Sea Ray

Had the same issue happened to me on a 2007 310. The original (and/or Mercruiser) impellers are hard compared to others. Mine seized in relation to the pressure the belt provides. Try to move the pulley with your hands first to see if it loosens up. In either case I would recommend replacing the impeller (s), which is a huge pain.

I have a 2007 320 with 5.7s. The water impeller is the worst designed to get to replaceable part on this motor. We are talking hours per engine. I had to unbolt the fuel pump on both and lay it to the side. Not much room for that either. I did it once and will likely hire it out next time.

I have a 290 Amberjack with the same engines and it is very tight. That said, I have had both raw water pumps out a couple of times, it is possible, I can't remember for sure what I did on the port side, but may have removed the gas cooler, presuming you have that. Also, after replacing impeller, I later found that the bearing seal was actually leaking and the bearing was ruined, I ended up pulling it again to rebuild/replace the pump. If you are down there, inspect it well to ensure it is just the impeller.

Thanks Charles!

‘01 340 with 8.1 Mercruiser V-drives - raw water pumps need service. Canister type mufflers will need to be removed to access engine belt ends - can the mufflers be removed with the boat in the water?

I have no issue taking them out in my Amberjack 290 while in the water, in fact it is so tight in the engine room, I almost always take them out when doing any maintenance. To aid in this, I changed from them being screwed down to using small stainless bolts with a stainless T-Nut placed under the plywood shelf they sit on. I also used marine adhesive on the flanges of the T-nuts to help keep them in place (they never have to be removed). Had this setup for about two years and it has worked well, mufflers come in out out more easily and the old screw holes were loose, that is no longer a problem. I also put a small amount of grease on the engine end of the exhaust hoses when I put them back, makes for easier removal the next time I need them out. With this setup, I have even removed the mufflers and hoses at sea when I had to make a repair to a leaking connection under the engine.

Hey Charles. thanks for the info. Since the waterline is about midway on the body of the muffler, I had my doubts. I was not going to remove the vertical part of the discharge hose that goes down to the thru hull fitting.
I have taken the riser hoses off and greased them as you describe and will remove one and reach into the muffler to check water level before actually removing hose clamps on the vertical discharge.
Jeff

Forgot to mention, on my setup, I leave the hose on the main exhaust that goes through the bottom of the hull, the waterline stays somewhere in the middle of that, so water does not enter...