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I started up my motor in the driveway using those micky mouse ear thingys that hook up to a hose. Taped up the upper intake, and no water came out of the peehole. Air was coming out though. Is that normal? When it's in the water it always "pees" from there. I shut down the engine after a few seconds. Maybe I didn't wait long enough? Am I just having a brainfart?

2003 Johnson/Evinrude 50hp 4 stroke.

It will take a little time for the water to circulate the system. Try running the engine around 1500 - 2000 rpm's with water for about 30 seconds and see if this helps. Its going to take at least a few minutes to overheat w/o water.

Jeff

And about 15 seconds for the impeller to burn slam up with no water. Do you have an excessive mount of water coming out around the mouse ears and taped up areas?

There was a lot of water coming out around the mouse ears. Maybe the water pressure was to high? Thanks guys.

I have given up on ear muffs. Too scary. Water takes too long to shoot out, and what Timm mentioned is probably happening.

Seek out a large container you can dunk your motor in and fill it up over the cavitation plate. My p drain plugged up right at the engine block. Only way I could troubleshoot the thing.

Thanx for all the suggestions. I put the motor in the water and still no pee. Turned out the impeller/water pump is fine. I took it to a Johnson Evinrude dealer this morning to have it replaced, since I am mechanicaly challanged and figured I'd do more damage than good. Mud daubers (wasps) had gone in and made an elaborate home for themselves way down in there somewhere, further than I could reach with a clothes hanger. The mechanic guys took the lower casing off and got in there and cleaned em' out and flushed the system. Only charged me 50 bucks. I am relieved that my almost brand new state of the art motor didn't break down on me so soon. It was just them damn bugs

I'm keeping duct tape over the peehole while at home now.

My Honda 50 takes quite well to the ear muffs (mickey mouse ears) and always pees readily, even with a lot of water bubbling out of the muffs themselves. Daves post about the prop safety issue prompts me to share what happened a couple of afternoons ago on the Indian River, Melbourne, Florida area: a 21' Bayliner ran aground, the crew jumped out (I think the skipper stayed aboard at the helm) and they tried to push the boat back to deeper water. Very unfortunately, a member of the crew, a woman in her early forties slipped and fell under the prop, WHICH WAS TURNING AT SPEED She lost her right arm and the thumb on her left hand. This was on the local news the other night and it is not the only prop related injury I can remember hearing about this spring/summer.
Safe sailing AND motoring to all,

-Walt

Norm wrote:I'm keeping duct tape over the peehole while at home now.

Just make sure you add an item to your pre-launch checklist:

* REMOVE TAPE FROM PEE-HOLE.

I guess it probably wouldn't matter, as the pee-hole is just a bypass, and most of the cooling water is flowing through a different route, but it could be a bit disconcerting to look back there for the water flow, and not find it.

--Mark

You got that right MGG, I know I'll forget to take the tape off, but I never forget to check for water flow, so it won't stay on long. I didn't realize until this episode that the peehole is just an water flow indicator.

Does that mean even if no water is flowing out you might still have cooling water to the water jacket? Had some dried up salt in mine today. Sailed all the way in to within 30 feet of the doc then used the motor as backup, just in case. No problems, but could see the $$$ going to a new impeller or other engine parts. Talked to a friend and he said remove the tube from the block and blow it out, then check it again. Worked just fine.

Bruce