Sucked in hydro surge grate!

[welbytrise]

So this past week I decided to take the wear ring off and smooth out some low spots with jb weld to see if I could get back some lost performance due to cavitation. Got it all done and it looked great. Sunday I decided to haul it out and see how she ran and just like I thought, ran like a dream. Then all of the sudden at the end of the day heading back to dock, a grinding noise and then nothing. Engine dead and no way in hell was that motor going to crank. At first I thought the motor might have seized and thought the world had come to an end. Got a tow back the rest of the way and once out of the water, I crawled under and looked at the intake grate. Sure enough, that little flimsy pos grate behind the main grate broke off and sucked into the impeller. All that hard work I did the past week....for nothing! So I decided not to whine about it because I like working on things and it will just give me something else to do. Today I decided to start taking it apart because I had already sent my old impeller off to impros to get reworked and when it returned I would be ready for it. Ten minutes into the job and I'm in between a rock grate and a hard place. The stator is stuck to the wear ring and I have tried with the might of Zeus to pull it off but it seems to be jammed in between the rock grate and impeller. So I am a pretty handy guy but I need a little help designing a puller to get this stator loose. Also, what else besides the impeller, wear ring, and stator could have been damaged? As in what else should I check before putting back together? Drop the pump and take a looksee? Any ideas and knowledge will be greatly appreciated!

2004 Challenger 1800 240 EFI M2 Jet drive

 

[Dr Honda]

Can you post a couple pics of where you are at? (I think I'm being thrown by the rock grate comment)

 

[welbytrise]

Thank you for responding so quickly "Doc". I'm sorry if I might have been confusing in my post. Unfortunately I am worn out and already in the sac for the night. I will get some pics tomorrow and post them. I don't know the exact name of the part of the hydro surge grate that got sucked into the impeller. I know there is a large more solid part and then a shorter flimsy grate attached above the main grate. The filmstrip part is what got sucked in and is jammed there between the impeller and wear ring. I don't know why the stator is jammed though as I always grease the spines of the shaft. I will try and get a closer look tomorrow and take some pictures.

 

[buckeye_paul]

There is a piece of spring steel that is cut in the shape of a fork and mounted behind the grate. This piece pushes down on the grate. When I got my boat a couple of years ago that piece was not in there correctly. I was very lucky I noticed it. I have since replaced the hydro surge with a 6 tine fixed grate.
I'm assuming you have all of the bolts out of the stator. Can you rotate it at all?
That may help with the removal.

 

[Dr Honda]

Yep... to everything above.

 

[welbytrise]

Everything is disconnected needed for the stator to be removed. As for turning it, that is a good idea. I have already tried twisting the stator off so when I get off work I will try turning the impeller shaft. Do either one of you know how the impeller shaft is removed from the pump housing? Will it just slide out or would I need to unbolt it and drop the housing down?

 

[buckeye_paul]

I haven't had it apart yet. However, if its like the lower unit on my outboard, there are snap rings that hold the prop shaft in place.

 

[Dr Honda]

I dont' think you can "Twist" the stator housing, since there are those rectangle boxes on the lower corners. BUT... if you twist... the wear ring should be able to twist free.


Removing the shaft isn't easy. You need to remove the cover on the front of the housing, and remove the nut from the end of the shaft... and then, the shaft will slide out the rear. (the nozzle end)


As far as "Removing the Pump".... that's not a trivial thing either. Basically... the entire drive is mounted into the hull, by simply sandwiching the pump, and the adapter into the hull... and the engine mounts to it. So... to remove the pump... "Step #1" is to remove the engine. So... if you need to remove the pump... it's a big job.

 

[welbytrise]

So I was able to remove the stator impeller and wear ring. Here is a pic of the damage. Pretty nasty! Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any other damage. Shaft still feels tight and none of the splines are stripped. I appreciate yalls tips and knowledge.

 

[Dr Honda]

Ouch !!!


How did the spring from the grate, break loose, and get in there?

 

[welbytrise]

I am still trying to figure that out as I always torque bolts and screws to spec. Used thread lock as well and somehow it came loose. Whatever the cause, I ordered one of those fixed intake grates. I always heard people talking on here about the factory grates and how they could break but never thought it would happen lol. I always learn the hard way. Good news is, already got the wear ring smoothed back out with jb and now waiting on impros to send back my impeller.
The stator veins dont look bad but there are a few nicks on the edges. Possible to drimel those smooth?

 

[Dr Honda]

Over the years... I've seen a bunch of threads about the veins... and minor damage has never had an effect on performance. So, yes... just file any sharp edge clean.



OK... I know the damage is done... but it looks like you may not have gotten one of the mount bolts, into the spring.

 

[welbytrise]

I definitely wont rule out me not attaching a bolt correctly, it could have happened. Just makes me mad at myself cause I pride myself in mechanic work.

 

[caffinated]

Just a quick question: Who are Impros as I might need my impeller touched up after the hydro surge grate went through the impeller,
wear ring and stator housing as well.
Bought a fixed grate and installed last week. Will see this weekend how the boat runs with slightly bent leading edge on impeller
and small scrape on wear ring....

 

[biffdotorg]

I was actually considering sending my wear ring and impeller off to impros as well. But I keep hearing of you guys that do the JB weld trick.

For those that have done the JB weld, how do you know that you have not built up the surface too much? Is there a way to measure, or do you just size it with the impeller? If it spins freely, you are good to go? I was not sure how much or how little clearance a person needs in that pump. I was just thinking of biting the bullet and doing the stainless sleeve, but that little project with impeller could be $1700 at impros. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Dr Honda]

sharpen the impeller... and then it's self clearancning. (LOL)

 

[Coastiejoe]

sharpen the impeller... and then it's self clearancning. (LOL)

Nice,,,,,,,