Vetus 417 engine 42 horse

[G.LUKE]

My Vetus engine has 120 hr and started overheating.When i removed the sea water impellar i found one finger broken and stress stains on the rest.
Has anyone else had a similar fault? iam worried it may happen agian.Thanks Luke

[noelex 77]

I have no experience of your engine, but in general the most common reson for an impeller failing early is running dry.
Other common causes are an incorrect impeller, and scored or damaged face plate or pump body.
Make sure you find the broken bit of the impeller, to ensure its not clogging up the cooling system.
I would change the impeller more frequently. This should be done every 12 months or 100 hours of running, but impellers are cheap compared to rebuilding engines, so more often would be sensible till you find the cause of the problem.

Check there is adequate water from the exhaust at all angles of heel. The water pump should feel cool.

[gjordan]

Pull the front of off your heat exchanger. That is where broken off vanes end up, and can cause restrictions in cooling water flow. If previous owners have replaced impellors without finding the broken off vanes you could have a real collection of them, and could cause cooling problems even with a new impellor. I learned the hard way.____Grant.