Wear ring issue

[Scotttheimpaler]

My boat lists hard to left, I assume it’s the wear ring. The cable is only a couple years old. The impeller looks ok, the wear ring has major pitting and scratches.

How do I get the old one out? Where can I get a tool to remove the impeller? Where can I find a new one?
2001 challenger 1800 with 240efi.
Not opposed to replacing the impeller and wear ring together but for now just looking for wear ring.

 

[97explorer717]

I personally take my pumps apart and inspect everything. Everyone I have pulled apart needed a rebuild. I got my tool at SBT and used to get my wear ring and pump parts there. Had to start my boat and torque the pump on with the engine running to shave out the wear ring. I now only buy OEM parts. Also had a set of bearings from above-mentioned supplier beside a OEM set. There was no comparison. The OEM bearings are Superior. Even the nose cone o-ring is better. Just my 2 cent. I just seen in the how to section on how to do it without removing the impeller. You may want to check that out. I take my pump apart and cut the wear ring CAREFULLY with a dremel. As I'm cutting I also run a straight screwdriver between the wear ring and pump. They've always come right out for me.

 

[Dr Honda]

If you have a worn wear ring (out of spec) ... the only issue you will have is cavitation. If the boat is pulling or listing.. then it's something else. My boat also has a tendency of pulling one way or another, and I've just gotten use to it. the issue is... we don't have any real trim to the steering. With that said... you can tweak the ride plate, and that will take out the pulling at cruseing speeds.

The other way to fix the problem is to make someone sit in a seat opposite of the pulling direction. (seriously) Since it pulls left... put someone bigger in the front right seat. Boats are all about balance, and shifting weight makes a difference.

As far as removing it... it's not like the rotax powered craft. The Merc has a solid, non-rebuildable ring section. Last I looked, it was a little over $400. Some people have filled the gouges with JB weld, and it seems to work well. The other solution is to send it out to get a stainless liner installed. (cost as much as an OEM replacement) But like I said above... if it's not cavitating... then it's still OK.

 

[Scotttheimpaler]

Thank you both for the feedback,

New housings are now around $640, SS sleeves run around $450. I read over the JB weld forum page and I'm going to try that first. If I dont like the results I'll sleeve it. I have been experiencing increasing cavatation issue for the last year or 2. I spend a lot of time in shallow water, sandy beaches, rocky fill islands, an so on... I'm sure this has had an impact on my wear ring. This last trip i was at 5K RPM and a hard right to go 25MPH in medium chop.

I always have my passengers sit opposite of me, but I'm still 60 pounds heavier than my wife and son combined. Maybe I can add a 5 gallon bucket of water to the passenger side, that should be around 45-50 pounds.

 

[97explorer717]

I know when to hang my head. Better listen to this Dr Honda guy. I just wanted to contribute something but I didn't even know what drive you had. I will stick to my guns though about buying OEM. I used to buy anything when I was younger but now I found in most cases it is better!

 

[Scotttheimpaler]

Your help was appriecated anyways. I agree, OEM is generally the way to go.