Reply To: Water Pump Replacement 1955 Johnson 5.5

[Terrel Beckham]

Aquasonic and Fleetwin,

Thanks for the insights.   I did eventually get this assembly to mate.   I removed the grommet from the impeller housing and verified it would slide onto the water tube (albeit with a tight fit).  I reinstalled the grommet in the impeller and re-tried the assembly.  I was able to sight down the lower unit (with no powerhead) and make sure the shifter shaft was in its guide and the water tube was centered on the grommet.  At this point there’s about an inch of gap at the lower unit connection.  I then took everything off the bench and rested the skeg on the garage floor.  Now I could put gravity to work pushing down firmly on the upper unit.  Everything went together nicely and I installed the four bolts with Neverseez.  I was afraid of bending or breaking the water tube or mis-seating the grommet.  Thankfully neither appears to have happened.

Making the water tube assembly and cleaning the powerhead to lower unit gasket surface have been the most challenging parts of this job.  But I’m learning as I go and have the luxury of taking the job slow.  I hope to report soon that this 69 year old kicker is happily chugging away in the near future.  I can then turn my attention to the cosmetic aspects of the rebuild, paint and such.

Thanks for ringing in.

Buster