Water pump leaking

painkiller

2005, 5.0 mercruser in a 300 fiesta vee. Water pump leaks while engine is running. How difficult is it to fix.

Black_Diamond

Is it the raw water pump or the engine circulating pump?

painkiller

Engine circulation pump

Black_Diamond

It's just like changing the water pump on a car, generally an easy task depending how cramped the area to work in is.  If you get a service manual for the engine it can walk you through the steps. 

painkiller

Do I need to cap the hoses, will water pour rush in?

Black_Diamond

You will get some water spill and can always put a rag in the hoses while working on it. But it can be done while in the water.

212rowboat

I highly recommend you go ahead and pop timing cover off and install a new chain while you're in there.. it is right there and you'll already be 90% of the way to it.. new double roller instead of a morse chain will make your engine happy and both spark and injection timing more precise..

By the way, by the time a w/p starts to leak, its done.. i highly rec you don't run it again until you've fixed it.

212rowboat

by the way, don't be tempted to install an automotive high volume pump.. the high volume pump may attempt to draw more water than the sea pump can feed it...

I'd guess you can use a automotive pump if you'd like, and just leave the shaft w/o a clutch fan attached.  I've done that at least three times and had absolutely zero issues from not having that clutch fan bolted in..

I'm making this post and mentioning that fan, though, for a reason.... usually, when a water pump gives up the ghost the very first sign is the shaft seal leaking- I don't know if that was a pre-drafted design or a something mechanics realized afterward, but the shaft the fan is attached to comes out of balance due to the pumps blade either wearing, breaking, or seizing.. that makes the shaft wobble ever so slightly, and it springs a significant leak............ these things don't have a heavy clutch fan hanging out front, and because they don't, it takes a lot more 'wobble' for that seal to give... if that is the seal that is busted, I'd wager your pump is all but gone and likely long ago...

check out this picture....



here is the thing:  without that heavy clutch fan on the front of the engine, you won't get the early warning that the water pump is failing until it has totally failed.. that is a bad thing.. the good thing is, and on the opposite side of the coin: not having the clutch fan attached will allow the pump to last longer...

I'm thinking, and it may just be me- but I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to put a w/p swap on the two year maintenance list if you're in salt water, and the four year plan if you're in fresh water... you'll not know the condition of that blade until it's too late.