Impeller spins free until I try to but back on boat.

[mdcomp]

OK I looked at the forums and did not find anything talking about this particular issue. I have a 96 seadoo GTI and have replaced the wear ring. I was lucky and did not have to remove the impeller to do so. The impeller and shaft turn free and has clearance in the new wear ring. When I attach it to the boat it goes right on the the drive shaft and looks good until I start to torque the 4 nuts on the boat to attach the pump. Now the impeller is so tight I can not turn it at all. Back the nuts off and spins free again. I did not have any shims under the pump when I removed it. I am at a quandary and any suggestions on what to do now would be GREATLY appreciated. :willy_nilly:
Thanks everyone and this is a great forum as I have learned a lot!

 

[1of500]

Im confused, are you saying that when you try to start it the impeller is binding on the wear ring?

 

[mdcomp]

I'm not really sure what is exactly binding. Probably the impeller or jamming against the thrust washer.

 

[Dr Honda]

The pump is out of alignment. When it came off, there were probably shims behind the bolts.

So... at this point... you need an alignment tool, and verify things.

 

[mdcomp]

OK will give it a try. EBay here I come.

 

[Areidenbach4229]

The pump is out of alignment. When it came off, there were probably shims behind the bolts.

So... at this point... you need an alignment tool, and verify things.

I think I might have the same problem but as he said I had no shims between the pump housing and the boat .. I have little to no clearance between wear ring so I'm wondering if the wear ring isn't my issue?

 

[Lake Sailor]

I'm not understanding something....

Pump connected to driveshaft, yes? DS connected to motor, yes?

How's the pump gonna spin freely?

My '97 uses no shims under the pump.

 

[tkarvelis]

I agree with Lake Sailor. Pull the plugs and see if you can spin the prop. Not sure how you could get your hand in there to spin it anyway. I would try to turn the PTO and see how you make out.

 

[donkey]

k, I had this problem with the spx I put together a month ago. I put a pump on it,new wear ring and impeller,perfect tight fit.when I started bolting on the pump,the housing deflection caused the impeller to dig into the wear ring.with the driveshaft removed it was the same. per a couple of members on here,i started the ski up with the pump not tight,with water running thru the intake side of the pump,and I tightened the pump slowly.the impeller cut its way perfectly into the wear ring,and ive been riding it ever since.

 

[Areidenbach4229]

k, I had this problem with the spx I put together a month ago. I put a pump on it,new wear ring and impeller,perfect tight fit.when I started bolting on the pump,the housing deflection caused the impeller to dig into the wear ring.with the driveshaft removed it was the same. per a couple of members on here,i started the ski up with the pump not tight,with water running thru the intake side of the pump,and I tightened the pump slowly.the impeller cut its way perfectly into the wear ring,and ive been riding it ever since.

This is what I'm experiencing thanks for the info donkey

 

[Coastiejoe]

We need some clarity...

Please confirm the following..

Spins fee when NOT installed? Yes?
Will not spin when installed AND, the driveshaft is in the boat? Yes?

 

[mdcomp]

Update!
I checked the alignment and it was good so I did the run and tighten the ring down setup and it worked very well. The ring was hitting 1 corner and it trimmed probably a 5000th off the ring and it works great! Thanks for all the help!

 

[glsmohio]

Update!
I checked the alignment and it was good so I did the run and tighten the ring down setup and it worked very well. The ring was hitting 1 corner and it trimmed probably a 5000th off the ring and it works great! Thanks for all the help!

got a question for you. I do had this same problem, but what happened to me was my pump ate something. how did your pump look?

 

[mdcomp]

Yes. Mine actually ate a ski rope, got hot and gouged the wear ring. The pump impeller and bearings looked good though. I was able to replace the wear ring without removing the impeller. Once I got it back together the impeller would spin freely until I put back on the ski and then it would start to bind as I tightened it down. I spun the shaft and saw where it was scraping a bit in one location on the ring. After market wear ring.