Yanmar Impeller Help!

[Hudson Force]

Ok, let me just toss out a "low tech" plan. You have a cork from a wine bottle aboard, right? Take this cork and lay three small diameter threaded screws around the cork and bind them with a hose clamp. The screws should be placed so they extend about an inch beyond the end of the cork. Tighten the hose clamp just enough so that the screws are held firmly in place and then fit the screw ends over the hub of the impellor. Tighten the hose clamp and then use the pliers around the cork and clamp to pull out the impellor that is secured by the threads of the screws imbedded in the rubber.

[Jim Cate]

A philosophical comment:


A pox upon folks (in this case both Yanmar and Oyster) who design things where a commonly replaced item like an impeller is so difficult to access. Sadly common, too.

One advantage in buying a one-off designed and built by an experienced cruiser who gave some thought to such issues... but even here there are some difficult areas.

Meanwhile, hope that you can find the bolt, Ken, and when you do, y ou might publish the diameter and pitch for other Yanmar owners.

Jim

[CarlF]

You are wrong about the job taking only 10 minutes with the Yanmar tool. It's more like 5 minutes. Yanmar should include the tool with each engine that has the threaded impellers.

If you can't find something with an M18 thread to use as a tool, maybe you could make one using a glob of epoxy putty like JB Weld with a nut embedded in the middle. The lubricant you've put on the impeller will keep the epoxy from sticking to anything but it should get a grip in the thread. I don't think the pulling force needs to be all that high.

[model 10]

Who ever installed that impeller did not get all the vanes going in the right direction. Must be a pretty hard job to get right in a tight space like that.
Why is there both an O ring and sillycone on the cover plate? Maybe time for a new O ring too?
Personally I would rip and tear at this point. There is nothing to loose. Like the mate said, fewer vanes the better.

[Charlie]

If you can't get it out I can highly recommend a mechanic in Portoferraio. His name is Mauro and speaks good English. The yard where he works is Home Page - Esaom-en Very honest and competent. Rates are not bad either. Long walk to town but doable. He has helped me out in a couple of situations.

[katsumi]

Ken
Lot of great suggestions here...
Take a step back, you had a fault with your generator, which sounded like you found the cause.
Correct me if you are wrong you did not have a problem with the main engine over heating, you just thought you should check the impellor because the generator had failed?
The photo you have sent of what I assume is the main engine impellor from the main engine. I have seen a lot worse condition impellor than that which still work enough to get you to safe haven.
My suggestion would be (unless you have destroyed the impellor already) put the cover plate back on and return to safe haven so then you can work on the pump with out the risk of been stranded somewhere. Then follow the other suggestions listed here.
Good luck with it.

[savoir]

You might have the same motor as me. Mine is the 100hp version of the 4JH series.

The issue is not with the splines but with the center which is a VERY tight fit and the thing that I'm guessing is causing all the drag. When removing my raw water impeller I had to use a puller. This is the puller that I used
http://www.amazon.com/Jabsco-50070-0...XMG5FARMKD4SXH

I remember that it doesn't fit the available space. I'll post tomorrow with details of what I did - gotta find the thing first and there is a ball game on now. Sox v Angels 0 - 0 so far.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

....

Meanwhile, hope that you can find the bolt, Ken, and when you do, y ou might publish the diameter and pitch for other Yanmar owners.

Jim

Try M18 x1.5, this is according to the second link in post #11.
Might not be right, but feels right!
Good place to start.

[edmundsteele]

Find a wood screw with a hex head. Use a small socket to screw it into the rubber as close to the metal sleeve as you can get. Use "vice grips" to grab the screw from the side and a wrench / screw driver to act as a fulcrum against the pump body. Then just lever it out. If the screw pulls out - use a bigger screw.



(I usually try to carry a complete pump and just swap the pump out. Much easier to switch the impeller when the whole thing is in your lap.)

[redsky49]

Deja vu all over again.

Had a nearly identical situation. Westerbeke generator and Yanmar main engine. Replaced the genny impellor (15 minutes?) and then struggled over an hour with the Yanmar. Tracked down a mechanic who was working in the yard. He smiled at my dilemma, got a puller out of his truck, and removed the impellor in a couple minutes.

This is the tool:

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by katsumi

Ken
Lot of great suggestions here...
Take a step back, you had a fault with your generator, which sounded like you found the cause.
Correct me if you are wrong you did not have a problem with the main engine over heating, you just thought you should check the impellor because the generator had failed?
The photo you have sent of what I assume is the main engine impellor from the main engine. I have seen a lot worse condition impellor than that which still work enough to get you to safe haven.
My suggestion would be (unless you have destroyed the impellor already) put the cover plate back on and return to safe haven so then you can work on the pump with out the risk of been stranded somewhere. Then follow the other suggestions listed here.
Good luck with it.

Correct, the main engine is working fine which is why I'm going easy on the removal. I'm 8 miles outside Portoferraio and Charlie's mechanic, so want to leave that option open. Today is Sunday so everything is closed, but I'll take a better look around the boat for a suitable bolt this morning and a bike ride into town. Thank goodness the generator has an automatic overheating shutdown, when the impeller exploded and plugged up the housing outflow, the generator shut down. There was a 90 degree elbow which caught all the rubber pieces, so noting went into the heat exchanger.

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far.

Ken

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Charlie

If you can't get it out I can highly recommend a mechanic in Portoferraio. His name is Mauro and speaks good English. The yard where he works is Home Page - Esaom-en Very honest and competent. Rates are not bad either. Long walk to town but doable. He has helped me out in a couple of situations.

Charlie,

It's a small world. Just yesterday, we were anchored in Portoferraio next to two U.S. Flagged boats and a Canadian couple. One we didn't get a chance to meet since they departed very early, but spent some time on the Canadian trawler and with the couple from Northern CA on their Swan 65. All arrived within a short period of time, then all gone by noon including us. We decided to get away from the ferry wakes to tackle the repair.

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

Ok, let me just toss out a "low tech" plan. You have a cork from a wine bottle aboard, right? Take this cork and lay three small diameter threaded screws around the cork and bind them with a hose clamp. The screws should be placed so they extend about an inch beyond the end of the cork. Tighten the hose clamp just enough so that the screws are held firmly in place and then fit the screw ends over the hub of the impellor. Tighten the hose clamp and then use the pliers around the cork and clamp to pull out the impellor that is secured by the threads of the screws imbedded in the rubber.

Thats just brilliant HUD.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

A philosophical comment:


A pox upon folks (in this case both Yanmar and Oyster) who design things where a commonly replaced item like an impeller is so difficult to access. Sadly common, too.

One advantage in buying a one-off designed and built by an experienced cruiser who gave some thought to such issues... but even here there are some difficult areas.

Meanwhile, hope that you can find the bolt, Ken, and when you do, y ou might publish the diameter and pitch for other Yanmar owners.

Jim

Mostly a Yanmar access issue. Oyster provided near complete access from the impeller side of the engine, but Yanmar placed hoses and a starter motor in my way. No way to get tools and two hands in there other than using a specific impeller pulling tool.

I put the cover back on the housing, heading back to Portoferraio first thing Monday to anchor near the shipyard. Hopefully, find a parts house at 9am and be on our way by mid day.

It's the safe choice, no sense taking any chances, we have plenty of time. Right now, we seem to be having a cascade of issues. Last week everything had been working just fine for over a month and we had just finished the deck work to 90%.

Then the fridge sprang a coolant leak, the deep freezer lost a compressor and is limping along. Genset impeller gone yesterday... We're now just one step ahead of camping, but we're still moving ahead. Will get the motor and genset working again tomorrow.

[savoir]

Here is my puller. I had to cut the central pin to make it fit in the available space.