1990 Force L-Drive 120 impeller gone

[Bboater91]

hello guys I am new to the forum and boating. Bought a 1990 Capri Bayliner last week, and from what I’ve read I’ve gotten myself a not so popular motor lol. So I went to start the boat the other day with muffs hooked up and the motor overheated. No temp gauge and being new to boating I wasn’t aware the beep on the dash meant it was overheating. Ran the engine a little longer than I should have at idle on overheat. Turned it off and checked my water pump impeller only to find that the impeller was all chewed up. Found chunks all around the inside of the housing and some chunks down by the intake vents on the lower drive. I did start the motor up again before I tore the lower drive unit apart and everything ran okay minus the overheat issue of course. I have a new water pump kit on the way. My question, how do I go about flushing any and all impeller pieces from the motor? Hope I didn’t ruin anything too bad. Engine sounded okay after my little overheat incident. Smoked some But I figured that is because it’s a 2 stroke. I appreciate any help I can get thanks.

 

[redfury]

It's unlikely anything got higher than the lower unit since the pump wasn't pushing water up into the powerhead.

 

[Bboater91]

That did cross my mind. I have another pump on the way. So is it not recommended to run these motors on muffs? And any tips on getting rubber pieces out from below the pump housing in the Lower unit?

 

[jerryjerry05]

Try removing the thermostat housing and back flush with a hose.
The more pressure the better.

The L-drive was only out for a couple years and parts aren't as available as they should be.
Good luck.

 

[Bboater91]

I’ll be sure to flush it out before I put the new pump in. I was told by the previous owner that the motor in it now was replaced in 2015. Don’t know how accurate that is but it sounds healthy. Thank you guys for the input. I’ll follow up once the new pump is in in case something doesn’t seem right