[Lumpy]

Plan on converting to a Bravo next year but would like to go to a bravo seawater pump now. Pump is on the way but what to do with the pump
IN the alpha? Please advise.....

 

[Lumpy]

wrong forum?

 

[Grand Illusion]

You could probably just remove the impeller from the housing inside the drive but I'm not sure. Never thought to try it.
You could also put a pickup in the bottom of the boat and bypass the drive all together.

 

[BDMarine]

If you really want to have the Bravo sea water pump before you do the conversion, I would not try to draw through the Alpha system even with the impeller removed. Leave the water pump intact and cut the hose between the drive and transom assembly and let the Alpha water pump cool the drive then spit out back to the lake. Obviously you will have to plug where the water where it would normally pass through the transom or the boat will sink. Put a thru-hull fitting in the bottom of the boat and pick up the water for the new pump there. The Bravo pump has a 1 1/4" inlet and outlet so you will have to do some reducing to fit it to the Alpha water supply at the thermostat.

Personally I would wait until you convert it to the Bravo. Keep fresh impeller in the Alpha water pump and run it.

 

[lowfunds]

the alpha drive uses the same size hose 1-1/4" especially if it has a power steering cooler. i would do like stated above keep the impeller in the drive cut the hose that goes from drive to transom then remove the hose from the inside transom fitting and mercury sells a cap. then install a thru hull fitting and run that hose to the bravo pump. why are you looking to do this swap. the alpha pump works fine for the stock application. i wouldn't change it if it's working for you. when you do the bravo swap then you will have the bravo style pump.

 

[Lumpy]

Thanks for the advise gents. Its my first mercruiser outdrive.....had volvos for many years and just feel weird about not being
able to change a impeller 50 miles up river without a paddle. Unsure

 

[BDMarine]

the alpha drive uses the same size hose 1-1/4"

Sorry, I typed thermostat when I meant to type transom.
The Alpha One through transom water tube came with two different sizes, neither of which were 1 1/4". There was a 5/8" and 3/4". The one used on the 454, which is what he has, is a 3/4". It then uses a piece of hose bonded inside the supply hose to adapt it to 1 1/4". The point was that the Alpha transom only has a 3/4" diameter tube and it would have to use some sort of adapter to get it to 1 1/4", such as the stock supply hose which would have to be modified to get to the Bravo pump.

 

[Lumpy]

Sorry, I typed thermostat when I meant to type transom.
The Alpha One through transom water tube came with two different sizes, neither of which were 1 1/4". There was a 5/8" and 3/4". The one used on the 454, which is what he has, is a 3/4". It then uses a piece of hose bonded inside the supply hose to adapt it to 1 1/4". The point was that the Alpha transom only has a 3/4" diameter tube and it would have to use some sort of adapter to get it to 1 1/4", such as the stock supply hose which would have to be modified to get to the Bravo pump.

So is this a Alpha cooling issue or a plumbing issue? I converted a Volvo AQ280 to a Volvo SX a few years
ago and had to Frankenstien a bit of plumbing. As for the Alpha is there some sort of cooling passages that
the unit needs to push water thru? It just seems that it would not matter if the water was pushed or pulled. Now
if there are cooling passages the water needs to be pushed thru the Alpha unit then I would understand.