1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

[altrocker1]

so i did get the coils changed on my old fd as well as the ancient spark plug wires and it will fire right up now. however, im still having problems with water pumping! with the thermostat out of the motor, i can pour water into what i believe is the water inlet to the thermo and it seems to run out the water vents on the exhaust housing as it should. i even had the head off looking for blockages and could not find any. i removed the lower unit, and the water pump and checked the impeller plate and water tube grommets...the key in the driveshaft is fine (there is no scoring on the inner brass ring to indicate that it is spinning inside the impeller), the impeller spins correctly when the shaft turns...


now i've got to the point where the motor will spew water out of the exhaust for about 10-15 seconds after starting it, but then it goes dry. i've only been running it for a little bit at a time, but shouldnt that stream stay steady the whole time? i don't understand why it appears to work for a short bit, then stops. i've got about every issue licked in this motor, i just don't want to take it to the lake until i know its not going to overheat. what else am i missing? i feel like this is a point of entry problem into the motor. if you let it sit for a bit in the tank it will pump again...almost like you have to let the lower unit fill up first...so what could be clogged in the entryway?

 

[Will Bark]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

Are you sure you have it deep enough in the tank; some say it should be just below the exhaust relief holes. Others will chime in with aother thoughts. Good luck.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

Hi altrocker. I have an FD myself. The simplest thing to check is the water level of the test tank ( you can't use muffs on these old motors). It should filled to about an inch or two below the main exhaust port on the back of the leg. There is no "pee stream", or telltale on these motor. So you'll only ever get a hot spray out of the back. You can however add a tell tale, if you'd like. I just added one to my '66 20 hp and it works like a charm. Let me know if you're interested and I'll post the link. You can also reinstall the thermostat and t-stat cover, then drop the LU and take a garden hose and direct water op the copper water uptake tube with it properly seated in the underside of the motor. You should again see a strong flow of water exiting the exhaust port. This confirm clear passages from the impeller to exhaust. Here are some handy links for you FD motor and some vids of FDs running so you'll know what sort of exhaust spray to expect.

http://www.leeroysramblings.com/johnson_E-FD_15_18hp.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcUW_PwWs3U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oafapl_nmCI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tPc3SkIX2g


Here's a pic of my '66 FD 20C 20 hp with the telltale/"pee stream" I just added.

 

[altrocker1]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

well i get the great hot spray like i said for about 15 seconds, then it stop. perhaps its not full enough...it seems like it should have enough, but ill try to add more to the tank to see if it helps. perhaps once it starts stirring up the water, it just can't pull enough in. i have used a straw to put water through all the ports with a water bottle when the thermo housing was off and it seemed to come out all of the right spots, so it will run backwards through the motor. if i don't have to pull the lu again, it will make me a happy guy.

 

[altrocker1]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

filled the tank higher with the same result...you can actually hear the lower unit/exhaust housing gurgle as it fills with water. as soon as the gurgling stops, you start it again and get a good stream.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

The spray can be a little inconsistent while in a test tank as the under water exhaust adds a lot of air to the water. If you can take the boat/motor to a larger body of water to test it that may help. You don't even need to unload the boat per se. Just back down the boat ramp to submerge the LU and fire up the motor. If it pumps water there, you're probably ok. If it does not, then that means there is an issue. As you have seen the cooling system is quite simple. Just an impeller, uptake tube, the cast passages in the motor itself and then the exhaust. Do you have any pics?

 

[altrocker1]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

The spray can be a little inconsistent while in a test tank as the under water exhaust adds a lot of air to the water. If you can take the boat/motor to a larger body of water to test it that may help. You don't even need to unload the boat per se. Just back down the boat ramp to submerge the LU and fire up the motor. If it pumps water there, you're probably ok. If it does not, then that means there is an issue. As you have seen the cooling system is quite simple. Just an impeller, uptake tube, the cast passages in the motor itself and then the exhaust. Do you have any pics?

thanks for the tip...in the lake it appears to be fine. occasionally in neutral at idle it will run dry for a few seconds, but in gear it pumps really strong. looks like all is good. i was all set to go for a ride when a screw fell out of the timing advance linkage under the flywheel! GAH so i popped the flywheel off and am set to replace the screw for tomorrow so i can finally get on the lake.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 fd19 18 horse...still no water...what else?

Glad it's ok on the water. A nice big test tank can be surprisingly hard to find. You can see why new motors use muffs and pee streams. Good save on the loose screw too. As for the motor, I would just keep an eye/ear on it, but it sounds like you're running ok and pumping lots of water. Of course, I installed the tell tale/pee stream on mine just to make it easier to check while underway. No more contorting myself to reach or look at the back of the motor to check the exhaust. Now I can just look over my shoulder and see that I'm good to go. Happy boating. Vroom-vroom!!!