I have a 25 HP johnson which won't pump any water to cool it. I have replaced the impeller and cleaned it's water inlet but I still get no water. Last night I put it all back together to see if it would work and as soon as I pulled the cord it started up and it's RPM's soared then it killed after about 2 seconds. After that I tried several times to get it started again but couldn't, so I took it appart and checked the thermostat and noticed the top of it poped up. I have a few questions now, first, is the thermostat shot and did it pop to keep it from overheating and is that the reason I cannot get it to start? Second, would that couple seconds of running hurt the motor? And finally, what can I do to get my water pumping and cooling the engine. Thank you for any help.
