Over Heating????

CheerokeeWake · Criminal Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 69 City: Nashville

I got a 00' Centurion Eclipse, and i have had it out a few times this year for short runs. over the weekend, i had some folks out to the lake and we ran it quite a bit on sat., the boat ran great. sunday, i got up and ran over to the marina, to fill up, came back and the boat was still running good. after breakfast, we decided to go out for a session. I started the boat, and in minutes of just idling, the temp guage was off the chart. i shut it down and let it sit to cool off, then she started right up, and again the temp guage was off the chart. I guess it is a water pump (chevy 350), is there anything else you guys think it might be. Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Chris

Breezer · Outlaw Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 246 City: Austin

I would bet it is the impeller. If it cools down after you get it up to speed, then the impellor is probably just about chewed up. Second, replace the thermostat. Both of the these can be done on about 20 minutes.

Hyperryd · Addict Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 604 City: Central Cali

Your impeller on the water pickup pump is shot. You have two water pumps, one that pulls the water out of the lake and the regular water pump that circulates through the motor. The impeller is made of rubber and is the most common thing that goes out on inboard boats. It is about 30 to 50 bucks for the impeller itself and it depends on where the pump is (it varies depending on what brand of motor, Mercruiser, indmar, PCM) as to how easy it is to get to. It's a good idea to change this impeller every other year or carry an extra one on the boat. Good Luck.

tdes · Soul Rider Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 270 City: Orlando

I have similar problems but my impeller was pretty much brand new and in perfect condition. My problem (and this is on-going) is that the lakes we go to often have a lot of grass clippings and weeds floating around. This would end up clogging the metal filter piece between my impeller and the water intake from the lake. Keeping this clean makes all the difference for the temperature and sometimes even my boat's performance. Sorry if this is totally obvious, but if not I would say it's a good thing to check first.

twitch88 · Posted: May 19, 2003 12:05 pm Post subject:

make sure it is actually hot it could just be a bad temp sending unit

MrBlean · Posted: May 19, 2003 1:30 pm Post subject:

Agree with superx75 that it's worth checking if genuinely hot. Had an overheat warning light on the dash of my LT-1 powered M/Craft and this was simply a faulty sender for that warning light. Guessed something was wrong as temp guage read normal and engine mgmt system would have gone into limp home mode if had been genuine overheat. However, also agree with others in that is likely to be either impeller or blocked filter on input (usually located in transmission oil cooler).

CheerokeeWake · Criminal Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 69 City: Nashville

Thanks alot everyone, the boat is in the shop, and the mechnic said most of the same things, should know this afternoon. hope to be back on the lake this weekend.

twitch88 · Posted: May 20, 2003 11:45 am Post subject:

good luck, it seems like every time i take my boat in it costs an arm and a leg. hope this isn't the case for you

marcg · Addict Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 944 City: Salt Lake City

time to Break Out Another Thousand.

On my old Nautique the water filter was missing the rubber seal causing an air gap....someone cleaned it out and
let the seal fall out....this disrupted the flow and caused the over-heating.

MrBlean · Posted: May 20, 2003 11:01 pm Post subject:

Cherokeewake - how'd it go at the shop? All sorted?

CheerokeeWake · Criminal Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 69 City: Nashville

I am please to say that everything went as planned. The impeller was the problem, and is now fixed and ready to go, and it cost me less than $100!! I also had the spedo's blown out, and the fluids changed. Ready to hit the water this weekend.

MrBlean · Posted: May 21, 2003 6:06 am Post subject:

Great news! Proves the point that it's always best to check the obvious first - ask any roadside mechanic! Did you remove your impeller over winter? If not, it takes a "set" and this can cause it to fail the following season. A new impeller at least every other year is a wise investment and they're so easy to fit - hence the $100 bill.