I just bought a boat and motor

[Deenniiss]

I just bought a boat and motor. Its a 1957 Evinrude 18hp. The first time I had it out somebody said I should change the water pump. He said as a precaution he always changes the water pump. That dosent make sence to me but since Im new to boating I thought I would ask. What Should I do if the motor appears to run ok. It does sputter in idle but It has been sitting for 4 years so I thought running it might help that some. I will be taking it out for 5 days on the 4th. I did change the lower unit oil last month.I also changed the spark plugs yesterday. I kept the old ones just in case it runs worse with the new ones.

 

[mylin]

Re: I just bought a boat and motor

That guy anly said that because its common after sitting for a while (4yrs) and then running it the pump gets britle and when you start it has no water in it to lubricate it. If your motor runs good and the coolong water is coming out in a pee stream your probably out of the woods.

 

[DJ]

Re: I just bought a boat and motor

Denis,<br /><br />Your engine does not have a tell tale as eluded to in the last post.<br /><br />There is a hole on the back of the mid section about mid way between the powerhead and the cavitation plate. That is the exhaust relief. You should have a good spray from that hole while the engine is running. If not, change the impeller immediately.<br /><br />Also, do not start it out of the water. That will ruin the impeller immediately.