1994 Evinrude 120 no water out of telltale

[mikec35]

I replaced my water pump housing and impeller about 2 years ago and ran the motor on the muffs and water was coming out of the telltale, not a heavy stream but water was flowing. I haven't used the boat and went to start it a few months ago. It starts and runs ok but no water is flowing out the telltale. I didn't figure the impeller was bad but went ahead and replaced it as well as the pump housing and the bottom metal plate. Started it up and no water is flowing again. I checked the rubber hoses and they are clear. I removed the hose where it comes out of the engine and ran the motor and still no water. I am going to get a better set of muffs and try it again. Seems like I remember it was normal for water to start flowing within seconds after starting. Any advise as to what to check next if the new muffs don't work? Thank you

 

[CarMech1969]

You could pull down your lower unit, and set it up in a trash can full of water.
Connect a large drill to the driveshaft and spin it in the normal direction of engine rotation.
You should get a strong flow of water out of the water pump.
If the pump is ok, you have a blockage up the copper tube possibly. Run a coat hanger up there and check for debris.
If the pump is still not pumping water during the drill test, the pump is sucking air due to not being sealed correctly, or perhaps the water intake is plugged up with seaweed or mud dauber nests or something.
Hope this helps!

 

[iggyw1]

You can remove the thermostat and run he motor to see if you are getting water out of the thermostat housing. Cover your wiring and coil areas with some water proof fabric or tarp material so you do not soak everything with water if you do get water coming out of that housing. If you do get a water flow with the thermostat removed, I would say the thermostat is your problem. If you do not get water thru the housing, it could be the key on the shaft in the impeller housing not in place, so it is not turning the impeller or you missed the copper tubing going into the pump housing, or it could be water jackets plugged up if those areas are fine. With your LU off, you can run a garden hose up the copper pickup tubing and see if the water jackets are clear.

You said that you removed the pee hose where it attaches to the motor, and got no water from the motor. Try clearing that with some thick line like from a weed whip or compressed air. I am not a motor mechanic, but just throwing some ideas out to you that I would try myself if it were my motor. Hope this helps in some way.

 

[mikec35]

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I’m going to get a tote and fill it full of water and try to run it in there and see if I get any water out of the engine. If that doesn’t work I’ll remove the thermostat and see if I get any water out of there. It is a 1994 motor and I’ve never put a thermostat in it so hopefully that’s the problem - replacing two water pumps and it’s doing the same thing makes me think that the water pump is not the issue

 

[oldboat1]

Sure the tell tale isn't plugged? Use something flexible like weed whacker line and run it in past the elbow, or remove the elbow to clear.

 

[mikec35]

Sure the tell tale isn't plugged? Use something flexible like weed whacker line and run it in past the elbow, or remove the elbow to clear.

Are you talking about the elbow that goes into the motor? It looks like a plastic piece, I tried to get it out but was afraid I would break it. The hole is awfully small...

 

[oldboat1]

Yeah, don't break it. Try some soft wire, or forced air -- carb spray, possibly, using the plastic nozzle (cold engine).

 

[ct1762@gmail.com]

well first check the cyl head temps and make sure it's not overheating. within 120 seconds you will be able to tell. you really need to back it into a pond to tell if the water is exiting the exhaust relief holes on the midsection. does the midsection feel warm to the touch after a few minutes? if it does, you probably rolled the exhaust seal in the lower unit which will stop the "wall of water" from cooling the exhaust tuner. before that though, simply pop off the t stat housing and see if that t stat recedes into the block when it gets warm, and check if water is actually reaching it as mentioned above.

 

[mikec35]

Now that I think about it, it seemed like water was coming out of the lower unit where it attached to the motor, maybe I did mess up the exhaust seal or possibly misalign the copper tube in the pump? My Dad was helping me and pushed the lower section in place before I could make sure those 2 things were aligned. We had trouble with the exhaust seal moving around on the first attempt. I think I'll get a big tote and cut a hole in the lid and fill it full of water instead of using the muffs. I'm about 45 minutes away from the lake, it's not that easy to put it in the water. Thanks for the advice

 

[oldboat1]

A tote might not be deep enough -- need to be sure the water is 6-8 inches above the water pump. I like to see mine about half way up the leg. When running with muffs, you will have water spraying out in a lot of places you would not normally see.

An infrared gun is an excellent tool -- check operating temps at the top of the cylinders. 120-140F is fine. 160F or more is too hot.

 

[ct1762@gmail.com]

well i will say that type of exhaust seal kind of seats itself if you are in the ballpark, but it can still get messed up. I like to put the long 9/16'' bolt in the lower first (the one just ahead of the trim tab} so it holds the lower on, then position the seal as needed with a screwdriver while tightening that bolt. oldboat is correct: those temp guns are like $20... thanks China!

 

[mikec35]

It the water pump seems to be working correctly- it was the muffs. I put the lower in a large tote full of water and it took about 20 seconds before the telltale was flowing. It was really the first time the boat was run for any length of time in a year. The water looked like chocolate milk with streaks of Hershey’s chocolate floating in top, I figure from sitting so long with oil in the carbs. I took the plugs out and cleaned them then ran the motor for about 5 minutes at idle and the cylinders were all around 125-130. I actually forgot to plug one spark plug wire in and idled it for about 5 minutes, that cylinder was reading 110 which tipped me off that something was wrong. I plugged the wire in and it ran. Atleast I know if one cylinder goes down I should be able to limp back to the dock! Here’s a video of it running. Seems to run ok. I’ll take it to the lake next weekend and we’ll see how it does. My son wants to take his Brittany Spaniel swimming, she loves water like no other dog I’ve seen. Thanks for the help!

https://youtu.be/zG-EzfPFiyM

 

[iggyw1]

Water in the tote is not quite deep enough to get a good read on the water flow out the pee tube. When you get it to the lake and the water comes up higher on the motor leg, you should get a real good water flow if the video is any indication with the low water level in the tote. Looks like you got it.

 

[mikec35]

I am headed to the lake this weekend, that is if the rain holds off. I hope the telltale flows a little more water. I've been working on my boat and my truck for 2 weeks getting them both ready to go. It's been about 4-5 years since the boat has been on the water. Hopefully all goes well.