Best Tool For Clogged Impeller?

[Jeff L24]

My first trip of the year was cut very short after sucking in a stick and having it get wedged onto the impeller blade. I could not dislodge it while in the water. It cavitated badly and I had to idle back to the dock. Even back on the trailer and trying from under the boat, the various tools I had (serrated saw knife and hooked blade knife) did not help. I let it sit for 2 days for the wood to dry out and bought a 16" flat head screwdriver. The combo worked to remove the wood but I still felt like I didn't have the best possible tool. What have you found works best? I just ordered a 16" needle nose pliers with a 45 degree angle (see pic). I was prepared to remove the jet drive but glad it wasn't needed. After watching several videos on how to remove it, it seemed like the 2019+ Yamaha jet requires additional steps to remove than 2018 and earlier.

 

[AZMark]

I have used the exact same type of pliers.
I’ve only ever had one stuck bad enough to need to do it on the trailer.

 

[knoxboatin]

I have had little sticks wedge in between the impeller blade and the outer shell. The first time I overzealously disassembled the pump. After that I have a much better mental picture of how it looks when I stick my hand down in the cleanout. Surprisingly, my go-to tool is the bottle opener blade of my Victorinox Climber Swiss Army knife. The handle is compact enough to get down in there, and the shorty blade allows me to apply a lot of force in a concentrated way without flexing. It's also not really that sharp-edged so I don't feel like I'm scratching things up down there. I really ought to get a lanyard for it.

 

[TommyMcK]

Timely thread. Sucked up what ended up looking like some sort of plant material in the port intake while nearly at idle in Annapolis harbor today. Even at idle, I could tell immediately. I docked the boat (in ego alley of all places) and pulled out some stuff which made things better but still not right. As above, there ended up being a small piece of wood or branch or whatever between one of the impeller blades and the outer cylinder. I didn't have any appropriate tools. I had to resort to using my fingernails to clear just a bit away, closing things up, running the engine while underway, shutting down, and doing it again. It took four times, but eventually it was entirely clear. The material didn't prevent the impeller from turning evidently, and the repeated running of the engine kept slightly dislodging things so that each time, I had a bit more material to grab on to.

The good news is that I got very used to clearing pulling the cleanout plugs in less than optimal circumstances.

 

[sunbyrned]

I can relate to being on the water and not being able to dislodge whatever is stuck in the impeller. Luckily I’ve been able to remove most of my stuff by throwing her in reverse. But don’t let it ruin your day. If you’re able to get the boat on the trailer, just have the tools ready to remove the pumps. It takes 15 minutes and you’re back on the water.

 

[TommyMcK]

In my case, I was a half-hour away from home at full speed... at 5mph, it'd have been hours away gimping along. There are circumstances though where it could be difficult or impossible to clear from the clean-out port.

Great video. Thanks!