Impeller not fitting correctly

[RG123]

Hi everyone, I have a quick question for you. Because my wear ring was damaged (big gouge in it) and there was a medium sized gap between it and the impeller, I replaced the wear ring with an OEM ring. It seemed to seat in to the pump housing well, and didn’t require much force to slide it in (was frozen first). Pump shaft, bearings all seem to be in good shape. Installed impeller carefully, making sure the washer was seated correctly and the seals weren’t pinched. After install, I noticed the impeller doesn’t seem to line up perfectly inside, such that the leading edge of 2 blades rub the wear ring, where there is a gap along the rest of the blade. See pics. I can still turn the blades by hand when installed with some effort, but it’s enough to prevent the engine from turning over when it was installed. Do I need a new prop? Should I just try to run it as it is, or did I mess something up with the install?
Thanks in advance!

 

[mikidymac]

Impeller is a little worn.

If it was mine I would spray it with some lube before starting it and when it is running it will shave the wear ring to fit.

 

[RG123]

Impeller is a little worn.

If it was mine I would spray it with some lube before starting it and when it is running it will shave the wear ring to fit.

Is the wear enough to need a new impeller? Do you think it’s enough to feel any difference in performance?

 

[Fire3456]

Could you spray any lubricate on the Wear Ring? WD-40? Or will some lubricants damage the Wear Ring?

I'm in the process of replacing darn near everything from the engine back. I have a new Wear Ring and Prop. I turned the prop quit a bit to get it 'seated'. It still rubs but I can turn the prop fairly east by hand.

I will be starting (or trying to) the Sportster (with single 951) this week and it has run through my mind, if the force to turn the prop is too much to be able to start the engine.

Thanks!

 

[Tiggo]

Looks like someone filed down the impeller to make it fit. Like they didn't use the correct size impeller and Gerry rigged it to fit but one blade is longer than the other two. Measure the blade distances to see if they are equal and check the markings on the impeller to ensure it is the correct model for your ski. The other explanation is the alignment on the entire motor is off, so the shaft is cocked causing a crooked impeller. If that is the case you will have a submarine in no time. Check the alignment.