www.iFourWinns.com

My mechanic (highly trusted...also maintained our prior Vista 248) almost had a heart attack replacing the generator impellor on my 2005 Vista 288 with twin 5.0 Merc I/O.

This should be a quick/easy fix. But on our '05 Vista 288 it took TEN HOURS because there is no ACCESS for maintenance provided for the generator impellors. Impellor is squeezed BETWEEN the generator and the starboard gunnel/hull -- inaccessible.

Required removing starboard Merc engine manifold, then detach and slide generator away from gunnel/hull to reach the impellor. Anyone else experience this? Is this some unique engineering/space issue due to twin engines & generator configuration? I now fear a costly reocurrance of what should normally be a minor maintenance item.

I've changed my impeller myself once since I've owned the boat. It's time again. It took me (unexperienced and first time) about 3 hrs to change it out. I removed the starboard side exhaust elbow to give space to reach the impeller area. There is a small panel that snaps into place covering the pump. I removed it, removed the screws and removed the impeller. I used a cable tie to hold the impeller fins in the right orientation and once the impeller was in place I worked the tie off. I lubricated it very well for it's first "dry" start and it worked perfectly. Once I figured out how to access the impeller, the actual work to remove the exhaust elbow, remove the impeller and replace it, reinstall the exhaust elbow with a new gasket was perhaps 1.5 hrs. I used a mirror leaning up against the transom to view the back of the genset.