berkley jc pump inspection

[boatermike]

how tough to inspect? what am i looking for if i open it? what can be replaced while pump is in boat?wear rings change out often?



i wonder whats in that thing i can improve easily if im as wrench able guy, which i am

[Propless]

That's BIG question Mike.

Start by crawling under the boat with a flashlight and look up into the intake. Look for any nicks, chips, gouges, cracks, or whatever on the impeller. Even small issues on face of the impeller can cause problems (cavitation). If it looks like it been sand blasted in places, keep it out of the mud next time. ;)
Seriously, dirty, sandy, silty, water is not good for these things. It gets between the impeller and wear ring and just grinds things away until the pump looses all efficacy.

Look at the shaft also, they like to collect pieces of fishing line, etc, etc. While your under there make sure the intake grate (or loader if you have one) has all 4 bolts in it and there tight. also check to make sure its still in solid shade, you don't want to try to process a piece of that through the pump.

As far as working on a JC in the boat (imo), unless its been set back so you can easily remove the bowl (see pic), by the time you get the transom adapter off (the frustrating part) you might as well pull the whole pump out and work on it comfortably on you bench.

What can be changed in a stock JC to improve it......... Everything.

set back JC pump
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff97/propless/PICT0013-1-2.jpg

[boatermike]

what about the wear ring? what has to be done to change it? or inspect it

[BIGA]

good advice from propless. to make any inspection and or measurement of the wear ring you must remove the bowl and then the impellor. the wear ring is swagged in with a plastic type insulator that holds the wear ring in place, one can gently pry the wear ring out i prefer to gently heat the liner with a propane torch and it will soften it making it much easier to remove. if you plan on replacing the main bearing the shaft will have to come out the front. i agree once again with propless that it ultimately easier to remove the pump and put it on the bench for repair.

[boatermike]

how do you tell if the wear ring is good or bad?

[BIGA]

check it and the skirt of the impellor they should be smooth to the touch and check the liner that holds the wear ring in that it has not started to melt and have any berries hanging out. the most important and will take some exacting measurements, the skirt of the stock impellor should have an o.d. of 7.225 and the i.d.of the wear ring should be 7.250 giving you a stock clearance of .025 ideally. factory recommendations are .025-.035 total clearance 1/2 this amount per side. these measurements may be different if the impellor has been turned down and using an undersize wear ring but the clearances will be the same. also if the impellor is ligthly damaged one can turn it down and use a undersize wear ring to restore to stock clearance. these clearances if worn will make a hugh difference in the performance of the jet.

[boatermike]

thanks a lot for the info big a! do people go after this wear ring often? once its exposed is it easy to remove?

[BIGA]

removal... nothing that an average mechanical skills cant handle. i have all kinds of pullers, but one of the easier ways for the novice is to take a propane torch and gently heat the liner that holds the wear ring in, the heat will soften it and make it much easier to pry out the wear ring. one can use a series of pry bars ,or chisels, or lady feet, and walk the ring out of the suction housing. pm me if you like for phone number, would be glad to walk you thru it or give you as much tech advise as i can.