I was just wondering how often people recommend replacing a water pump and getting a tune up. I have had my boat for almost 5 years now and haven’t had any problems but just figuring it would be wise for a tune up. They also recommended a new water pump. All together should cost around $400.
Your best off doing it while they will be in there and messing around. I think it is usually $150-200 for a water pump.
I have my water pump/impeller checked every spring before my first (March) trip to P-4…I have a 2001 Yamaha FL115
and I replaced the impeller in 2006 and put in a new pump/impeller in 2013. The motor runs like a fine watch at 20 below or 100 above…
New plugs every other year… chg oil, Lube, lower unit, etc…every spring…pack trailer wheel bearings, new seals every spring…
I change the pump and plugs on my F115 Yammi when ever I begin to feel guilty for not doing anything to it. It’s such a non issue and easy that I do it just for that “feel good feeling”
jerr
I do my water pump and.impeller every year. The kit runs about $45. Cheap insurance. Sand is really hard on them. Fuel filter every year. Lower unit gear lube every year. Spark plugs mostly every year. Wheel bearings get greased a few times every year. All of my boats have been treated like this and they have all treated me well.
IMO it’s a good idea to replace a water pump every 5-6 years unless you’re logging over 100 motor hours per year.
The tune up depends on what motor you’re running and what your dealership considers to be part of a tune up. If the motor is running fine, idling fine, etc, there may be nothing to tune up. Replace the spark plugs, fuel filter, change the oil and lower unit lube and go. All of this can easily done yourself.
A note on spark plugs. It’s very important to find and set the gap as recommended for your particular engine. I encounter a lot of guys who think .030 is an “all purpose” gap setting for everything. This is NOT the case. Every engine is different and some engines are very sensitive to the gap setting.
With a little study, water pumps can easily be done at home. You’ll need help for larger motors as removal of the lower unit is necessary, but in general this is a 1 hour project the first time and then it’s 30-45 minutes.
I don’t replace just the impeller, I replace the whole pump every 5 or 6 years and that’s that.
Grouse
Every few years for an impeller.
Any shop charging $400 for even an entire WP is scamming you big time.
Learn to do it yourself on youtube. Its a fast job, hour or less once you know what you are doing.
Just had oil and lower unit oil changed had 400 hours on my 2009 115 yam they changed water pump also came to 350. total holmen marine
the old rule of thumb on the water pumps is every 3 yrs… cheap insurance
Every year in the spring for me and I do the tuneups myself, plugs, carb, everything. Its hard to find a tow truck out on the river. Get an old engine someones throwing away and take it apart and watch where everything goes, then put it back together again. Look at every part and figure out why its there and what it does. A guy can save a ton of money and if they hear their engine run after they tune it up they will do it again, then with the savings go buy some tackle. With a little practice its really not that hard.
guys make sure to check your wheel bearings on your trailer! i put 1s in last year and today i pulled the hubs and to my surprise the right side was really pitted cantbelieve what i saw! well new bearings again this year!
I always recommend getting the water pump services anywhere between 2 to 4 years tops. If you run a lot in silty water or run sand through it that will wear it out a lot quicker. I have a lot of guys who I replace pumps in there boats almost every year. These are tournament guys that tend to run the river a lot and they all know how much damage a failed pump can cause.
One thing also to remember with water pumps is because they are rubber they start to take a set just from setting around not being used. So even if you don’t use it much it needs to be serviced regularly.
Appreciate all the advise! I ended up buying a kit and installing it myself. Good old youtube made it easy. Again thanks!
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guys make sure to check your wheel bearings on your trailer! i put 1s in last year and today i pulled the hubs and to my surprise the right side was really pitted cantbelieve what i saw! well new bearings again this year!
If you do your trailer bearings in the fall when you put the boat away you will almost never have to replace them. I always did mine when I winterized the boat. Engine oil change, lower unit lube change, remove prop clean & lube splines, & pack trailer bearings. Come spring you are good to go. 
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