Oberdorfer Water Pump

Can anyone offer suggestions on how to remove the cover plate off the water pump? After haul-out I wanted to check the condition of the impeller and replace it with a new one in the spring but I can't get the cover off. I removed the 4 screws holding the cover on but the cover appears to have some kind of sealant on the mating surfaces and I can't get anything between the cover plate and the impeller housing to pry it apart. I certainly don't want to score the cover or housing, or worse yet break anything. My E-32-200 has the Universal 25MXP with the Oberdorfer (made right here in Syracuse, NY) water pump. Thanks.

Same water pump, same model diesel. Ours has a paper gasket that is sold separate from the new impeller. If I put some grease on both side of the paper when reassembling it, a thin knife blade is all that's needed, at most, to get the front plate to move.
Try a razor thin blade at the edge. Perhaps the last person to replace the impeller put in the paper bare and it has, for whatever reason known only to Poseidon, bonded to the surfaces. (I have had to scrape the old gasket off one side or the other in small pieces in the past.)

Once you get the metal cover off, do check it for wear or scoring, which will let water past the end of the impeller and lower the amount pumped. We had a mechanic friend surface-hone ours for a couple bucks due to this.

Best,
Loren

ps: earlier thread seems relevant:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=6513&referrerid=28

Thanks for the reply Loren. I knew about the gasket, however mine appears to have been assembled with some kind of sealant - probably silicon caulking - and no gasket. There is a small amount of sealant residue visible. It has never leaked or given me trouble but I do want to replace it as a precautionary measure. I did make a feeble attempt with a knife but didn't want to botch things up. I'll have to try working a razor blade in there. I had previously read the thread you included, but I re-read it to see if I could extract any more info. Thanks again.

Rather than risk scoring the mating surfaces with a blade, try using a large set of channel locks or a pipe wrench to twist(rotate) the cover off and break the seal that way. You can add some padding to the side of the tool in case it gets away from you.

If none of the above work, try this. Take a cold chisel and place it on the edge of the plate. The key here is the point is on the plate's edge, not the seam - I can't stress this enough. Angle the chisel so when struck, it is going to drive the plate away from the body of the pump, and then give it a sharp whack with the ball peen. This will hopefully pop the seal and break it free. This is more of a finesse thing than a force thing. You must be very careful you don't let the chisel slip into the seam, or you can ruin the mating surfaces. Hopefully this will do the trick.

Ouch!

Darned good thing that Ericsons are strongly built...
What with "Viking Maintenance" consisting of razors, wrenches, chisels and big hammers, our boats *have* to be strong!


Cheers,
Loren

Loren,

you forgot to include the Sawz-All

WOW, all this great advice. Let me see if I got this straight. Use a Sawz-All to cut the engine out, then take a 10lb. sledge hammer to the Oberdorfer to break it free of the engine. Then I use the chisel with a 2lb sledge (because I'm now very tired) to break away the 4 retaining screws, then hacksaw the cover off? Or should I use a torch?

OK, next time I'm out to the boat I'll give the large Channel-Lock's a try,,,, gently, with some padding over the jaws of the pliers. But first up,,, vacation in Utah so it will be a couple of weeks before I can try this and let y'all know what happens.

Thanks for the replies.