AAAAAWWWWW F*CK!!!

Well as some of you know from Gamefishin I do some boat repair on the side from time to time.
I am working on a Kodiak 3 stage jet for a guy right now, it wouldn't crank over, needed a tune up, oil change, new bilge pump, service the jet pump, and some other miscellaneous maintenance.

It wouldn't turn over cause both batteries, the battery switch, and the starter solenoid were shot, got that all taken care of now she cranks like new.

Did the tune up, what a pain in the ass, spark plugs go in at an angle and almost hit the exhaust manifold, had to do all of them with an offset wrench. The only problem was the wrench was too long so I had to cut it down, that was my favorite offset wrench too!!

Oil change went off without much of a hitch.

Now we get to the jet, I was asked to replace the cutlass bearings in the jet. The owner orders the "jet pump rebuild kit" which includes all of the new o-rings and shaft seals for the pump along with the cutlass bearings.
I get the pump apart just fine and press the new cutlass bearings in, I start to change the impeller shaft seals witch are designed to be replaced with the shaft out of the pump but I manage to get them out. I start to put the new seals back in and notice something that doesn't look right, I grab my Mag-Lite and look up in the pump and AAAAAAWWWW F*CK, the god damn "seal face housing" is all f*cked up!!!! Sometime in the past there must have been some gravel or sand or something that got in there and tore this part all to hell!!! Of course the Seal face housing doesn't come with the kit, so I decide I am going to have to replace it to make sure this pump doesn't leak and works correctly when it leaves my house. I grab the manual and start reading about how to get that housing out and SONNOVABITCH I have to pull the FARKING MOTOR out of the boat to get this piece out of the jet housing!!! Now I remember why I never liked jet boats!!!
Ohh well I guess it goes with the territory!!!! I guess I will use this opportunity to fasten the new bilge pump down while the motor is out.
I should be all done with this one this weekend, just in time for the next one to show up!!!

Got in touch with Kodiak today, found out this particular pump is an oldie!!! Kodiak 100 Series, which is fine except that Kodiak no longer has any parts info for these pumps (maybe I have been fixing old broken shit for too long, I didn't think a 1991 jet was that old) so I was referred to Hamilton Pumps in Seattle. I must say those guys at Hamilton are a good bunch of guys!!! They helped me out big time, Kodiak 100 series is a copy of a Hamilton 773, they found the part, in stock, I ordered it and it will be here tomorrow. Can't ask for much better service than that!!! I am gonna get this part changed and send this baby out of here good as new!!!!!

OB-1, I feel your pain. Done more than my share of front seal, rear seal pulls on vehicles of all kinds. Too bad about the wrench. Do you have 2 shorty's now? I've done it, or worse, and said the same thing, damn. Well it'll all be worth it with another satisfied customer.

luckily when my old man retired feom detroit, i commondered all of his butchered specialty tools and he didnt wanna tak his box home, and just rolled it over to my station :32: i do not miss working on boats at all, i really hated yaghts, i really really hated them :94:

do you have a truck you do boat service out of like at des moines marina ?

Nope, the boat has got to be trailer able and come to my house.

Good to hear that you're getting some Kodiak experience already for when I need some work :17:

OB - those liners wear from use. Thats the beauty of pumps.....they suck stuff up :32:

ChuckS wrote:OB - those liners wear from use. Thats the beauty of pumps.....they suck stuff up :32:

I hear ya!! Someone has had this pump apart before, the liners are in good shape and the impellers have only just a few tiny nicks in them. It even looks like some one has changed the spring loaded portion of this seal before just not the "Face Seal Housing". It is basically a hard plastic donut with a brass or ceramic seal ring molded into the center for the spring loaded face seal to rub against. The brass or ceramic seal ring has been completely ground out of the plastic donut. After realizing that I have to pull the motor to change it I see why it has never been changed before!!!

RiverFishin wrote:Good to hear that you're getting some Kodiak experience already for when I need some work :17:

Got the Kodiak repair manual also!!! And a brand new hydraulic press just for working on these babies!!!

Well I pulled the motor and removed the pump shaft and I am really glad that I did!!!! Who ever had this pump apart before reassembled the forward bearing carrier, grease seals, and face seal housing all wrong!!!
The grease seals were installed backwards, the nut that holds the whole bearing carrier assembly was way loose, and the face seal housing was installed backwards also. I knew something looked wrong when I first took the pump apart!!!!
I corrected those issues and weather permitting I will put the shaft back in and reinstall the motor tomorrow, then reassemble the pump and dunk it for a test run and adjust. Then back home it goes Good as new!!!

Sounds like it really needed it.

Did you tell the guy you needed to test drive it (fishing trip) for about 3 hours before you felt safe enough to give it back to him...

Fishinfoolz wrote:Did you tell the guy you needed to test drive it (fishing trip) for about 3 hours before you felt safe enough to give it back to him...

I was thinking that test run long enough to catch a few springers would be just about right

Actually I don't take people's boats out unless they are with me, it will just get a run and adjust while it is on the trailer at the ramp!!!

RiverFishin wrote:Sounds like it really needed it.

We might think about doing a full service on your jet this fall Rory, that way you know exactly what shape your jet is in!!! I got the learning curve down now and I don't think yours has been apart before so the motor shouldn't have to come out to change those forward seals.