Engine "Pee"

[corkscrew]

I have a Honda 50HP - I am assuming these are water cooled and I thought I remember it "ALWAYS" have a flow of water coming out the starboard engine side. I had some work done and it seems to be running fine, BUT, I noticed when I start the engine it start the "peeing" and then stops and trickles here and there, but not a continual flow.....any ideas? Should it always have water coming out?

[kmclemore]

Yes, I believe it should always have at least a small stream of water coming out. If not, your impeller is likely worn or shot.

[tangentair]

There is a pressure test that can be done to check your impeller and water pressure - since you have some, your system is not likely blocked, but when you are at anything past idle it should be a steady stream. I was always taught to change the impeller every two years (my Merc guy says that they recommend every 3 but pressure check everytime they change the oil in the lower unit which should be at least every year). It is really not that hard on the Mercs and I am guessing on the other brands as well - since most lower units are similar. I could be wrong but....Loosen a few bolts, remove a shift rod holder or such, the lower unit slides down and the impellor is under a sealed cover. Not a terribly difficult job for you (or your machanic) with a service manual as a guide.

[tompolak]

I just had my Honda in for service for pretty much the same thing. Interestingly there was also a grommet that was missing. The mechanic that was doing the service said the impeller was not too bad, but they did replace it as they were already in the area.

One thing to note, if you have not changed the impeller for a long time, you might have problems with getting the lower unit bolts off. Do a search for "Honda impeller" on this board, it is interesting reading. After hearing about seized and broken bolts, I took to mechanic. Now that I know when the service was last preformed, I might do it next time myself. I did get the service manual off of eBay for under $10.00. It is a really handy thing to have around.

[CMikey]

You said it begins to pee when you first start it up and then the stream subsides...but the engine is running fine and I assume no overheat alarms are going off. Before I called out the Navy I would check the pee tube for obstructions. Use a small wire or paper clip to probe the tube. We find that mud dobbers love to leave a nest in ours from time to time and can clog up the pee tube. Also, remember the pee tube is only a tube to the water jacket that allows for a visual indication that the water pump is working. If the pee tube is clogged, it will have no impact on the cooling of the engine, only your ability to see that there is circulation.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

If the pee tube is clogged, it will have no impact on the cooling of the engine, only your ability to see that there is circulation.

are you sure about that fact??? on all motors???
i remember my Suzi 50 was clogged and i saw steam coming out the rear.
i noticed that the hole was clogged so i poked a toothpick in the hole and out came scalding hot water.
seems it was clogged w/ sand particles or the like.

IIRC... it was overheating at the time.

Bob T.
"DāBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI (14" x 11 pitch)
Dinghy Motor: '06 2.5-Suzuki

[SkiDeep2001]

I've had Mercs going all the way back to the Kiekhaufer days. Still have a 1976 65HP and have found that if they are not run on a regular basis the rubber blades on the impeller will set with a curve in them and not pump properly. You want to always have a strong steady stream,even at low RPM. No dribbling like us older folk If you don't have a outlet line obstruction, CHANGE IT I now have a couple of Hondas but seems to be less of an issue. Maybe there have been advances in rubber technology recently that would make this less of a problem but motors are not cheap, impellers are. :)Also check to make sure outlet tube is not corroding where it attaches to water jacket.

[irayone]

If you want to keep it you have to maintain it..Every year change the oil and impeller. Every 100 hours complete service with new water pump and impeller. Rinse out motor with fresh water after every use. Yamaha 60/ 2005.

[opie]

If your Honda 50hp is also 1997, be aware that Honda changed the water indicator engine fitting to a larger internal diameter in 2004. Check the archives here for that part number and other suggestions for improved pee stream.

[CMikey]

BobbyT Wrote:

are you sure about that fact??? on all motors???
i remember my Suzi 50 was clogged and i saw steam coming out the rear.
i noticed that the hole was clogged so i poked a toothpick in the hole and out came scalding hot water.
seems it was clogged w/ sand particles or the like.

IIRC... it was overheating at the time.

Yep Bobby, I am sure about my facts...modern outboards.

Your motor overheating wasn't caused by your pee hole be clogged, but more likely by the sand, or salt crystals that clogged it, also clogged up the water jacket, thermastats or the sand bar you you pumped through the water pump chewed up your impeller.

[Sietepasos]

Hope to help others with my story...
My Honda BF50 had not been serviced for a long time (10 years or more), but had almost no use as I was away of town for long. Fool of me, I had to take care of many problems as will explain. Changing oil, filter and low gear case oil was not an issue. Spark plugs were OK too as I had checked them regularly. My problems started when using the engine this season and the temperature alarm was sting every time I motored at 1/2 throttle or more. I suspected of the thermostat which was changed 12 years ago. It was in good shape, no salt, as this engine has run mostly in fresh water and was washed thoroughly after sea water use. The alarm continued after the thermostat change. Reading many forums, the next suspect was the impeller. It had also been changed 12 years ago, as the original one failed after a couple years of use. I had a hard time removing the lower unit, as the 5 bolts were seized. I stripped the thread of one, which I will repair either with Permatex Thread Repair or install a helicoil. Work for next weekend.Lesson learned: the impeller was complete but is was deformed permanently and would not pump well. With the new impeller the problem finished. So, I have to change the impeller more often to install a new one undeformed and avoid the bolts to seize. I used a special anti seize grease when installing the bolts.
Thanks to all the forums I read which helped in finding the problem, how to remove seized bolts and install new ones.
Second nightmare, the little Tohatsu 3.5 of the inflatable dinghy. The lower unit bolts were also seized and broke easily trying to remove them. They a re only 6 mm in diameter, easy to break with hand force. These took me 3 days to remove an again thanks to forums I read all around the web for the help.
Recipe:
PB Blaster in generous amounts. The product is fantastic, it removed all the grit around the bolts within the aluminum. The worst part was not in the thread into the base, those broken pieces came out easily. The seized part was in the unthreaded part in the lower unit. That was the difficult part. More PB Blaster, banged the unit with a wooden mallet, heated the aluminum around the bolts with a small propane torch. Careful there not to damage the paint. Two more days of PB Blaster, banging and torching. Finally I started to wedge between the lower unit and its base with two screwdrivers and the seized part of the bolts gave out. Changed the impeller, new bolts and anti seize grease everywhere. The water pump bolts were also hard, but gave up in minutes with PB Blaster application. Turned the bolts back and forth with little force not to break them and they gave up, undamaged. Lesson learned: Maintain frequently to avoid seizing.

Hope this summary helps others with similar problems as all the ideas read helped, as I applied all of them.

[dca81]

I'll second the recommendation to check the pee tube for obstructions first. It will only take a few minutes. I have a Honda 50 and had an excellent pee stream when I purchased it, but shortly after the pee steam became less after start up. Since I did not know the engine history I purchased a repair manual and replaced the impeller. The old impeller looked very good to me, but I was a newbie so what do I know (then ...or now??). However, the impeller replacement did not correct the problem. Eventually, I found a small stone (or sand) was clogging the pee tube. I should have checked this first, only takes a few minutes and may save you a lot of wasted effort/expense. Good luck.

[kmclemore]

I'm so glad that 'pee' is not one of the censored words on the forum. Imagine how difficult this discussion would be.

[Sietepasos]

Hi kmclemore, it was not a pee issue. I had enlarged the peeing terminal and pipe as Honda changed in the engines some years ago.Cleaning the pee tube is a lesson learned long ago. Now it was the impeller, as it was deformed permanently and would not pump with enough force.

Of course the peeing tube needs attention all time and also the alarm attention which is not related to the pee tube. The alrm sensor is located close to thethermostat and it triggers because of lack of proper pumped water (clogged thermostat and/or defective impeller)

Regards,

[NiceAft]

Sietepasos,

The impeller for that Honda should be replaced at the very least, once every three years. I do it every two years.

Ray