This morning I was doing some preparation to get ready to replace garboard drain tube on our 1981 Sport 13. My first step was to remove the bilge pump, a Johnson 750 GPH with a replaceable cartridge, from the sump. I first removed the cartridge and then the pump body. I put the three mounting screws in a Ziploc bag and taped them to the pump cartridge. During the process I observed a lot of debris wrapped around the cartridge impeller. I cleaned it off and found that part of the debris was some light weight mono. After cleaning the cartridge I decided to reassemble the pump. I then found it would not remain together. Examination showed the rubber material under the screw that held the locking device to the body had deteriorated to the point that the locking tab was no longer tight to the body. Lacking a replacement I removed the rubber and screwed the screw into the body until it held the lock tightly.
That's a pretty wordy way of saying that if you have a similar pump it may be useful to check it out at least seasonally. When I last used the boat a few weeks ago the pump didn't malfunction and I had no clue it needed attention.
Bilge Pump Maintenance
Bilge Pump Maintenance
Butch