (taking the cover off and
>> putting it back on).
>>
>> Just before I started on this project, water did come out of the exhaust
>> so I know it "used" to work.
>>
>> I'm perplexed why I'm having such a hard time with the snap ring. I just
>> did not want to try jam it in with excessive force. The last time I did
>> this I had no trouble. Maybe I need to get yet another impeller kit?
>>
>>
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