What should I do?

[Paul fantuzzi]

Hello everyone and thank you for the anticipated answer!!
I have a small piece of wood stuck in the impeller and can’t reach it. What is the best thing to do? Remove the jet assembly from the rear and pull out impeller OR. Remove the grate under the boat?
Does the grate have lock nuts or is it difficult to remove? My grate looks like two separate pieces where the grate is screwed into another steel housing grate.
Please help!!! What’s easier to do???
Thanks.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Hello everyone and thank you for the anticipated answer!!
I have a small piece of wood stuck in the impeller and can’t reach it. What is the best thing to do? Remove the jet assembly from the rear and pull out impeller OR. Remove the grate under the boat?
Does the grate have lock nuts or is it difficult to remove? My grate looks like two separate pieces where the grate is screwed into another steel housing grate.
Please help!!! What’s easier to do???
Thanks.

Pull the pump out. Should take you no more than 30-35 mins to remove and replace the pump.

 

[Julian]

Yup...what @FSH 210 Sport said! Pull the pump. Should be quick and easy, and its something the more you feel comfortable with the better you will be overall.

Pulling the grate is not something recommended at all. Far more involved, and far harder to reseal well.

Also, if you list your location in your profile, you may well find a local person that might offer to help you pull the pump the first time. I've driven over to locals to help with this.

 

[Paul fantuzzi]

Pull the pump out. Should take you no more than 30-35 mins to remove and replace the pump.

Thanks so much for the answer! I am so beside myself to think that this is the second time just driving around a lake I gotten things stuck in impeller. The boat has 15 hours on it!
Is the grate removal too much hidden problems?

 

[Paul fantuzzi]

Yup...what @FSH 210 Sport said! Pull the pump. Should be quick and easy, and its something the more you feel comfortable with the better you will be overall.

Pulling the grate is not something recommended at all. Far more involved, and far harder to reseal well.

Also, if you list your location in your profile, you may well find a local person that might offer to help you pull the pump the first time. I've driven over to locals to help with this.

Thanks you again. - this is so much help!!
Grate pull sounds more involved.
I will get the tools ready for pump pull.
and take pictures.
thanks for the great advice!!! Paul

 

[Paul fantuzzi]

Anymore advice or what to look out for would be greatly appreciated!!
I have thrust vector on boat - any extra issue with pull?

 

[PhatPat]

Hi Paul--
This has happened to me on multiple occasions. One time, once the wood dried, it fell out. The second time, I took the cleanout plug out and ran a hairdryer down there for about 30 minutes to help dry the wood out. Then the next day I was able to tap on it with giant screwdriver and a hammer and it crumbled and fell off. I didn't pull the pump OR the grate. I just took a giant flathead screwdriver that was long enough to reach through the grate to the impeller, and tapped it in the right spot to break up the wood. It also helps to be wearing a headlamp so you can see up in there. Just be careful to tap on the wood and not the impeller or wear ring.

 

[Paul fantuzzi]

Hi Paul--
This has happened to me on multiple occasions. One time, once the wood dried, it fell out. The second time, I took the cleanout plug out and ran a hairdryer down there for about 30 minutes to help dry the wood out. Then the next day I was able to tap on it with giant screwdriver and a hammer and it crumbled and fell off. I didn't pull the pump OR the grate. I just took a giant flathead screwdriver that was long enough to reach through the grate to the impeller, and tapped it in the right spot to break up the wood. It also helps to be wearing a headlamp so you can see up in there. Just be careful to tap on the wood and not the impeller or wear ring.

Great idea!!
thanks so much. good point about tapping the wood and not the impeller
I really don’t want to take the boat apart. I’m ready to sell this boat and go back to a blade.

 

[PhatPat]

I have had both... if you hit a partially submerged log and bend the prop there is no fixing it yourself... a jet boat will go right over the top of it. Granted, that is less common.
I think you might feel better once the wood is out. I know I did. The trick for bigger pieces of wood is to let them dry out and they will loosen up and usually get brittle.
I don't know if you have heard about "the reverse trick" for getting debris out of an impeller - there is a discussion over on tips and tricks about it. It has never worked for me but some people swear by it.
The best solution is just to avoid the debris if possible, and it is a lot harder to get sucked up when you are going fast. Every piece of wood I have gotten stuck was going slow. That being said, I was going WOT this morning and managed to suck up a plastic bottle cap that got stuck. I don't know what the odds of that are but I guess I am lucky. I was able to pull it out through the cleanout port while on the water and kept going.
I also purchased some long-handled right-angle vice grips for grabbing stuff off the impeller through the cleanout port. Haven't tried them yet though.

 

[Paul fantuzzi]

Hello everyone and thank you for the anticipated answer!!
I have a small piece of wood stuck in the impeller and can’t reach it. What is the best thing to do? Remove the jet assembly from the rear and pull out impeller OR. Remove the grate under the boat?
Does the grate have lock nuts or is it difficult to remove? My grate looks like two separate pieces where the grate is screwed into another steel housing grate.
Please help!!! What’s easier to do???
Thanks.

Hello everyone! Update.
I dried the wood out and Pryed with a screwdriver. Moving the wood slightly and pulling out with a locking pliers. This little piece of wood caused me 4 hours of travel on the lake at 4mph to return to dock. Yikes!
Wow! Thanks to everyone for the help!!! You folks are wonderful!!!!!

 

[PhatPat]

Here's a couple of mine.

 

[Paul fantuzzi]

Here's a couple of mine.

I’m saving them also to remind me to not panic and laugh after it’s all done! I’d have to say this is really ridiculous- I owned 4 stern drives and never had issues. Now two weeks and two major issues.
I just built a new boat tool box 1. Hair dryer and extension cord 2. Lots of different locking pliers. 3. Long picks and screw drivers 4. All other tools. 5. A head light to see. 6. A box filled with luck 7. A pint of whiskey
Thanks again to all of you for saving the day and my approaching 5 day vacation. Paul.

 

[212s]

I’m saving them also to remind me to not panic and laugh after it’s all done! I’d have to say this is really ridiculous- I owned 4 stern drives and never had issues. Now two weeks and two major issues.

Yeah that sucks, but now you know how to deal with it.

I've had bags, plastic, thick weeds, and fishing line in my impellers. Luckily each time I was able to remove via the cleanout plugs and not have any wood get stuck in there. Having said that, I've had the same junk mess up prop boats too - weeds can be bad in our area and with our prop boats we needed to stop and rev in reverse a few times to clear the prop, or pull out fishing line from the raw water intakes, or cut out plastic bags that "melted" to the shaft just ahead of the prop. So far I'd say the jets haven't been any more of an issue so I'm happy I switched to jets.