How to change the impeller on a Volvo Penta Gen 5 V8 or V6

How to change the impeller on a Volvo Penta Gen 5 engine.
For your convenience, I have provided Amazon Affiliate links below for items discussed in the video. What does affiliate link mean? I may earn a small (much appreciated!) commission from Amazon for providing the link, but it costs you nothing.
Impeller kit 21700445 (the Genuine Volvo Penta part and link I personally ordered from): amzn.to/3TLK717
Or here is a link if you want to try your luck on a less expensive aftermarket impeller. Although the manufacturer used/stole still images from my video, I can not endorse one way or the other (lol)! : amzn.to/3TwOq06
1/2x28 to 3/4x16 thread adapter: amzn.to/3xnJUJX or amzn.to/4anTWJv (they are the same thing, but one may be better priced). I suggest adding both to your cart and keeping the best option based on price and availability.
As for the bolt, I ordered it from McMaster-Carr, part number 92620A131. Sorry, they are not set up to sell on Amazon or to provide a direct link. So just go to their website (www.mcmaster.com) and search for the part number. Their site says it is not fully threaded, but it did arrive fully threaded. And since there was probably still at least an inch of threads left when I pulled it, a 2 inch (92620A128) or 2.5 inch (92620A129) long bolt should also work. Probably even a 1.5 inch (92620A127)? The shorter bolts are priced better than the 3 inch one.
A different adapter type could be used as long as the outer threads match the impeller (3/4x16). Then of course you would need a different bolt to match the internal threads.
Lastly, please subscribe so you can easily find my channel to return / review the next time you need to change your impeller.
Thanks for watching!
IB

[@josem6914]

Amazing video same engine same install. Here's a tip the 2 aka thermostat/ water pressure regulator valves on the exhaust manifold have been upgraded to a better part the plastic melts .

[@darwonboyful]

The sound of the birds in the backgroud braught back so many fond memories of my old grand parents house :) thanks for that trip down memory lane.

[@chrisknaffle]

Thanks for posting this. I wish it would have been available before I wasted my money on a “professional” impeller puller that didn’t work. This is so much easier. Also, in response to one of the other comments on this video, I have changed the impeller with the boat in the water. Yes, the water floods out of the impeller housing but the bilge pump will remove the water that accumulates about 10 times faster than it’s coming into the boat. No concerns there. I would not hesitate to do that again.

[@iowabuckeye]

Thanks for the comment about changing it in the water. How did you handle installing he new 'large' O-ring? Was that difficult with the water coming out? I have thought if I did need to do this on the water, maybe I could put a plastic bag around the entire outdrive to keep water from coming in through the pick-up vents? Or somehow clamping the input hose closed. Or even just sliding the input hose off the bottom of the water pump and shoving a rag in it for a few minutes..... But if I can get that O-ring installed fairly easily, just doing what you did sounds the easiest!

[@RLymburner]

Instructions worked like a charm, thanks for the informative commentary. I didn’t even know I had that water hookup 😅

[@iowabuckeye]

Thx for watching!

[@aux1dubsys]

Last time I used some silicone grease on the impeller shaft before installing the new impeller and it made removing it significantly easier, this time around.

[@iowabuckeye]

Agree - it is good to apply some grease to the shaft.

[@user-ux9lq4bn3w]

For what it's worth, if your impeller is damaged (unable to draw in water because it's chewed up) there are two ways to help diagnose. One is running the engine on the flush hose because that will let the engine run at idle without overheating, while using the muffs (or raw water as designed) will not be able to cool the engine. The way the flush hose works is a different point of entry into the raw water system, so it will force water through the system and cool it properly (at least with proper garden pressure) even if the impeller isn't working. The second is by simply loosening the screws on the water pump housing, as a dry impeller means it won't be pulling in water and as such you won't get leaks. I watched this primarily for the insight into the fabricated puller. I'm hoping I too get a fully threaded bolt.

[@iowabuckeye]

Yea I assumed most would be looking for a way to pull the impeller. Please post back and let me know if the bolt is still being shipped fully threaded. Even if not, I hope it would be threaded enough to be able to pull it out far enough that you could then remove it the rest of the way with pliers, and not risk damaging the housing. Thx!

[@user-ux9lq4bn3w]

@iowabuckeye Fully threaded bolt arrived today. So it will work, though technically any thread adapter in 3/4-16 male external threads will work. A partially threaded bolt will work a little, but given how tight they are I'm not sure how much. You probably want at least 3/4" of the impeller removed before going to vise grips.

[@iowabuckeye]

Good to hear.

[@SeanMora-z4q]

Awesome video !!! Saved me 900 bucks on a service and I did it myself 💪appreciate ya

[@iowabuckeye]

Glad to hear!! Save those dollars for more boat gas! lol

[@alexsaucedo5]

Great video and thanks for the adapter tool set description, very helpful!

[@iowabuckeye]

I’m glad you found it useful. Thx for watching!

[@Off2Fly737]

Nice video. Thank you for being thorough but succinct!

[@iowabuckeye]

Thank you! I try to keep things to the point and discuss what I think folks may have questions about.

[@kd4jaz]

Great video.....I'm having a heck of a time finding the adapter and 1/2" x 28 bolt

[@iowabuckeye]

Did you take a look at the video’s description, as I included info there. You should be able to find the adapter on Amazon, and I ordered the bolt from McMaster-Carr. If you still can’t find them after looking at the description, let me know and I’ll see if I can figure out how to post a link. Thx

[@johnbravo2315]

Applying some Vaseline on the large rubber o ring will help it remain in place prior to installing the cover plate. Excellent video!

[@iowabuckeye]

Thanks for the compliment! As for Vaseline, I have been told petroleum based lubricants are not good for rubber. I did a quick search and found this real quick on the web, see the last paragraph. That o-ring does take a bit of patience…. Seems too big/wide for the groove. www.rubbercenter.com/blog/agents-and-habits-that-cause-rubber-to-deteriorate

[@johnbravo2315]

Thanks for the update regarding safe grease on rubber parts.

[@marcsimmons5541]

Don't use vaseline, it will attack the rubber and start leaking.. never use vaseline on rubber o-rings.

[@Justin-kl7ec]

Hi Pal - great video, thanks again for your help. Keep the videos coming. I have the same gen V Volvo set up.

[@donaldbahr8304]

Great, well explained video…..thank you!!

[@iowabuckeye]

Thx for watching. Glad you found it helpful!

[@JimBrother-wt9hn]

Great video. Very informative and very helpful. I changed mine on my Volvo penta. Looks to be almost intentional to yours. Mine was 3 years old so I decided to change it, when I pulled it nothing looked wrong with it at all. The change out went smoothly. But when I took the boat to the lake it almost immediately went to over heating. Have you or anyone ever had this problem before? I don’t think it would have debris in the system with the old impeller being in tacked when I pulled it out. And the boat was not overheating before I changed the impeller. So I am confused as to what the issue could be.

[@iowabuckeye]

Yea I'm not sure what it could be either? Something simple to check off is to ensure you closed off any hose flush-port you may have connected to when changing the impeller. If you did connect a hose and the cap on the flush port is not tight, it will suck air and not allow the impeller to operate. Good luck finding the issue!

[@TheBikersurgeon]

Nice job, thanks!

[@iowabuckeye]

Thanks. Hope it helps!

[@davidcibin9061]

Nice video, but in my case I tried to pull with a small plier and came right off, very little effort and not much space to pull it out, maybe 3~4 inches. Otherwise I would lose a nice weekend on the water.

[@iowabuckeye]

Glad to hear it came out easily for you! I have seen some nightmare stories where they can be very difficult to remove. Have fun on the water!!!

[@pmcw007]

Thank you for your great video. The instructions are VERY clear and easy to follow. I'm curious, how many hours did you have on the impeller you removed?

[@iowabuckeye]

70 hours / 20 months.

[@pmcw007]

@@iowabuckeye Thank you. Do you happen to be on Lake of the Ozarks - we are and our neighbors are from Iowa. The impeller you removed appears to be in pretty good shape other than some scaring that may have been caused by removal. When I winterize, I use EZ-drain as the first step, but then fill system with -50 RV antifreeze so the impeller stays wet. I start this by pouring in through a hose adapter and then put the adapter in a gallon of antifreeze and let the engine suck that gallon in. My thinking is it provides better winter protection and should prolong impeller life versus letting the impeller sit dry during the winter months. I'm curious about your winterize process and your thoughts about the risks of changing impellers every 200 hours in my situation, which for me is every 3 to 4 years.

[@iowabuckeye]

We live in Marion, IA but do try and get down to LOTO once or twice a year! We hope to be there permanently some day.... And I did just respond to you winterization question within your comment in that video. I don't think the impeller will stay wet as the system is not pressurized. With my first start in the spring, I do attach to the flush port on the engine versus the one on the stern in hopes it will get water to the impeller a few seconds earlier. And as for the scaring on my impeller, it is symmetrical all the way around so is just normal wear versus pulling it out. Thx for watching!

[@pmcw007]

@@iowabuckeye If I'm looking over my engine towards the stern, there is a rubber hose coming up on the left to a fitting in front of me. As I understand it, that hose goes to the freshwater inlet - all inlet water flows through the hose. I take it off the fitting and put a "stump" in it so if my lift fails, the air won't allow water to run into the system - at least in theory. The right side, which is now a male fitting goes directly to the impeller - again what I'm told by the dealer. I prefill it with some pink - might take 1/2 gallon - after letting EZ-Drain drip for 15 minutes and closing EZ-Drain. Then I start with a fresh gallon - start and let it suck that up - do it again until I see pink out the stern. I then leave EZ-Drain closed, which is how the dealer does it. I don't see an issue with doing it either way.

[@iowabuckeye]

I fully understand what you are doing now. I thought you were just using the flush port by the dipstick. Thx for the reply.

[@EncounterCaneCorso]

Awesome & detailed. Thank you.

[@iowabuckeye]

Thank you for watching!

[@thomaspaccione7214]

Just be aware that that pump is probably below the water line. If you open that cap on the water to replace the impeller, water may start coming in.

[@iowabuckeye]

Very true! If you replace the impeller while in the water, I would be prepared to clamp/squeeze off the input hose to stop the water flow.

[@user-rr8dn5yl7d]

I just replaced the impeller on a Gen5 V6. The impeller came out easily with pliers. No special tool needed.

[@iowabuckeye]

Glad it was easy for you! But depending on how a boat is designed, some may not have access or the reach to pull it out with pliers.

[@user-rr8dn5yl7d]

@@iowabuckeye True. I had to remove the back seat just to access the water pump. I could have pulled the impeller without removing the water pump, but I pulled it anyway because it was missing parts of some blades. So I wanted to inspect the housing and and check the hoses for the missing pieces.

[@iowabuckeye]

We’ll that doesn’t sound like much fun! I’m curious how old your impeller was, and if you run in a sandy environment? I plan to swap it out every 2 years. And will of course keep a spare on board.

[@user-rr8dn5yl7d]

@@iowabuckeye The worst part was putting the seat and panel back on. The space was to tight I ended up with some painful bruising on both arms. The boat was a friend's; a 2020 Regal with a VP 200 V6. The motor had less than 100 hours on it. She ran it aground and used the motor to free it (I was not on the boat at the time to stop her). So the sand did a number on the impeller and she overheated on the way home. The funny part was that she was convinced the only problem was the pick-up was clogged with weeds. She called me over just to flush it out. 😅😂🤣 I usually inspect my water pumps and replace the impellers every 100 hours or two years which ever comes first.

[@iowabuckeye]

Ugh. Hopefully she doesn’t do that again!! Thx for the response and happy boating!

[@chrissadyg3109]

Great thx

[@michaelbgentry]

That 1/2x28 bolt is hard to find! just ordered from same place you did, hoping the 2" is fully threaded, if not, the threaded section might not be enough

[@iowabuckeye]

Even if not, I assume it will pull it out far enough you can then easily get a pair of pliers onto it outside of the housing. Good luck!

[@bogdanb1709]

Thank you

[@iowabuckeye]

You are welcome! Thx for watching.

[@user-rz8vf5mm2x]

Great Video!! Is the a water hook up instead of using muffs?

[@iowabuckeye]

If you are referring to the blue connection by the oil dipstick, then yes. That connection can be used instead of muffs. My outdrive also has another connection on the stern at the bottom of the outdrive for the same purpose. Thx.

[@Krob0325]

How in the world do you get yours to pop in like that? Mine won’t go last 1/4”

[@iowabuckeye]

Make sure the washer in the back of the housing did not slip and get sideways on you!! I’ll add a caption related to this in the video.

[@michaelpshady]

Helpful video! My impeller was pretty chewed up when I removed it to replace it. How concerned should I be about the pieces making their way into the engine? Will flushing the engine using that upper engine water port help? 10:49

[@iowabuckeye]

The pieces won't actually work their way into the engine, but rather the heat exchanger. Which is the black square box on the front of the engine. Running water through the upper flush port won't help as that port is on the input side of the impeller, and any pieces would have been pushed through the output side toward the heat exchanger. I am not 100% sure how the internals to the exchanger are designed, but assume small pieces will just work their way through and out the exhaust. I guess you could disconnect the hose going from the impeller housing and into the bottom of the exchanger to see if there are any pieces? As there may be some sort of screen on the bottom of the exchanger to catch such pieces? Else if convenient, just run the boat on the lake and watch your temperature. If it runs at normal temp, then I would assume any pieces have worked their way through the exchanger. And if not, then check the hose. It should be real simple as it is just attached with hose clamps. As long as your access to it is decent anyhow!!!

[@kd4jaz]

Try flushing in the OPPOSITE direction through the heat exchanger. that should push anything back and out the impeller housing. do this with the impeller removed.

[@iowabuckeye]

Can you explain how you flush the heat exchanger in the opposite direction? What/where do you connect the water source to?

[@efrenruano7183]

I have a glastron with 5.0 Volvo penta the impeller is at the same place of motor of yours to replace it ????

[@iowabuckeye]

I am not quite sure if you are asking a question or making a statement? A 5.0 will not be a Gen 5 engine, as the V8s are either 5.3 or 6.2. If you have a 5.0, I found this video which may help you. Thx. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4C2pWmaeq-shrM

[@richardbolen1929]

Two pairs needle nose pliers. Grab the impeller at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock pull it straight out. Easy peasy lemon squeezy

[@iowabuckeye]

Yes - easy peasy if you have great access and if the impeller is not seized onto the shaft. The puller just makes it so much simpler and removes the possibility of damaging the inside of the housing.

[@kimlezatte7563]

Great Video, thanks. Can you tellm ewhere to get the 1/2-20 bolt? I found the adapter no issues, but that bolt is tough. Thanks for you rhelp.

[@iowabuckeye]

I ordered it from McMaster-Carr. Part number 92620A131. I also have it listed in the video’s description. Thx for watching.

[@kimlezatte7563]

@@iowabuckeye thank you. I missed it in the comments.

[@donkirkley4622]

Would someone please post the part number used to order the adapter from Amazon. I was wrong, the Volvo Penta part I referenced does not fit the Gen5 impeller. Be nice if VP would cross reference part numbers and special tool numbers.

[@iowabuckeye]

Go to the video’s description and I state what to search for on Amazon. Of course several things will pop up, so make sure the size you order matches what is in the description. I couldn’t figure out how to post the Amazon link…..

[@jimbaird4433]

Where did you find the bolt

[@iowabuckeye]

Look in the video’s description. I have it spelled out there. Thx

[@user-et7xz3hv5q]

Can you tell me why my coolant is running out off my engine and I don’t see it in the huah

[@iowabuckeye]

I do not understand your question. Can you please restate it? Thanks

[@mrjuancarlosgiron]

Hey can you tell me where is the PCV valve located?

[@iowabuckeye]

Sorry, but I have never looked for the PCV valve. A quick google search on a modern GM 5.3 liter engine shows it on the front/right side. I took a quick look at my boat and don’t see it though? Maybe it is possible VP moved or removed it when they set it up. Or GM has moved it from where the picture I saw showed.

[@NinoPrez007]

I installed the impeller housing after summarizing and now I hear a grinding sound and the belts don't spin... I've taken it apart 2 times now and the same result. Any ideas of why?

[@iowabuckeye]

What maintenance did you perform? Did you just replace the impeller? Or did you replace the entire ‘housing’? Is your engine also a Gen 5 or some other type?

[@NinoPrez007]

@@iowabuckeye I was just summerizing it. I just put it back together cuz it was taken apart during the winterizing process.

[@iowabuckeye]

What did you put back together? Did you just install the impeller or install a new housing (water pump)? What engine do you have? Is the boat running when you hear the grinding? Or does it fail to start? Without some additional info I cannot offer any opinion.

[@NinoPrez007]

@@iowabuckeye I just put back the housing after it was taken apart after winterizing. Now it won't start. I hear alarms and then a grinding. Also no belts are spinning.To me it sounds like the water pump is seized.

[@iowabuckeye]

If nothing is spinning I would suspect your battery or battery connections. Have you checked your battery voltage and made sure your connections are clean/tight? The ‘grinding’ noise may actually be your starter solenoid clicking.

[@gregleja5155]

Where do you find that bolt on Amazon ? I can’t find it anywhere

[@iowabuckeye]

Take a look at the video’s description. I got the bolt from McMaster-Carr. I have the part number for it in the description.

[@f350dude]

I have a 6.2L 430 HP. in a 2021 Crownline. Guessing this procedure is the same?

[@iowabuckeye]

Yes. Just verify your impeller part number on your coolant tank. I assume it is the same part number, but please reply back and confirm for me if you can. Thx!

[@f350dude]

@@iowabuckeye Thanks. I will be back at the lake on Saturday and check it out and report back.

[@f350dude]

@@iowabuckeye closing the loop, my 6.2l 430hp is also 21700445. Where did you get yours from online. Thanks

[@iowabuckeye]

I've added links to where I buy from in the video description. And thanks for the follow up!

[@f350dude]

@@iowabuckeye thanks. BTW, using your ""how to winterize a gen 5 VP" to winterize the boat today. Big help. I talked to two dealers that did not know how to fog these in. They thought I was crazy when I told them how.

[@alphaomega9873]

after how many hours do you change or should this be done before every season?

[@iowabuckeye]

The Gen 5 engine calls for the impeller to be replaced every 48 months or 200 hours, whichever occurs first. I do it every 2 years (60’ish hours). And keep a spare on the boat.

[@alphaomega9873]

@@iowabuckeye how often do you change you’re anode? Or do you boat in freshwater?

[@iowabuckeye]

For anodes changing them depends more on how corroded they are versus how long they have been installed. I do boat in fresh water, and changed my anodes to magnesium versus the aluminum the boat came with. Your comment is timely as I was thinking about making an ‘anode’ video.

[@alphaomega9873]

@@iowabuckeye cool! I’ve done oil change and filters myself thanks to you’re help and saved thousands from the marina so a big thank you🫡 I’m in saltwater and a bit worried that my anodes are under 60% . Motor got 90H under its belt

[@iowabuckeye]

Glad to hear you are finding my videos helpful!! That is the whole reason I started creating them. I did just create/post an 'anode' video. If yours are at 60%, I would swap them out for new. I think the salt water ones are only about $25 if you have the same type of drive as mine? Cheap insurance to keep your drive looking nice! Here is the link to the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaSYY4h3iJKGbqc Thanks for watching! IB