90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

[sonoramike]

1990 J60TLESM - took the boat out for the first time in a few months yesterday. As a new owner with little outboard knowledge I've always been impressed by the solid stream the motor put out even at idle. yesterday thought was a different story. Just logged a few minutes searching this site and reading the threads that came off the search while trying to get a handle on what the problem might be, but I've come away with more questions vs answers

is there a source for the actual factory manual for this specific motor vs the piece of garbage SELOC manual (pn (010-1) 1308) that I'm struggling to use? even a pdf would be great to have at this point

symptoms:
weak stream at idle - like a strong fast drip vs a stream. doesn't get much better while underway.

what is the actual purpose of the pisser stream?

should the water coming out be the same temp as the water going thru the water jackets around the cylinders?

what is the diff between the water that comes out from around the prop vs the pisser?

how do you tell if the water pump impeller is shot?

can I blow any obstruction out by shooting compressed air back thru the pisser towards the pump?

water pump is on the top of the lower unit?

Thanks in advance

 

[Salt Life]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

Not much of an outboard guy but it sounds to me like your water pump impeller is shot A good run on the muffs should let you know.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

If the motor is currently an unknown quantity the you should give your water pump a service.

 

[sonoramike]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

re:svc water pump, agree. is there a DIY that has photos showing steps to drop lower unit exist anywhere? the seloc manual is worthless. if I have to read one more section that starts with "good words" or "special words" or "helpful words" I'll take a fork and poke my eyes out.

looks like it is just 4-6 bolts but apparently there is something I have to do with lining gears up prior to dropping. looking around on the web to see if there is a photo of what the detached lower unit should look like

where do I want to be buying a water pump rebuild kit from?

 

[jonesg]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

To answer your questions,

yes your water pump is shot, its dead, done, finished.

Get the factory manual,
www.outboardbooks.com

order the water pump here on iBoats.
http://www.iboats.com/Johnson_Water...0987292--**********.307171830--view_id.271267

You can watch the marine doctor video of a johnson water pump job on youtube. Youll still need the manual. Get the manual first, have a good read.

 

[Salt Life]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

Sonoramike, Do you have an overheating problem?

 

[sonoramike]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

Salt Life: No, no overheating issues that I am aware of. no alarm going off, but I didn't run it for anywhere near long once I realized the flow was low

Jonesg: thanks for the pointers, good info

can anybody chime in with answers to the original questions? :

what is the actual purpose of the pisser stream?

should the water coming out be the same temp as the water going thru the water jackets around the cylinders?

what is the diff between the water that comes out from around the prop vs the pisser?

how do you tell if the water pump impeller is shot?

can I blow any obstruction out by shooting compressed air back thru the pisser towards the pump?

 

[Salt Life]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

Purpose of the pisser stream is to let you know you have cooling flow. (don't quote me)

If you don't have an overheating issue, then I would guess there is an obstruction in that hole. You could try blowing back in it to try and flush it out. I'm not sure if that would work.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

As stated above, you could simply have a minor blockage in the pisser tube. Try taking the engine cowl off, locating where the tube attaches to the block, and disconnect it. Then blow air through it. Don't do it while on the motor, if something is blocking it, whatever it is could very easily end up back in the block and block something much more critical.
There is no difference in the water coming out of the pisser vs. from around the prop. The water coming out the exhaust thru the prop is just whatever water was left over that didn't come out the pisser.
Low pressure out of the pisser is a good indication the imperllor is bad. Once you remove the lower end, and disassmble the water pump, look for wear on the rubber impellor, grooves in the casing, etc. You can probably find a used manual on ebay for under $50.
I am not positive on if the water coming out the pisser should be the same temp as the water in the engine, but you should be able to fell it change temp as the engine warms up, and then the t-stat opens, and the water will change temp as it is now circulating through the block as well.

As for removing the lower, there are probably 4 bolts visible (2 on either side if it's like mine), then you also have to remove the torque tab (trim tab, whatever it's called), and under that is another bolt. Then there's still another up under the cav. plate as well. It's a total of 6 bolts holding it on, but you have to remove that tab as well to gain access to one of them. You will also need to disconnect the shift linkage under the hood. It's going to be located under the carbs, behind the starter.
There is no aligning gears getting it out, but getting it back in you will need to align the splines on the driveshaft and get them into the bottom of the crank. This is not something you can see, you just have to feel it out.

 

[sonoramike]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

perfect - thanks for the info everybody, I'll let you know how it goes. Heading out to get some ears later today. We do get the mud dobbers out here that like to block things up, maybe I'll get lucky and it will just be a blocked vent line

 

[bob johnson]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

I have a gauge hooked up to my motor and get about 10PSI at idle and it runs up to 30 psi when cruising .

is that good, ok, fair, or poor?

bob

 

[ezeke]

Re: 90 Johnny pisser, and general cooling questions

That's good pressure. The water coming from the tell-tale lets you know that the water pump is functional; it does not tell you if the water is flowing through the engine cooling passages properly. A temperature gauge is the best way to monitor that.