water pump on 00'opti

[TEXAS PIGS]

I have 00' Opti 150, I took it in to have it winterized, I have owned this boat from brand new, when they put this water pump in it will be the 5th one, Mercury calls this scheduled maitenance, I call it very expensive and a mistake by some high paid engineer. It is averaging costing me $250-$300 each time for just the pump and labor. any help would by appreciated!

[John in Mn]

Do it your self for under $60. Water pump housing and impeller kit were $49.95 here in the TC this fall.

[TEXAS PIGS]

the fact of me doing the work myself is a possibilty but also why should I have to replace this almost every year, and why is this considered scheduled maintenance.

[Hot Runr Guy]

the fact of me doing the work myself is a possibilty but also why should I have to replace this almost every year, and why is this considered scheduled maintenance.
This won't make you feel any better, but I've looked at 6-7 different Mercury owners manuals, from smaller Opti's to the big 'uns, and even some 4-strokes. All of the others indicate a 3 year/ 300 hour impeller replacement schedule. No idea why the 150 class has that 1 year / 100 hour requirement.
HRG

[TEXAS PIGS]

so you're saying that this is normal maintenance, required by mercury, well maybe I'll have to get used to replacing them myself. thanks

[John in Mn]

I used to do them every other year. Now every 3rd year. Probably could go every 4 or 5 no problem.

[wet dream]

Ihave replaced 4 and have 200 hours on mine. The last time they cleaned the screen under the left mid cowl and removed some gravel from the thermostats. I was suprised to learn gravel was found in the motor as I do not power load and am careful in shallow water. I spoke with Joe in customer service. He is very hepfull. Try calling him and have your dealer clean the thermstats, replace if they are sticking, and clean the screen. Good luck. I do not think this is the best design.

I hope my 175 runs a little cooler after all this work.

[staylor]

2002 Opti 150, with an impeller change in 2005 and just this fall when I had the rig put into storage. My dealer charged me $92. for parts and labor plus tax, and I felt this was reasonable. I change when the idle water pressure on the Smartcraft gage falls below 1.25 psi which if I recall correctly is the minimum listed on my shop manual for this engine. I also replaced the stats in 2006 since the motor was getting up to 165 degrees on a long troll- not enough to set off the alarms, but getting close, and still had good pressure showing. I haven't had the screen cleaned yet and figured I'd wait until the stat and impeller change doesn't drop the idle temps down. The 3 year impeller change interval is the same as I've used for years of running both OMCs and Mercs.
Doug