www.iFourWinns.com

Please help. I have 2005 Fourwinns Vista 288 -twin 260 hp mercruisers -- with bad raw water pump. Local(national brand) repair shop says starboard engine must be PULLED in order to access water pump. They say starboard pulley is too close to the wall to access/remove it. I see at least one post (2006 Vista 288) where owner repaired his own, with no mention of pulling engine. I doesn't seem possible you must pull the engine to access an impeller, etc.
Thanks.

Are these engines equipped with Bravo drives or Alpha drives? Reason being is that on an Alpha boat you have the raw water seawater pump in the outdrive. The Bravo series do have engine mounted seawater pumps. Post up a pic of your engine space.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I would deem it to be an un-sellable design flaw if you had to pull an engine to perform an annual impeller change.

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

The impeller is accessed from the back side of the raw water pump... and the entire pump and pulls come off the block so no need to remove just the pully.

Lots of room In my boat, I have a hard time believing this.

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2004 - 288 Vista
Twin - 5.0 Volvo Penta GXi DP

Appreciate the replies. Unfortunately: Mine is Bravo III. So pump is on the engine. And they are Mercs, not Volvo so configuration is different. No space to work. My regular mechanic/tech who normally services it at dock said pulley was too close and he couldn't do it. So i got the big name, national brand outfit to haul it and they now say the same. "Must pull the engine." Apparently the SPECIFIC combination of 260hp Mercury engines and Bravo III drives and a FourWinns Vista 288 hull are a bad combination. (And when you buy one, you don't measure all clearances.) Just looking to hear if someone with those exact combinations has had a different answer. Thanks! Thanks.

Hate to read this, over the years I have bought similar engineering nightmares. You can only hope someone comes up with a mod that allows the seawater pump to be changed with out the motor being pulled, that really is stupid for four Winns to design it like that. If that truly is the only way, they should never put the merc/bravo III in a 288....

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Current:
2000 Sea Ray 380 Sundancer "still Livin the Dream"

Past
2002 268 Vista 5.7 GXI "Livin' the Dream"
1996 Rinker 192 Captiva. "The Simple Life"
1999 Yamaha XLL 1200 Waverunner.
1976 Mercury Marquis tri hull 120 hp

My comments are referring to my experience with my 288, and the Merc setup I had on one of my previous boats. Yes, the Volvo setup is not comparable.

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2004 - 288 Vista
Twin - 5.0 Volvo Penta GXi DP

Post a pic of the boat structure in that area. I'm wondering if it can be clearanced just enough to give you enough access to get the pump housing off.
I bet a good fiberglass shop could do this without compromising structural integrity and eliminate the completely absurd need to pull an engine to replace an impeller.
Where is Four Winns engineering? Do they ever work on boats?

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Thanks for all replies. I am biting the bullet. Turns out I have several other issues that can best be addressed at same time by pulling engine. Still it is really stupid of Fourwinns. BTW: I had genset warranty replaced several years back and guess what? Stbd Merc had to be pulled to access it. Thanks again Fourwinns.

You do know that normally, you replace the impellers every 2-3 years. Are you willing to pull the engine every time you have to do this? I would find a way to make room to get this done (ie fiberglass work), or change to a crankshaft pulley raw water pump for both engines. Like those used on most straight inboard boats. I bet if you got a marine mechanic to remove the Merc belt driven pumps and install Johnson or Sherwood crank pulley mounted pumps its would be way way less than an engine pull. There is more than one way to solve engineering problems......

http://inetmarine.com/crankmountedpumpsandkits.aspx

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Gents,

I also have a 288 and recently went through this problem. The pump on starboard side has very limited access but with patience I was able to change it.
Like the gentleman said, he's got other issues to deal with.