ah crap..

rasbury

Well, big weekend planned, worked on replacing trailer bearings and fixing a leak in my black water tank. Chilly cook off at a state park down the river with a local boat club...launched and would not start. Boat always fires right up. Figured I got something wet I should not have when I cleaned out the disaster from the leak in the black water tank. My wife made the comment it did not look like the round black thingies were turning right which I promptly dismissed her well intended comment. A friend of mine who works for sea tow came over for a look...he could see what I could not which was the crank was turning but nothing else was. I'm hoping it us the raw water pump jammed up as I'd think that the cheapest repair and mot a power steering pump, the other water pump or the alternator. Water is getting low this time of year and I retrieved at a very low ramp and hoping its just me sucking up a bunch of mud into the water pump that caused the failure..

J3ff

You could be me... it just started snowing  too cold to go finish the LED lighting project...have to wait till tomorrow where I'm hoping it'll break 40 degrees! 

J3ff

ps. good luck! Hope it's just something simple. 

rasbury

Will look at it in the am, pull the belt and see what is stuck. Have pulled the water pump like three times so at least I know how to do that!

randy56

Dang Ras, something is locked up. You just get to have all the fun. Sorry to hear.

rasbury

I will figure it out...probably nothing major but there is never a good time to have a problem...bought an older boat, will just have to deal with it. On the plus side, I sure can tell the difference with the new bearings in the trailer. If I live long enough and can make enough money, this boat will be golden. I sure don't plan on leaving any behind!

rasbury

Well, think I figured out the most basic simple problem. Crank was turning and belt was not. I would think, in hindsight that the first obvious thing would have been the belt tension. I guess that did not occur to me because it did not start. I pulled the pump off and was surprised to see water in the pump. When I open up the pump, impelled is fine and there is no scouring. Would point out that I put one of those kits in last year with the wear plates and the shorter impelled. I was able to start to turn it by hand on the bench but I want to get the the impelled out and make sure the bearing is not bad before I put it back together. So, I assume that the belt I put on a couple of years ago must of stretched some and it just slipping. I do not nor have ever had the gauge to set the tension properly and was something I mentioned I should do and have in a recent thread on someone's post. I'm trying to get the impeller out without tearing it up but I guess I will trash it getting it out and go ahead and order another. I will go up to harbor freight and I'm sure pick up a gage which I'm sure can't be much. It's easy on this forum to admit stupid mistakes as I don't have to listen to the laughter ! Some of you are either mechanics or just real skilled in engines- I have pointed out before I am a good tinkerer at best and for those at my level I offer this what I see as a stupid mistake...still would have thought it would have started which is bugging me...everything turns freely. Pump has about 200 hours on it...i can turn by hand but it is hard which I would think expected?

jhofmann

With the belt off, I would check all the pulleys to make sure they turn by hand. I would also try to start the engine, with no belt, you don't have to worry about damaging water pump, and running the engine for several seconds without water will do no harm. If it doesn't start, then you have other issues. 

rasbury

Yes, kind of thought that myself..so I can close off the thru hull for the raw water and put the muffs on the out drive and not hurt anything? Not that big a deal to put the pump back on, has to go on anyway..

rasbury

Fired right up first hit of the key. Will get the belt on properly and then see if I still have issue!

jhofmann

If all pulley's turn by hand, then there should be no problem with the belt on. But that still leaves the question why the engine didn't start, and why wasn't the belt turning.

jhofmann

I meant why the engine didn't start initially. If the belt was loose, the engine should have still started, unless the battery was getting low from the alternator belt slipping.

rasbury

@jhofmann I had the same question in my mind and the only thing I could think of there was enough resistance on the crank pulley slowing down the starter that it would not crank but not enough resistance to pull the belt. Right there is a "sweet spot" . When I hit the switch to crank it with the belt off, it fired up so quick I did not even hear the starter. I should have it all back together tonight and fire it back up. Since this is like the 4th time I have pulled that pump out, the job went from all day to figure it out to about 45 mins.