1998 Mariah Question
 

My 1998 205 Shabah runs perfect, but I felt somewhat ignorant when I was told at a local boat shop to have the mercruiser impeller changed every two years. ( I had no idea it had one) I was assuming the 305 Chevy has a water pump. The boat never overheats and is used in fresh water exclusively. Post from Irvine, CA USA

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

The engine does have a water pump but there is also a plastic impeller in the lower outdrive the draws water up to the engine. It's good to have it changed if you are not sure how long it's been since it was last replaced. Not sure about every 2 years but it good insurance to replace it on a regular schedule.

Nathan J

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

Agreed. Personally i think every 2 yrs is overdoing it but it depends on how much you use the boat and what conditions the boat is operated in. I plan on doing mine this fall and that will be 4 yrs for me but then i dont spend a lot of time on the water.

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

Thank you . I will have it replaced this week.

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

X2 on having it replaced. I bought my boat in January in Maryland, sea trialed in the Chesapeake Bay with skim ice. When I brought my boat back home, and launched it in May for my "Christening" in local waters, the impeller went bad, overheated the engine, and I had to be towed back in by a 14ft aluminum fishing boat. Not the greatest feeling.

So I replace my impeller every 2 years, and even keep a spare onboard just in case. :wink_thumbup:

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

I guess the positive out of that experience is that at least it wasn't a Bayliner towing you home.... :rolling_laugh:

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

I recently bought my '98 with 200 hrs on it, the impeller had never been changed by the previous owner (my father) so I dropped the lower unit this spring and replace it. The original looked fine, it didn't even have any cracking in the rubber. This is a freshwater only boat, I don't think i'll be changing it any more often than every 5 years or so.

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

Thanks for the info. What about my Shabah 180 with the mercruiser? I'm assuming it's the same? What should I expect to pay for something like this?

Re: 1998 Mariah Question
 

It's also got the Mercruiser Alpha One Gen II outdrive.. I don't know what you'd pay to have the impeller replaced, but I paid $45 for the Quicksilver impeller kit and $8 a quart for the Quicksilver gear oil when I did mine.. It took me about 3 hours to do, i'd imagine a shop would be ALOT quicker.