This week’s DIY Tip comes from a letter to the editor that was published in our sister publication, Soundings Magazine. If you’re ever attempting to re-install a rubber impeller, make sure you give this quick one a read first.
I read and enjoyed [Tom Neele’s article “Down And Dirty In The Engine Room”] and can thoroughly empathize with every aspect, from screwdriver drops to contorted one-handed grabs for unseen parts.
One tidbit that I wanted to offer for readers hoping to do their own repairs, whether maintenance or emergency, would be: When attempting to re-install a rubber impeller, say, into a sea water pump, the easy trick would be to compress the vanes in the spin direction, and hold them down using a series of nylon Ty-Raps.
Just zip the first one over the leading edge of the impeller, about a 1/2 inch from the end. This should suffice to compress the vanes adequately to allow the (already pre-lubricated with Teflon-based lube) impeller to slide into the (already pre-lubricated with Teflon-based lube) pump housing. With the larger impellers like the ones here in our Caterpillar C-12s, I typically run a set of 4 Ty-Raps along the body of the impeller.
As you slide the compressed impeller into the pump body, just carefully snip the innermost Ty-Rap, and be sure to remove the entire wrap, and continue the process until the impeller bottoms out on the wear plate.
Once in, check for tolerance, insert either the (already pre-lubricated “O” ring, or gasket – depending on pump design) and install the (already pre-lubricated with Teflon-based lube) end cover, and screw in with bolts that have been lubricated with non-seize compound. We use the paste copper-based product available from Cat.
I hope this helps. It’s made a world of difference in keeping my engine maintained. —Captain David J. Mahler, USCG Licensed Master, Bellmore, New York
For more tips like this, visit the Passagemaker Pro Tips Archive
