Warm/cold to the touch

[Pods]

I have just recently overhauled the carbs and replaced the water pump, drained the lower unit oil on my 1984 90 hp Johnson, and now I think I am ready to fish.....<br />Everything appears to be in working order and when I had it running on the muff in the driveway I placed my hand on the back of the heads and noticed something I am not sure about. Looking at the engine from the rear the heads on the left side were warm and the heads on the right side were cold. The engine had been running on the muff for approx 10 minutes while I was checking things out. Is this something to be concerned about. By the way I had the thermostats removed several years ago and I run this motor in saltwater. Ok pros let me know if I should go fish or tear into the motor again. Thanks and take care.<br /><br />Pods.

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: Warm/cold to the touch

I don't know any better. Why did you remove the thermostats?

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: Warm/cold to the touch

Exactly my question. Why did you have the t-stats removed instead of replaced? They are in there for a reason and your probably gonna run into other problems with them removed. If you want it to run right, you should put them back in. My motors always run cooler on the muffs, the cover is usually off, there is no load or back pressure on it and the water from the hose is colder. The engine doesn't get a chance to initially warm up properly at idle with no t-stats in it, best bet is to replace them, it's a cheap investment to have your motor run right.

 

[ledgefinder]

Re: Warm/cold to the touch

Iffy. If you're sure both thermostats were removed, sounds like there's a flow blockage on the left side. Next time, pull the hose off the left side head - if that head goes cold, then the blockage is in the thermostat housing. <br /><br />If used in saltwater, the heads should be periodically pulled off, cooling passages inspected & cleaned, and deflectors replaced. Sounds like it's time.