On Sunday night/Monday morning, we were blessed with the arrival of our 2nd child: Emerson Paige Snapp. She is beautiful and is healthy. Those with kids will know that the arrival of a child to a mother who wants to solely breast feed stay at home to help only to sit around and twiddle your thumbs. What better time than now to pull the lower unit and change out the impeller/pump? Keep in mind I have never ever done this before.....was a bit nervous like a virgin on prom night.
Found that the 2000 Johnson 150 does not have a 90* turn off the shift shaft, but a 10* turn that leads to a clamp...NOBODY told me to expect what I found, but figured it out and dropped it like it's hot:
Placed the lower unit in my ladder for support and off to the races....
Got down to the impeller and found a good amount of sand and lots of deep groves in the metal plates. At this point I am feeling good about myself for doing this project.
Went to pull off the impeller and it was stuck. I wiggled, I tugged, I twisted, I turned, I pried, I begged god and nothing happened. Then I decided to get a vice grip on the impeller and slowly spin the crank shaft.....only to see almost immediately gear lube flowing from the water intakes. sCo_hmmthink I think this can't be good.
Checked the other side and the same. sAng_scream
SO now I have an impeller stuck, internal seals busted, an inoperable boat.
SILVER LINING: If I had run my boat another 3 hours, the seals probably would have failed and I would have burned out my lower unit with salt water. It's a 13 year old motor - seals go bad - there is nothing anyone can do about it. Better in my garage than under the skyway.
