Possible water pump fix?

[Michiganfan19k 0]

I bought a 2000 centurion ecplise last year and used to boat pretty often for a few weeks with no issues. I then had the boat in the water and had the belt lock up on me. After starting and shutting the boat off a few times, the belt was moving freely. I thought the alternator was starting to go so I replaced it with a new one. Boat ran fine for a few more months then it happened again! Haven’t done anything with it since. I did the same thing to free the belt up again but does this lead me to think it was possibly the water pump starting to go? Or am I missing something. Any help is appreciated as the boating season is coming in a few months!

[InfinitySurf 302]

I would remove the belt and hand check everything. Total speculation, but maybe you have a bearing that is seizing up or worn out? Something is locking up the belt and not allowing it to turn, makes sense that you should be able to feel an issue if you wiggled them all by hand to see what kind of play you have or if one does not want to turn freely (The ones you can turn without engine on, like the water pump). May even be worth having someone start the engine briefly while you are back there to see if anything is not looking right, or making weird noises. Perhaps you will find your issue that way. Good luck.

 

[Michiganfan19k 0]

Yea problem is the water pump is really

the only other one I believe I can turn by hand and also does not help that it seems to big a devoloping problem that can go many many starts before the issue occurs 

[rhino89523 34]

If you have a serpentine belt You have an idler pulley probably more like 2 with the tensioner. They have little skateboard wheel bearings in there and they go out all the time. I'd do like infinity said, you have to pull the belt anyway, you might be surprised what you can feel. not knowing Your boat you also have 2 water pumps the one that runs the motor and the sea water pump or whatever they call it and those both will have a belt. The water pump for the motor usually blows out the weep hole in the bottom bearing when it takes a dump, and you will be able to wobble it most likely when the bearing goes. The sea water pump is jammed in there so tight, if it is jamming up you are probably losing chunks of rubber and you want to get that out of there and service it before it passes that garbage everywhere.