I tried to help a fellow house boater repair his Crown head this past Saturday. We did pretty well until we tried to replace the impeller that empties the head.

His head has two rubber impellers; one is located on the back of the motor and pumps water into the bowl and the other is located just behing the macerator plate that has the two swing arms on it and pumps the "effluent" to the tank. This impeller actually fits over a boss on the back of the plate and is held in place with a flat head screw about an inch long. We were able to remove the screw through the hole one the side of the housing where the joker valve connects but couldn't figure out how to get the macerator plate and impeller out of the front of the unit.

My question is is this the plate a press fit? It appears from the schemetic there is a woodruff key in the shaft to keep the plate from rotating on the motor shaft but we were not able to free the plate from the shaft. There is not a good way to get a hold of the plate (yes we used gloves!)

The instructions do not indicate how to get this apart and before we started banging away I figured either the "Head Mistress" or "Head Master" would know the best way to disassemble this.

FYI I don't know how old the head is but my estimate is mid 80's. The boat is located on Dale Hollow Lake Tenn.

Suggestions from anyone would be most welcome. (I already suggested he buy a new head and he asked if I would loan him the money so I have to find out how to fix this thing!)

Thanks,
SouthernCross

-------------------------
16 X 80 1996 Summerset on Dale Hollow

I've done that job, twice. It's really not too bad. The macerator is a press fit. The plate has two threaded holes in it. You'll need two screws that fit those holes (I remember 10X32?) about 3" long. Bottom those screws and alternate pressure until the plate comes off. Here's the kicker. Raratan doesn't make the rubber impeller anymore. You'll have to buy an upgrade kit that replaces the macerator and impeller with nylon parts. Raratan is pretty helpful with making sure that you get the correct kit; just be ready with your serial number. Not cheap. ~$50?

-------------------------
Harbor Master 47
Watts Bar Lake - TN River

Thanks for the tip LongJohn. By the time I got your reply he had contacted the manufacturer and found out it was a press fit and had been able to get the thing apart. He has a "supply" of the rubber impellers so he can put off the conversion for at least a while.

Thanks Again,
Southern Cross

-------------------------
16 X 80 1996 Summerset on Dale Hollow

Longjohn, you say the conversion kit to replace the rubber impeller isn't cheap at about $50; do you have any idea what a complete Crown Head costs, these days? With the small, round bowl and seat, $1380.00; with the larger household size seat and bowl, $1450.00. Compared to the replacement cost for a whole new head with one of the same type, 50 bucks is a mere pittance...!

The version of the Crown Head that used the large rubber impeller in the discharge pump, backing up the macerator, has been out of production since 1987. The manufacture of the large rubber impellers as replacement parts was discontinued in 2005.