Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

Good idea.. Also did you check to see if the hose in between your drive & transom shield is kinked or damaged? If you ran in crappy water you may also have a blockage with sea weed or other debris.. I would check all of your hoses & check at all of the coolers.. One last thought how are your exhaust manifolds? On some rare occasions I have seen them internally corrode to the point where the water only slowly runs out which would also cause hotter temps.. Just soome thoughts.. Hope it helps.. :) Jamie / Lakeside

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

I will double check the hose between drive and transom. The manifolds and risers are about year old and always flushed well . I will take supply hose off and blast it backwards to make sure drive is clear. Since the impeller spins so freely in the pump as compared to the way it used to , I am guessing the bore is worn out and that is the deal.

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

My guess is your sucking air. Check all of your fittings and lines. A pin hole will do it.

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

Any tips on how to check for any very small leaks?

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

Haul it to the lake. Might be nothing more than 2 sets of bad muffs since it works fine once you get it primed. Sure you haven't toasted the impellor during your trouble shooting?
What type of 'tee'do you have... The Perko with a check valve? Maybe a sticking valve. Also make sure the hose attachment fitting for the tee flushing either has the cap on tight (with the gasket of course) or a shut off valve is closed. If you are sucking ANY air in from that hose adapter, never will pull water from the muffs.

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

Hunt around for a large plastic tub that you can lower your drive into. Lower drive into tub and run hose into tub.

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

The "T" is Vovlo Penta part (they added them in like 2003 I think). It is little different than Perko is just a T(no check valve). Since there is no valves obviously the cap is more important and I have checked it along with the hoses for any leaks and they all seem fine.

Re: new raw water impeller..now difficulty priming
 

Update: I found a NOS pump, a local guy that salvages boats has some new parts, anyhow he had a pump from when he purchased a parts lot from a dealer going out of business. New pump turned way stiffer, much like pump used to. I took it apart and side by side the wear on the bore was very noticeable on my old pump. It primes and seems fine on the muffs, I will try to water test it today. Thanks for everyone's help/advice.