@@BornAgainBoating I started my training from my dad at 10 by 14 I was certified by Mercury on outboard and inboard/ outboards but felt too pressured to follow my dads footsteps so I ran away to the USMC after my 4 years I could not reenlist my dad was dying and I had no choice to come back home and follow his wishes but rediscovered my love of boats and worked nearly 40 years on them till I myself had to medically retire so I only watch videos and pass on a little of my experience once and a while when I miss my shop
@@smekr001 there is always a place cast in parts to tap or pry against like a odd tab sticking out I’ve used them since my dad taught me where to look for them they are there you just need to look but make 100% sure you removed every bolt I have made that mistake time to time and no amount of tapping or prying will help
My father instilled in me at an early age to make sure the motor is "pissing" before we leave the dock. This lesson has saved me several times. Here in NC we have dirt dobbers that will quickly fill the hole and spoil your trip and has happen to me several times. A quick poke with a small round object and you're back in business. Tight lines and fair winds everyone.
This gentlemen is why mechanics earn their money. I'm a retired Merchant Marine Engineer. When something breaks you've got to get it running, time is money. Troubleshooting is time and money. Good video as always.
Unfortunately all to many people want something done right, but aren't willing, and occasionally aren't able to pay for an experienced tech or craftsman. It frustrates me to no end the extent that some folk would expect you to go and have no intentions of paying. Even if it's asking a long series of questions. Probing you for your knowledge. I am in the automotive industry and even full grown men will look at me and act clueless/helpless in hopes that my bag of goodwill is full.. lol
Justin, you know I had the same thought when I saw him do that. If you have nothing else and your stuck I guess but would rather not, there’s got to be something else to use. Lol
I definitely got nervous seeing that twig being used. I’ve had this issue before and used a piece of bare wire and it worked perfectly. Saved my boating day!
I use a bike pump and insert an air nozzle into the tell tale and pump it... .. So far it has worked fine and no issues... If I have an issue with hose blockage I simply just change the hose... Why not have a filter service each year anyway... In saying all that I love these videos as they help me doing a lot of maintenance during the year and hopefully trouble free.
You good sir have earned a like and subscribe. I changed my impeller and thermostat, no joy. Watched this, took off the air box, went straight to my fuel cooler blew it out, eureka! It’s peeing now. Bless you, you saved me lots of $$$.
Thank you. Replaced my water pump impeller and still couldn't get a good pee stream. Watched your video and started tracing down the line and found the obstruction. Cleaned it out and works fine now.
Another key tip if you think your impeller is bad: Undo the hose flush port and start up the motor. If water comes shooting out at a good rate you can most likely call your impeller good.
Yes, but you must check that your good flow is not because of excess hose water pressure on the muffs.... or hose connection for the motor. So..... drum roll...... I have a plastic drum with water inside it..behind the boat trailer. I lower the motor into it....... start the motor and a few second later the 'tell-tale' (water pissing from the pipe) should start. If it is zero or just dribbles........ you have a problem. If it squirts out water reasonably fast and consistently, your system is going well as far as water cooling is concerned. Yes this is old fashioned........... but it is the same way in testing operation, as it should be working in actual use......
YOU DID IT...!!! You inspired me to dive in and find the problem with the tell tail on my MERC 250EFI. Get this, a pebble was small enough to get through the block side barb, but too big to get through the tail side exit barb. So every time I stuck a wire hanger up there to clear it, that was just pushing the pebble back into the block....lol
F 150 yamaha I replaced my pump and was very careful following your expert advice, which has saved me a ton of money. It did not pee at idle, so I pulled it back apart. The problem was the large O ring had moved when I put the housing back on. A lille thick grease held it in place while poping it back over the impeller. This might be a tip that you guys might want to add ,as I see this problem a lot .. Chuck
My motor stopped pissing one time because the top fitting of my water tube had broken when I pulled my lower unit off so I could put a new water pump and impeller.... took me forever to figure it out. Needless to say I pulled the broken piece out and jb welded her back together lol. Still holds up to this day
I once had mud dauber wasps fill the telltale hose with dirt. I've found a long thin ziptie works very well for probing the hose for obstructions. It has just the right amount of stiffness & flexibility & won't break off.
I just bought my first outboard and the pee hole didn't work, but it looked like there was glue in the hole. I figured since it had a water pressure gauge it somebody plugged it up, otherwise how would the gauge even read pressure? I was wrong because on the second test session all of a sudden whatever was in the pee hole blew out and I'm pretty sure it was a wasp like you said, because they do the same thing all over our backyard in the pool electrical systems and holes in our umbrella poles.
My outboard stopped peeing a few months ago. Noticed it after about a mile past the boat launch. Shut it off and trolled back to the dock fishing along the way. Once I got it home it was just an old torn apart impeller. Had an extra, replaced and good as new. Appreciate the video!
Good information, I enjoyed the video. I have a 2017 Yamaha 115 SHO Max. I had the Tell Tale indicator not working about a two months ago. Turned out to be a blockage in the Tell Tale hose right where it comes out of the engine. I used a twist tie I had in my tackle box to clear the blockage, and it now works perfectly.
Had the same thing happen on a Yamaha 150. Turned out to be a mostly decomposed lizard stuck in a strainer about a foot or so before the output. We guessed the lizard was in the garden hose when the customer tried to flush their engine.
I always tape the pee hole closed with scotch tape when in storage to keep the bugs out. I tape a reminder note to the ignition switch to remind myself to tear it off before staring. Scotch tape tears off easily without leaving marks.
For anyone coming here who happens to be working on an old Johnson or Evinrude (pre-80s models) they don't have tell tales like newer engines. They do have a small exhaust port on the below the engine that sorta looks like a tell tale and spits water like a tell tale, but it's not. These ports won't spit water until the thermostat opens once the motor is warmed up, and they often won't spit water when ran on flush muffs because there's not enough back pressure on the lower exhaust to force water and exhaust out of this indicator. So if you have an old Johnson or Evinrude like this, you may want to try running it in a bucket or barrel of water (or on the boat in the water) until it warms up before you start taking stuff apart.
I have a 90 model 115. It's hit and miss. Replaced impeller last season but wasn't able to get it on the water. It will start streaming while revving then fall off and just blow steam. Any ideas?
Had minimal discharge from my stbd 150 g2 Evinrude. Engine was running hot at nearly 200 deg. Took it for a simple freshwater flush and after a few seconds without water exiting it “popped” and water began to flow through. Engine ran 60 degrees cooler 15 minutes later
Great video. Had same problem with my Johnson/Suzuki 4 stoke. Ended up being a thermostat that wasn’t opening all the way. It finally showed itself when it didn’t close.
Thanks so much for this video. I have a Suzuki DF 150 that I ran up on a sand bad and had the same problem. Even though these 2 engines are a lot different it gave me the ideas I needed to find the clogged tube on my engine and sure enough it was clogged slam full of sand. We are now peeing good ! Thanks so much, very helpful and saved me who knows how much money.
In a small rubber hose that runs around the outside perimeter of the engine; just keep following the proper Channels and pull stuff til you find it. I’m not particularly mechanically inclined and I was able to find it, I feel you’ll find it !
I used to keep a piece of wire or line in the hole while the boat is stored at home. Now with a new boat I keep a full engine cover over the engine. You got to protect your pee hole! Bugs will build dust, dirt,etc... inside that hole sometimes enough to notice a difference in the stream within 2 days. Look at every hole of any kind you don't want a mud dobber filling in. They will do it in a shorter period of time than you think
Grass trimmer string is good for cleaning the telltale and checking the hoses. Fairly stiff, but you don't typically have to worry about puncturing the hose. I started keeping a couple of feet onboard a few years ago when I fished shallow marshes a lot. It is available in at least two diameters, maybe more.
I got my small Yamaha 8HP not peeing (at all!) anymore whatever the RPM after the winter season (out of water of course! Also I'm in Lake region... unsalty). I warm up the engine a bit, then I injected anti-lime (3cl or 1oz) with a syringe directly from the small end, waited 5-10min, and started again the engine: full water pee pressure like I never saw it before!! Love that easy & cheap fix... makes your day. Note: I also heared about injecting WD40 from the same small end... In the case of this big engine on the video, a bit of air pressure would have helped too.
got into some mud one time and clogged up the system and over heated. I back-flushed the system through the tell tale with some pressurized water and that got the mud out.
A few years ago my buddy and I went up to my girlfriends moms lake house on lake Winona in north eastern indiana. It's a pretty lake but really small for even my boat which is only 17.5 ft long it's a 1978 glastron ssv175 one of the super rare ones that they only made 150 of. By far out of over 50 boats that I have owned over the years. The 70s and 80s glastrons were legendary and the ssv hull design in my opinion is one of the best hull designs ever made. Alot of folks dont know that glastron was responsible for the very first fiberglass boats and they were extremely well built. Both my outboard ssv175 and my IO cv23HD had rock solid transoms and all of the wood that was used in the stringers and such despite being neglected and left outside in the Indiana elements for many years were still very solid. I did however have to redo the flooring and the interior on both boats has been completely customized and modernized. I also have a custom made roof so if necessary I can still cruise in the rain and camp in it as well. My point being the ssv175 had the original 78 mercury tower of power 115hp and it was one of the motors that used the same wiring found in airplanes that when exposed to gas and such the insulation would get rock hard and just crumble to the slightest touch. So I had to redo all of that then on the trip to lake Winona I figured out why they said that the way to stop from drowning in lake Winona was to just stand up because the lake is so shallow. The canal up to her house was rarely used and had lots of plants and fallen limbs and just was filthy and obviously it got sucked up in the water intake clogging it. And we just used some soldering wire to shove into the hose. Which worked. However I learned a very important lesson later. When the fuel was low we decided to trailer up and go to the station. I didnt have a gas can so I simply poured the oil mixture in the tank and added the correct amount of gas for the right ratio. I figured on the 5 miles back to the ramp the boat would be shaken enough as well as the filling of gas to mix the oil into the fuel. However after about ten minutes of running towing a tube with my girlfriend and her friend on it at around 4500rpm suddenly we heard a bang and the motor just stopped dead in its tracks. And after trying to start it I learned it had locked up completely. What's crazy is despite it locking up and having some metal shavings in the piston sleeve and on the spark plug. I added some lucas lubricant and mystery oil to each cylinder. Which freed it right up and after cleaning up the shavings the motor ran just as good as it always did and that cylinder was only five psi lower on compression than the other cylinders. That being said the boat now has a 150 5 year old evinrude and I will never go back to mercury again. My IO has a custom 454 olds with a Volvo out drive. But by far my favorite engine is my seven marine outboard on my tritoon. It smokes past everything and has been super reliable plus looks wise I think they make the best looking motors out there. Anyhow that's my two cents. Good luck with all that you do. Hopefully one day you tear into a seven marine engine and see how they are to service. I know that the cadillac engine in it is very unique and has more computers and doo dads and be bops then I've ever seen.
I always carry fishing line wire because this problem has happened more than once to me. That wire is extremely flexible and can extend up the tubing several inches until you are obstructed by a T or a manifold. Never had to disassemble a manifold yet. But chunks of seaweed or grass are a popular maintenance headache.
Nice, that it was only the fuel cooler. I Kinda hoped you'd have to dig deeper, still I am happy for the engine, owner and you, so you did not need to open up the power head like I once had on my 15hp 2 stroke. It had more than 600 working hours as all of a sudden steam started to come out the indicator. I've shut down the ouboard immediately. Repair shop changed the impeller and removed the thermal switch on the powerhead. Of course it did nothing. I decided I wanted to save the good old two stroke and removed the powerhead. The problem was of course all sorts of sediments being deployed in the cooling water area at the bottom of the powerhead (of course all arround the cylinders too, but on a 2 stroke it's a piece of cake to clean the areas arround the cylinders, because there are no valves having to mess arround with), blocking the free exit of the cooling water. I had to use a small hammer and a 3mm steel wire at some points to literally blast out the sediments. Respect to the japanese as they've thought about this and placed 2 very convenient openings for the steel wire to reach all the (hidden area) inside with ease. Operation suceeded (thermal switch installed again (it had to be or else the engine was running too cold now as it had all the cooling water as if it was new) my friend whom I've sold the outboard has been running it for 5 years now and counting. If this happens again I will have the job done in less than 2 hours. Now I have a 40hp 2 stroke and for now no such problems.
If my Honda 200hp outboard is not peeing like a racehorse: With engine running, insert the little 4” straw tube of a compressed air can (like the pressured air cans used on computer keyboards) a little inside the pee tube and give it a quick 1-2 second shot of pressured air. Repeat if necessary a few times. If it is still not peeing well, meaning water is coming out but not strongly, try a very thin piece of String Trimmer or a piece of wire being careful as the hose is made of rubber and if you puncture it you have a repair ahead of you. Since using the pressured air trick a mechanic taught me I have not had any issues in unblocking the pee hole. I do carry two cans just in case I have to help someone else in the remote areas I usually fish.
I received an older boat from an uncle who said it needed an impeller because there was no water coming out the pee hole. I did as he said and replaced the impeller. It was shot but still no water. There was a small pebble that got its was within 3 inches of the hole. Works great now
Be on the look out for mud daubers! They love that opening. A piece of weed eater line will usually do the trick. Excellent info here, have never had to trace that far back!
FYI... my 1989 40 hp Mercury Force does not have a tell tail. I panicked the first time I fired it up, looking for the tell tail and did a little research and found out it does not have one. Great video!
This can and could have been prevented by installing an inline STRAINER in the hose before it goes through all those items that can plug. I don't understand why the factory doesn't do this, as this is a COMMON problem. I had a Mercury 300XS that the pee hole got plugged with little sand/pebble pieces that got sucked into the cooling system. On that motor, the pee hole is fed by the cooling water exiting the air compressor. When it's plugged, it can sound the overheat alarm, but it won't tell you if it's the engine, or the compressor that is overheating. That can really ruin a day out, all due to a little piece of pebble clogging the pee hole. I put a clear, cleanable, inline strainer in the hose before the pee hole, with a screen mesh just small enough to not allow big enough pieces through that would clog the hole. Problem solved, no issues with this since. However, pebbles and debris can still cause other problems, like sticking the thermostats open. Then, the motor never warms up enough to open the stat and let the pebbles flush out, so it stays running too cold until you take it apart and clean them. So..... why doesn't the manufacturers put a decent screen/filter on the lower unit intakes? At least that way the ENTIRE system is protected, and install a warning system in case those screens get plugged, you can just raise the motor and clean them out, instead of going through a big diagnostic and service procedure like in this video. ???
Because small holes and filter media probably would hinder water flow into the lower unit not allowing enough in to cool all the components in the engine.
@@fishhunt9874 you don't understand, the water indicating pee hole doesn't provide water to anything, it simply proves that the water pump is working shows it by having it pee out the hole in the back after it's already gone through the motor completely
Taking the lower unit off and blowing out the hose with an air hose (120+ psi) clears most clogged really quick. I’ve had little sand particles and other random tiny objects (probably rubber from the impeller) eject from the system and cuts out a lot of trouble shooting the coolant lines.
I had a low hp merc which wasn’t peeing properly. I accidentally fixed it by driving in shallow sandy bottom. The mixture of a little sand picked up in cooling water gave the cooling system a good clean out with a blast of sand. Don’t ask me what ratio of sand to water. It worked
Okay for fairly experienced home mechanics. For others I'd say "Don't try this at home!" I counted a number of steps where a wrong move by a non mechanically inclined person could do more harm than good.
Mud daubbers ( wasps ) use mud to build nests inside the pee lines here in Florida. I keep a wood dowel painted red with a small rag attached, remove before leaving the house. Also keep a 80# mono strip of line (10") to clean out the line.
Thanks a bunch, for hands down, the best boat repair videos! How about one on changing the hydraulic steering fluid? Is that even something I should worry about?
Not really. Unless the system gets full of water somehow, but that would be an extremely rare occasion! If you wanted to, you can undo the bleeders and push all the fluid out though, then refill it. ua-cam.com/video/tGMqQCBicxc/v-deo.html
Great walk-through. Had no idea water cooled so much more than just cylinders in these big motors. Got an issue at the opposite end of the scale. Little biddy Johnson 3.5 hp kicker. No water out the telltale but there IS water coming out 4 holes on the trailing edge of the leg about halfway up the engine. Looks like water and exhaust come out this same area. This would seem to suggest the impeller is pushing water through the engine but I don't know if the telltale is up line or down line of these exhaust holes that are also shooting water...
I had wondered if it would have been simple to remove the impeller and reverse flush the water through the system. You can't flush with the impeller in place because it is positive displacement. And flushing forwards is only going to ram any blockage more firmly into the system. I have used this technique successfully, not on outboards, but on blockages in my farm water supply where the alternative is digging up or replacing hundreds of metres of pipe and various junctions. Not something you want to do lightly. I have even resorted to HOT water sometimes because it is more penetrating.
I've had mine plugged up by some type of insect before. Ran a piece of 80 lb mono up into it and unplugged it. The debris that came out smelled like pine sap.
1st Step. I have an 8hp Mercury 4=stroke - Since I live in an area with much seagrass, it plugs often. Bought a 'Double Tough' mini CO2 motorcycle tire inflator and when the pee-hole plugs I just shoot a small anount of CO2 into the pee-hole and it clears immediately.. Simple.
Took the day off from work planning to go fishing. Drove to the launch ramp early in the morning, and put the boat in the water. Noticed that the P stream was not working. Took the boat home, canceled my fishing trip, and ordered a new impeller to replace in the engine. Ripped the whole lower half of the motor off to replace the impeller. Moved it into the driveway and started it up, still no water out the P hole. Come to find out it was simply a seed stuck in the hole discharge. Couldn’t believe it. A paper clip worked wonders to clean it out.
I use weed eater string to push up the p pipe it’s flexible and strong enough you can’t brake it off in some place that you don’t want it. I have found those darn mud dauber nests in the pipe.
I have a very old (1986) mercury black max oil injected 200 hp low hours. Had for two plus years. I was going to exercise the motor this fall. No tell tale. Immediate stop. I removed bottom of motor with help from youtube. Easy pezke. Water impeller was me!ted and very non functional. New water pump impeller kit from mecury. Reinstalled today, great tell tale, almost twice the water pressure. Runs great. Gotta love an older merc carbed two stroke oil injected motor. Lay people can work on them. Like owning an old school 1970 chevy 350 pickup. Old school but I love it. Paired to a 1990 WAC 20 footer. Great boat, great motor.
Iv never had a problem with my outboard but my friend has. He said he connected an airline to output pipe and blew it out back the way it came in. I like your fix much better
Like always great video, seeing your videos is always something new to me, the cooling system in outboards is way different than automotive cars, i dont have a boat yet but i wanna be prepared to try and save money when i can
I own a 200 hp yamaha I fixed my plugged tell tale with a torch nozzle cleaner, they are very handy also the cleaning barbs are different diameter sizes
Mud wasp or dirt daubers as we call them in Georgia, will pack dirt in the hole in the tale tale. Weed eater line usually works good for cleaning it out.
Pushing sticks into ports, hoses and holes should be a last resort. If they break off, you may have made a bad situation worse. Great video! Thank you!
never had a blockage i couldn't fix by putting compressed air up the tell tale on my Yamaha's. over many years, and many engines. always sand or mud here in Australia as our waterways are mostly free of man made pollution other then plastic bags, .
I was taught to use just a “shot” of compressed air but only when the engine is running…assuming you have checked for water blockage first. That always works for me. Be well.
Took some 80lb leader and ran it up there to clear mud dobber remnants. Had another time recently it wouldn't pee at all. Went and disconnected from the inside of the engine started to trickle. And seeing as I only had to run about 3/4 mile to where I was fishing i went with it. Starting peeing healthy by the end of the night fishing. So I got it in for a new impeller and lower unit service. Can't be too careful!
My motor wouldn’t pee water. I had the water pump replaced last year. This video gave me the inspiration to dive in . I used a piece of weed eater line. I got to a 3 way connector and stopped. Then I checked to main hose. It was completely blocked. I ended up taking the whole hose off the water, it was blocked up pretty good, the weed eater line wouldn’t loosen the blockage so I finally took a coat hanger and forged it through. Out came some dirt dobber lava. Problem fixed. Thanks for sharing this great video
Gotta watch doing it that way because you just push whatever is blocking the passage back into it farther and often shortly it stops right back up. But sometimes it cures it, in my experience it’s less than 50% chance it’ll permanently fix it.
On my old Yamaha Had a few (just small enough) pieces of seagrass that made it through the screen that clogged at the tail, pulled the hose off and ran 60lb mono in the tail and push it clear.
So ramming a piece of leader wire don’t always fix that I see-I had it happen once and I was able to clear it right at the main outlet with the wire...that’s a big detective job right there-well done
I agree with the detective work statement. The camera work was excellent as well. There are too many videos that rush through the mechanical process. You took the time to properly document everything with the camera. Thank you !
Just took my boat out of hibernation. Changed the Thermostat, water pump and zincs on my Yam F150XB. Went to start it up with the muffs on and no peeing. Let it run for a minute and checked Temps no issues. Tried a couple more times and still no pee. Now I want to go back at it on Easter Sunday lol.
I have a 9.9 High Thrust 4 stroke OB. Does the thermostat prevent the water from circulating when the motor is cold in the same way a thermostat in a car stays closed until the engine warms up? Or should the water start flowing immediately even when the motor is cold?
Had my outlet closed once on mine... used 100 lb mono line to clear it. Maybe dirt maybe a bug nest... awesome video as usual, appreciate the knowledge!
I get hornets nesting in mine i keep 100lb fishing line near by to push up and clean i allways start the motor the afternoon before i go at home to make sure its clean nothing worse than problem at the ramp when there is 100+ boats lined up behind you waiting to use the ramp on a calm day
Odd one, I bought an old patrol ship shortly after it had both engines rebuilt. After a few thousand hours on the engines, (3500 I think?) I was idling at the dock, waiting for departure, when I ran up the throttle an overheat alarm went off, checked outlets and one engine had no water moving. Seacocks open, lines clear, impeller good. turned out to be the PTO and impeller had a spline gear between them that was out of spec, it only had 1/30000" meshing and after the wear on the part, suddenly failed and disengaged the engine from the pump. A shim put them back in order, but wow, funny how something like that can go for so long and suddenly fail, good thing it wasn't out in rough weather.
I learned as well. The hornet made it full of mud and a black hornet flew out of the carb..... I took sushi chopsticks and wallered it out. And when starting the boat I use a garbage can. From now on I'm going to flush out the system after each boating outing. I might use awesome to prime the intakes so that it will clean the system after each boating and then plug your lines and intake with tape as well so it ensures no bugs will get into system. Also a little higher idle will help it pee stronger allowing the impeller to spin faster. Trial and error. And always change out gearcase oil once a year or every 100hrs. Also if using a garbage can to start boat, have the tailtail pee outside of the can onto the ground so your garbage can water stays cool and doesn't get hot. And remember to refresh water in garbage can to keep water cool.
Change the name of the channel to the boat detectives, I had a creature build something in my tell tail hose outlet cleared it, and now I keep a golf tee in the opening to stop the creatures. My boat does not live on the water. Thanks for the content, learning a lot from your channel.
Instead of a tell tale I had a water pressure gauge on my outboard. Hooked up the tell tale to a line running to the dash. Then able to constantly monitor the cooling system.
Thomas if I could buy you a drink I would. I was reading the owner's manual and it said if nothing is coming out..."...consult your authorized marine dealer." I said no thank you! Thanks anyways!
What's the chance you will blow the obstruction all the way out the intake ? Having this problem now and would be great if it worked ...but just worried it would free up temporarily. Thanks in advance
@@JohnMac-qy3sg pretty low. The cooling system and a motor it’s pretty lengthy. I think it would be pretty hard to blow the obstruction all the way out. The idea behind blowing air or water in there is to adjust the obstruction so next time your boat runs it has a higher chance of blowing out.
Well I change my pump, thermostat,plunger was melted …replace all and still no tell tail ,back flush with garden hose and the lines were unplug.and that did it..back on the water…yes
I put a zip tie in the outlet to keep mud daubers out. I remove it before launch, a couple times I forgot, you still get the stream past the flat sides of the zip tie, but looks different and then realize it needs to be removed. This helps protect the discharge end from pluggin
I've had small wasps lay eggs inside my telltale. They took small leaves into the opening to surround the eggs. This blocked my telltale completely. It happened a few times, so I took to turning a small stainless steel screw into the rubber outlet just finger tight. That kept them out.
A little suggestion on your zip ties. Don't cut with pliers. If you do it will leave a sharp edge and could cut you arm when working on the engine. Simply keep twisting the tie wrap until it breaks and the end will be smooth and not able to cut you.
I have a 2001 Yamaha 200 HPDI that did not pee. Foolishly, I went in and changed the impeller, then pulled off the hose at the back of the engine and found the cooling system working fine as water was coming out. I ignored it, and in a couple of fishing trips noticed that my battery voltage was at 16 volts. The regulator burned up as it was cooled by this telltale water. The problem was a blockage in the hose from the regulator to the outlet. Lesson learned.
We had the same problem with our 70 Johnson horsepower We had ran into a sandbar and got stuck before putting the boat in reverse to get out of the sandbar We took it to the Moreno and they was the one who we built the engine comes to find out it was clogged up inside with a lot of mud in sand You definitely have to be very careful out there on the water
Those mud dauber wasps plugged my optimax... cleaned it out and it was plugged again in a week! Got to be careful with the optimax, as the tell tale does not mean water is going through the block, only means the air compressor is getting cooled. You could have a strong tell tale, but no water going through the block! On my suzuki 200 I had the lower cowlings off and they plugged every single bolt hole, tell tale, and even the exhaust port!
Awsome video, just had a problem this past week you have not covered and its a good idea for you. I spun my prop out on the water. When should you change your prop hub for maintenance?
Ouch! That always sucks, there really isn't a time or hour period lol just look at it when doing gear lube and when it looks really bad and sloppy its getting close lol :)
After hitting weeds, dirt or whatever, sometimes the pee slows and motor sounds bogged. I throw it in reverse and slam the throttle, seems to work most of the time.
I have a stump the chump problem. Suzuki Df-50 My tell tail was not peeing intermittently. No ryme or reason. I tilt the motor full down and it steams out… I determined it was head gasket. After i replaced the impeller plate key and gaskets it pee’s under a water hose but not on it’s own at idle. Replaced the head assy (yep valves and all). Rebuild fuel separator and collant, replaced all hoses and T’s. Flushed the foot forward and back. Replaced the water pressure valved that is under the oil pan. Pulled all anodes out and flushed motor on and off. Still intermittent pee stream and steam outs at idle 900 rpms. Still same problem. Seems like the exhaust pressure is pushing the water out. When does the exhaust enter the water chamber. Could excessive exhaust pressure keep the water from pressurizing the head. I have separated every joint on this motor except the block piston cover. There is neither water or exhaust in that section of the motor. Any ideas please help. Next step is to backflush the system thru the pee hole with rydlyme and ‘hope’ it is a salt pack buried deep in a casting… If i take off the gearbox foot and attach a hose to the pickup tube i get a 3-4ft pee stream. Under impeller on the best day i get 1/2 foot. I have owned this motor since new and have always had a 2foot pee stream even at idle. I am completely stumped. I have done all the easy steps. welcome reply’s if you understand the water exhaust system and how they could get blocked up or keep the water from pressuring the engine.
I would be looking at the water tube and the gaskets around the water tube, there is also a water plug assembly on the side of the oil pan housing/ adapter plate/ upper driveshaft housing area. Could be any debris in there. When you did the cylinder head you should have seen the water tube and the gasket around it, if there is anything wrong with it there that would create an issue. It will pee on the hose because the garden hose probably has about 40PSI whereas at idle the impeller maybe makes 2PSI. That's the best I can think of and cover in a youtube comment :/ if you haven't figured it out yet and want more in depth help or advice, you can join our Boater's Program and message us there with pictures and videos, and we have a weekly livestream where we can talk about stuff like this. www.bornagainboating.com/ But I would definitely be telling you the first thing to get to that water tube and inspect for an issue there, because of what you have said you have already done. Where more than I would think to do :/ especially changing out the entire head! hope you've figured this out already though :)
@@BornAgainBoating thanks for the detailed reply. Seems that if i start the motor and the motor is tilted full down it will steam out and then overheat. If the motor is tilted 15deg or so above engine parallel then it pressurizes and runs fine at any angle I reflushed with vinigar even took some dishwasher cleaning tabs and put them in thru the temp valve ran on idle for 20 min. It helped. The best i can figure is there is a piece of casting that has broken off and is floating between the water pressure relief valve and the head. The holes are small so it must be trapped in the casting..and rolling around like a marble. I pulled all the anodes and flushed back and forth motor on and off nothing significant. Again brand new head assy 15 hrs on it. I replaced all rubber and ALL seals when i replaced the head assy. Valve pressure at 155 each cylinder. I routinely flush my motor once a week for 20 min on ears for the last 25 years.
thanks for this timely video. I had a situation yesterday where my engine was running fine on the trailer. i had ear muffs hooked up and water flowing to them. all the sudden an alarm went off so i shut off my motor. i checked everything then noticed the hose was kinked at the faucet limiting the flow to the ear muffs. i cleared the kinked hose and restarted my motor. everything went great after that. my motor ran a minute or so with limited water and no water out of the indicator. i was wondering is there a better i.e. louder or better location for that alarm buzzer. its located inside my center console/helm compartment. i barely noticed the alarm noise.
Learn tons of Tricks & Skills like this with Step-by-Step courses @ BornAgainBoating.com
Is there a trick to removing the port side manifold. I have all bolts off and it seems stuck in upper left corner
@@BornAgainBoating I started my training from my dad at 10 by 14 I was certified by Mercury on outboard and inboard/ outboards but felt too pressured to follow my dads footsteps so I ran away to the USMC after my 4 years I could not reenlist my dad was dying and I had no choice to come back home and follow his wishes but rediscovered my love of boats and worked nearly 40 years on them till I myself had to medically retire so I only watch videos and pass on a little of my experience once and a while when I miss my shop
@@smekr001 there is always a place cast in parts to tap or pry against like a odd tab sticking out I’ve used them since my dad taught me where to look for them they are there you just need to look but make 100% sure you removed every bolt I have made that mistake time to time and no amount of tapping or prying will help
My father instilled in me at an early age to make sure the motor is "pissing" before we leave the dock. This lesson has saved me several times. Here in NC we have dirt dobbers that will quickly fill the hole and spoil your trip and has happen to me several times. A quick poke with a small round object and you're back in business. Tight lines and fair winds everyone.
Yep the gun stoppers.
A golf tee pushed in water jet port will stop those mud dobbers in between uses
What are dirt dobbers. Im from uk
@@KitsFishing some are like a wasp type that make nests out of nearby mud. And they love the ol outboard water outlet for making mud nests.
@@brianwideman2342 thankyou i understand
Caught a boat mechanic in a bad mood one day. He told me " A boat is a big hole to dump all your money in". Lots of patience required. Good video.
B.O.A.T.
Bust out another thousand!
This gentlemen is why mechanics earn their money. I'm a retired Merchant Marine Engineer. When something breaks you've got to get it running, time is money. Troubleshooting is time and money. Good video as always.
Appreciate it, sir!
Unfortunately all to many people want something done right, but aren't willing, and occasionally aren't able to pay for an experienced tech or craftsman. It frustrates me to no end the extent that some folk would expect you to go and have no intentions of paying. Even if it's asking a long series of questions. Probing you for your knowledge. I am in the automotive industry and even full grown men will look at me and act clueless/helpless in hopes that my bag of goodwill is full.. lol
Careful using the stick, if you’re not careful it can break in the telltale hose. Don’t ask how I know 😬
So you are saying the tell tale gets Fuchs upped by using a stick. Interesting.
Justin, you know I had the same thought when I saw him do that. If you have nothing else and your stuck I guess but would rather not, there’s got to be something else to use. Lol
@@PFLEONARDI0906 precisely
I definitely got nervous seeing that twig being used. I’ve had this issue before and used a piece of bare wire and it worked perfectly. Saved my boating day!
That long metal wire that's in your control cables...
perfect size for the bong stem too
I use a bike pump and insert an air nozzle into the tell tale and pump it... .. So far it has worked fine and no issues... If I have an issue with hose blockage I simply just change the hose... Why not have a filter service each year anyway... In saying all that I love these videos as they help me doing a lot of maintenance during the year and hopefully trouble free.
You good sir have earned a like and subscribe. I changed my impeller and thermostat, no joy. Watched this, took off the air box, went straight to my fuel cooler blew it out, eureka! It’s peeing now. Bless you, you saved me lots of $$$.
Thank you. Replaced my water pump impeller and still couldn't get a good pee stream. Watched your video and started tracing down the line and found the obstruction. Cleaned it out and works fine now.
Nice mine just overheats it pees really good.
Another key tip if you think your impeller is bad:
Undo the hose flush port and start up the motor. If water comes shooting out at a good rate you can most likely call your impeller good.
Is this regarding muffs?
Yes, but you must check that your good flow is not because of excess hose water pressure on the muffs.... or hose connection for the motor.
So..... drum roll...... I have a plastic drum with water inside it..behind the boat trailer. I lower the motor into it....... start the motor and a few second later the 'tell-tale' (water pissing from the pipe) should start. If it is zero or just dribbles........ you have a problem. If it squirts out water reasonably fast and consistently, your system is going well as far as water cooling is concerned. Yes this is old fashioned........... but it is the same way in testing operation, as it should be working in actual use......
YOU DID IT...!!! You inspired me to dive in and find the problem with the tell tail on my MERC 250EFI. Get this, a pebble was small enough to get through the block side barb, but too big to get through the tail side exit barb. So every time I stuck a wire hanger up there to clear it, that was just pushing the pebble back into the block....lol
F 150 yamaha I replaced my pump and was very careful following your expert advice, which has saved me a ton of money. It did not pee at idle, so I pulled it back apart. The problem was the large O ring had moved when I put the housing back on. A lille thick grease held it in place while poping it back over the impeller. This might be a tip that you guys might want to add ,as I see this problem a lot .. Chuck
My motor stopped pissing one time because the top fitting of my water tube had broken when I pulled my lower unit off so I could put a new water pump and impeller.... took me forever to figure it out. Needless to say I pulled the broken piece out and jb welded her back together lol. Still holds up to this day
I once had mud dauber wasps fill the telltale hose with dirt. I've found a long thin ziptie works very well for probing the hose for obstructions. It has just the right amount of stiffness & flexibility & won't break off.
I just bought my first outboard and the pee hole didn't work, but it looked like there was glue in the hole. I figured since it had a water pressure gauge it somebody plugged it up, otherwise how would the gauge even read pressure? I was wrong because on the second test session all of a sudden whatever was in the pee hole blew out and I'm pretty sure it was a wasp like you said, because they do the same thing all over our backyard in the pool electrical systems and holes in our umbrella poles.
Took an old Waterpik for cleaning teeth . Attached to Tell Tale . Added vinegar , cleared clogged like a charm . Squeaky Clean…
I keep a piece of weed eater line in the boat for this make sure the diameter of the line will fit
Seems like some 80# or 100+# fishing line might work too
My outboard stopped peeing a few months ago. Noticed it after about a mile past the boat launch. Shut it off and trolled back to the dock fishing along the way. Once I got it home it was just an old torn apart impeller. Had an extra, replaced and good as new. Appreciate the video!
Good information, I enjoyed the video. I have a 2017 Yamaha 115 SHO Max. I had the Tell Tale indicator not working about a two months ago. Turned out to be a blockage in the Tell Tale hose right where it comes out of the engine. I used a twist tie I had in my tackle box to clear the blockage, and it now works perfectly.
Had the same thing happen on a Yamaha 150. Turned out to be a mostly decomposed lizard stuck in a strainer about a foot or so before the output. We guessed the lizard was in the garden hose when the customer tried to flush their engine.
I always tape the pee hole closed with scotch tape when in storage to keep the bugs out. I tape a reminder note to the ignition switch to remind myself to tear it off before staring. Scotch tape tears off easily without leaving marks.
For anyone coming here who happens to be working on an old Johnson or Evinrude (pre-80s models) they don't have tell tales like newer engines. They do have a small exhaust port on the below the engine that sorta looks like a tell tale and spits water like a tell tale, but it's not. These ports won't spit water until the thermostat opens once the motor is warmed up, and they often won't spit water when ran on flush muffs because there's not enough back pressure on the lower exhaust to force water and exhaust out of this indicator. So if you have an old Johnson or Evinrude like this, you may want to try running it in a bucket or barrel of water (or on the boat in the water) until it warms up before you start taking stuff apart.
I have a 90 model 115. It's hit and miss. Replaced impeller last season but wasn't able to get it on the water. It will start streaming while revving then fall off and just blow steam. Any ideas?
Had minimal discharge from my stbd 150 g2 Evinrude. Engine was running hot at nearly 200 deg. Took it for a simple freshwater flush and after a few seconds without water exiting it “popped” and water began to flow through.
Engine ran 60 degrees cooler 15 minutes later
Great video. Had same problem with my Johnson/Suzuki 4 stoke. Ended up being a thermostat that wasn’t opening all the way. It finally showed itself when it didn’t close.
Thanks so much for this video. I have a Suzuki DF 150 that I ran up on a sand bad and had the same problem. Even though these 2 engines are a lot different it gave me the ideas I needed to find the clogged tube on my engine and sure enough it was clogged slam full of sand. We are now peeing good ! Thanks so much, very helpful and saved me who knows how much money.
I have a DF 90 that is half ass pissing but throws an overheat light above 4000rpm. Where in the system did you have the sand?
In a small rubber hose that runs around the outside perimeter of the engine; just keep following the proper Channels and pull stuff til you find it. I’m not particularly mechanically inclined and I was able to find it, I feel you’ll find it !
I used to keep a piece of wire or line in the hole while the boat is stored at home. Now with a new boat I keep a full engine cover over the engine. You got to protect your pee hole! Bugs will build dust, dirt,etc... inside that hole sometimes enough to notice a difference in the stream within 2 days. Look at every hole of any kind you don't want a mud dobber filling in. They will do it in a shorter period of time than you think
Grass trimmer string is good for cleaning the telltale and checking the hoses. Fairly stiff, but you don't typically have to worry about puncturing the hose. I started keeping a couple of feet onboard a few years ago when I fished shallow marshes a lot. It is available in at least two diameters, maybe more.
Ive used small mechanics wire to clean the speedo pickup for the drive
Excellent idea ! !
THANKS ! 😎👍
After winterizing & flushing the motor I put black take over the pisser so insects don't mud it up. Huge help.
Tape?
I got my small Yamaha 8HP not peeing (at all!) anymore whatever the RPM after the winter season (out of water of course! Also I'm in Lake region... unsalty). I warm up the engine a bit, then I injected anti-lime (3cl or 1oz) with a syringe directly from the small end, waited 5-10min, and started again the engine: full water pee pressure like I never saw it before!! Love that easy & cheap fix... makes your day.
Note: I also heared about injecting WD40 from the same small end... In the case of this big engine on the video, a bit of air pressure would have helped too.
what's the small end mean?
got into some mud one time and clogged up the system and over heated. I back-flushed the system through the tell tale with some pressurized water and that got the mud out.
one word. "brilliant" thx for your help. cleaned out all the tubing and its now working. thx again.
You're welcome!
A few years ago my buddy and I went up to my girlfriends moms lake house on lake Winona in north eastern indiana. It's a pretty lake but really small for even my boat which is only 17.5 ft long it's a 1978 glastron ssv175 one of the super rare ones that they only made 150 of. By far out of over 50 boats that I have owned over the years. The 70s and 80s glastrons were legendary and the ssv hull design in my opinion is one of the best hull designs ever made. Alot of folks dont know that glastron was responsible for the very first fiberglass boats and they were extremely well built. Both my outboard ssv175 and my IO cv23HD had rock solid transoms and all of the wood that was used in the stringers and such despite being neglected and left outside in the Indiana elements for many years were still very solid. I did however have to redo the flooring and the interior on both boats has been completely customized and modernized. I also have a custom made roof so if necessary I can still cruise in the rain and camp in it as well. My point being the ssv175 had the original 78 mercury tower of power 115hp and it was one of the motors that used the same wiring found in airplanes that when exposed to gas and such the insulation would get rock hard and just crumble to the slightest touch. So I had to redo all of that then on the trip to lake Winona I figured out why they said that the way to stop from drowning in lake Winona was to just stand up because the lake is so shallow. The canal up to her house was rarely used and had lots of plants and fallen limbs and just was filthy and obviously it got sucked up in the water intake clogging it. And we just used some soldering wire to shove into the hose. Which worked. However I learned a very important lesson later. When the fuel was low we decided to trailer up and go to the station. I didnt have a gas can so I simply poured the oil mixture in the tank and added the correct amount of gas for the right ratio. I figured on the 5 miles back to the ramp the boat would be shaken enough as well as the filling of gas to mix the oil into the fuel. However after about ten minutes of running towing a tube with my girlfriend and her friend on it at around 4500rpm suddenly we heard a bang and the motor just stopped dead in its tracks. And after trying to start it I learned it had locked up completely. What's crazy is despite it locking up and having some metal shavings in the piston sleeve and on the spark plug. I added some lucas lubricant and mystery oil to each cylinder. Which freed it right up and after cleaning up the shavings the motor ran just as good as it always did and that cylinder was only five psi lower on compression than the other cylinders. That being said the boat now has a 150 5 year old evinrude and I will never go back to mercury again. My IO has a custom 454 olds with a Volvo out drive. But by far my favorite engine is my seven marine outboard on my tritoon. It smokes past everything and has been super reliable plus looks wise I think they make the best looking motors out there. Anyhow that's my two cents. Good luck with all that you do. Hopefully one day you tear into a seven marine engine and see how they are to service. I know that the cadillac engine in it is very unique and has more computers and doo dads and be bops then I've ever seen.
I always carry fishing line wire because this problem has happened more than once to me. That wire is extremely flexible and can extend up the tubing several inches until you are obstructed by a T or a manifold. Never had to disassemble a manifold yet. But chunks of seaweed or grass are a popular maintenance headache.
Nice, that it was only the fuel cooler. I Kinda hoped you'd have to dig deeper, still I am happy for the engine, owner and you, so you did not need to open up the power head like I once had on my 15hp 2 stroke. It had more than 600 working hours as all of a sudden steam started to come out the indicator. I've shut down the ouboard immediately. Repair shop changed the impeller and removed the thermal switch on the powerhead. Of course it did nothing. I decided I wanted to save the good old two stroke and removed the powerhead. The problem was of course all sorts of sediments being deployed in the cooling water area at the bottom of the powerhead (of course all arround the cylinders too, but on a 2 stroke it's a piece of cake to clean the areas arround the cylinders, because there are no valves having to mess arround with), blocking the free exit of the cooling water. I had to use a small hammer and a 3mm steel wire at some points to literally blast out the sediments. Respect to the japanese as they've thought about this and placed 2 very convenient openings for the steel wire to reach all the (hidden area) inside with ease. Operation suceeded (thermal switch installed again (it had to be or else the engine was running too cold now as it had all the cooling water as if it was new) my friend whom I've sold the outboard has been running it for 5 years now and counting. If this happens again I will have the job done in less than 2 hours. Now I have a 40hp 2 stroke and for now no such problems.
If my Honda 200hp outboard is not peeing like a racehorse: With engine running, insert the little 4” straw tube of a compressed air can (like the pressured air cans used on computer keyboards) a little inside the pee tube and give it a quick 1-2 second shot of pressured air. Repeat if necessary a few times.
If it is still not peeing well, meaning water is coming out but not strongly, try a very thin piece of String Trimmer or a piece of wire being careful as the hose is made of rubber and if you puncture it you have a repair ahead of you.
Since using the pressured air trick a mechanic taught me I have not had any issues in unblocking the pee hole. I do carry two cans just in case I have to help someone else in the remote areas I usually fish.
Thank you we just followed your instruction on ourHonda 30hp pontoon motor. You saved our anniversary fishing trip.
Glad it helped
I received an older boat from an uncle who said it needed an impeller because there was no water coming out the pee hole. I did as he said and replaced the impeller. It was shot but still no water. There was a small pebble that got its was within 3 inches of the hole. Works great now
"that got its was." LEARN TO PROOF READ BEFORE POSTING.
Be on the look out for mud daubers! They love that opening. A piece of weed eater line will usually do the trick. Excellent info here, have never had to trace that far back!
FYI... my 1989 40 hp Mercury Force does not have a tell tail. I panicked the first time I fired it up, looking for the tell tail and did a little research and found out it does not have one. Great video!
Hooking the garden hose to the flusher then look for blockage helps save time locating blocks
If you've got the foot off spray garden hose up that copper water intake pipe, nozzle from the flusher usually works just fine
Thanks- just needed a little clean out and we are now fishing! Saved the day!
I have no boat nor do I ever plan on owning a boat but I enjoy troubleshooting videos like this.
This can and could have been prevented by installing an inline STRAINER in the hose before it goes through all those items that can plug. I don't understand why the factory doesn't do this, as this is a COMMON problem. I had a Mercury 300XS that the pee hole got plugged with little sand/pebble pieces that got sucked into the cooling system. On that motor, the pee hole is fed by the cooling water exiting the air compressor. When it's plugged, it can sound the overheat alarm, but it won't tell you if it's the engine, or the compressor that is overheating.
That can really ruin a day out, all due to a little piece of pebble clogging the pee hole. I put a clear, cleanable, inline strainer in the hose before the pee hole, with a screen mesh just small enough to not allow big enough pieces through that would clog the hole. Problem solved, no issues with this since.
However, pebbles and debris can still cause other problems, like sticking the thermostats open. Then, the motor never warms up enough to open the stat and let the pebbles flush out, so it stays running too cold until you take it apart and clean them.
So..... why doesn't the manufacturers put a decent screen/filter on the lower unit intakes? At least that way the ENTIRE system is protected, and install a warning system in case those screens get plugged, you can just raise the motor and clean them out, instead of going through a big diagnostic and service procedure like in this video. ???
Because that won't send easy money to the factory techs!
Because small holes and filter media probably would hinder water flow into the lower unit not allowing enough in to cool all the components in the engine.
@@fishhunt9874 you don't understand, the water indicating pee hole doesn't provide water to anything, it simply proves that the water pump is working shows it by having it pee out the hole in the back after it's already gone through the motor completely
Good video-I had a no pee problem. A small wasp made a mud nest inside the hose. I pulled a vacuum on the hose and out came the nest. Good stream now.
Taking the lower unit off and blowing out the hose with an air hose (120+ psi) clears most clogged really quick. I’ve had little sand particles and other random tiny objects (probably rubber from the impeller) eject from the system and cuts out a lot of trouble shooting the coolant lines.
Great video. One thing I’d have to add is that not all motors have a tell tale.
I had a low hp merc which wasn’t peeing properly. I accidentally fixed it by driving in shallow sandy bottom. The mixture of a little sand picked up in cooling water gave the cooling system a good clean out with a blast of sand. Don’t ask me what ratio of sand to water. It worked
Okay for fairly experienced home mechanics. For others I'd say "Don't try this at home!" I counted a number of steps where a wrong move by a non mechanically inclined person could do more harm than good.
Mud daubbers ( wasps ) use mud to build nests inside the pee lines here in Florida. I keep a wood dowel painted red with a small rag attached, remove before leaving the house. Also keep a 80# mono strip of line (10") to clean out the line.
I’ve used a bare wire to fix this issue. Luckily was a simple fix. Informative video. Thanks!
Excellent!
Thanks a bunch, for hands down, the best boat repair videos!
How about one on changing the hydraulic steering fluid? Is that even something I should worry about?
Not really. Unless the system gets full of water somehow, but that would be an extremely rare occasion! If you wanted to, you can undo the bleeders and push all the fluid out though, then refill it. ua-cam.com/video/tGMqQCBicxc/v-deo.html
Quick fix - take a large syringe to tell tail and push water in and suck out alternately which clears grit and shell segments etc.
Great walk-through. Had no idea water cooled so much more than just cylinders in these big motors. Got an issue at the opposite end of the scale. Little biddy Johnson 3.5 hp kicker. No water out the telltale but there IS water coming out 4 holes on the trailing edge of the leg about halfway up the engine. Looks like water and exhaust come out this same area. This would seem to suggest the impeller is pushing water through the engine but I don't know if the telltale is up line or down line of these exhaust holes that are also shooting water...
Little motors like that don't have telltales, they have what you describe.
I had wondered if it would have been simple to remove the impeller and reverse flush the water through the system. You can't flush with the impeller in place because it is positive displacement. And flushing forwards is only going to ram any blockage more firmly into the system. I have used this technique successfully, not on outboards, but on blockages in my farm water supply where the alternative is digging up or replacing hundreds of metres of pipe and various junctions. Not something you want to do lightly. I have even resorted to HOT water sometimes because it is more penetrating.
fyi dropping the plastic "Y" connector in the water does-not float
But y ? 😁
Good timing with this video. I'm having exactly the same problem and will follow your example this weekend
Thank you
Yup.. Always check for water exiting the motor.. Even with Inboard diesels, you check there is water in the exhaust.
I've had mine plugged up by some type of insect before. Ran a piece of 80 lb mono up into it and unplugged it. The debris that came out smelled like pine sap.
Probably a mud dauber
1st Step. I have an 8hp Mercury 4=stroke - Since I live in an area with much seagrass, it plugs often. Bought a 'Double Tough' mini CO2 motorcycle tire inflator and when the pee-hole plugs I just shoot a small anount of CO2 into the pee-hole and it clears immediately.. Simple.
Took the day off from work planning to go fishing. Drove to the launch ramp early in the morning, and put the boat in the water. Noticed that the P stream was not working. Took the boat home, canceled my fishing trip, and ordered a new impeller to replace in the engine. Ripped the whole lower half of the motor off to replace the impeller. Moved it into the driveway and started it up, still no water out the P hole. Come to find out it was simply a seed stuck in the hole discharge. Couldn’t believe it. A paper clip worked wonders to clean it out.
I use weed eater string to push up the p pipe it’s flexible and strong enough you can’t brake it off in some place that you don’t want it.
I have found those darn mud dauber nests in the pipe.
I have a very old (1986) mercury black max oil injected 200 hp low hours. Had for two plus years. I was going to exercise the motor this fall. No tell tale. Immediate stop. I removed bottom of motor with help from youtube. Easy pezke. Water impeller was me!ted and very non functional. New water pump impeller kit from mecury. Reinstalled today, great tell tale, almost twice the water pressure. Runs great. Gotta love an older merc carbed two stroke oil injected motor. Lay people can work on them. Like owning an old school 1970 chevy 350 pickup. Old school but I love it. Paired to a 1990 WAC 20 footer. Great boat, great motor.
Iv never had a problem with my outboard but my friend has. He said he connected an airline to output pipe and blew it out back the way it came in. I like your fix much better
Like always great video, seeing your videos is always something new to me, the cooling system in outboards is way different than automotive cars, i dont have a boat yet but i wanna be prepared to try and save money when i can
Great stuff again! Love this channel; watch and review often. Thanks very much!
Glad you enjoy it!
I own a 200 hp yamaha I fixed my plugged tell tale with a torch nozzle cleaner, they are very handy also the cleaning barbs are different diameter sizes
Mud wasp or dirt daubers as we call them in Georgia, will pack dirt in the hole in the tale tale. Weed eater line usually works good for cleaning it out.
They get me every year. I use the tip of circuit tester
Pushing sticks into ports, hoses and holes should be a last resort. If they break off, you may have made a bad situation worse.
Great video! Thank you!
Exactly why I’ve always used plastic coated wire or a lint zip tie as they won’t break off.
Use weedeater string
Or a paper clip
Ultimately it's just a rubber hose if you were to puncture it . Not the end of the world...lol
never had a blockage i couldn't fix by putting compressed air up the tell tale on my Yamaha's. over many years, and many engines. always sand or mud here in Australia as our waterways are mostly free of man made pollution other then plastic bags, .
I was taught to use just a “shot” of compressed air but only when the engine is running…assuming you have checked for water blockage first.
That always works for me.
Be well.
Took some 80lb leader and ran it up there to clear mud dobber remnants. Had another time recently it wouldn't pee at all. Went and disconnected from the inside of the engine started to trickle. And seeing as I only had to run about 3/4 mile to where I was fishing i went with it. Starting peeing healthy by the end of the night fishing. So I got it in for a new impeller and lower unit service. Can't be too careful!
My motor wouldn’t pee water. I had the water pump replaced last year.
This video gave me the inspiration to dive in .
I used a piece of weed eater line. I got to a 3 way connector and stopped. Then I checked to main hose. It was completely blocked. I ended up taking the whole hose off the water, it was blocked up pretty good, the weed eater line wouldn’t loosen the blockage so I finally took a coat hanger and forged it through. Out came some dirt dobber lava. Problem fixed.
Thanks for sharing this great video
I watch a boat guy and he fixes this issue a lot by just using an air compressor to blow out and loosen the blockage. Seems to work.
Gotta watch doing it that way because you just push whatever is blocking the passage back into it farther and often shortly it stops right back up. But sometimes it cures it, in my experience it’s less than 50% chance it’ll permanently fix it.
On my old Yamaha Had a few (just small enough) pieces of seagrass that made it through the screen that clogged at the tail, pulled the hose off and ran 60lb mono in the tail and push it clear.
So ramming a piece of leader wire don’t always fix that I see-I had it happen once and I was able to clear it right at the main outlet with the wire...that’s a big detective job right there-well done
I agree with the detective work statement. The camera work was excellent as well. There are too many videos that rush through the mechanical process. You took the time to properly document everything with the camera. Thank you !
Just took my boat out of hibernation. Changed the Thermostat, water pump and zincs on my Yam F150XB. Went to start it up with the muffs on and no peeing. Let it run for a minute and checked Temps no issues. Tried a couple more times and still no pee. Now I want to go back at it on Easter Sunday lol.
I have a 9.9 High Thrust 4 stroke OB. Does the thermostat prevent the water from circulating when the motor is cold in the same way a thermostat in a car stays closed until the engine warms up? Or should the water start flowing immediately even when the motor is cold?
Had my outlet closed once on mine... used 100 lb mono line to clear it. Maybe dirt maybe a bug nest... awesome video as usual, appreciate the knowledge!
thank you!
I get hornets nesting in mine i keep 100lb fishing line near by to push up and clean i allways start the motor the afternoon before i go at home to make sure its clean nothing worse than problem at the ramp when there is 100+ boats lined up behind you waiting to use the ramp on a calm day
Odd one, I bought an old patrol ship shortly after it had both engines rebuilt.
After a few thousand hours on the engines, (3500 I think?) I was idling at the dock, waiting for departure, when I ran up the throttle an overheat alarm went off, checked outlets and one engine had no water moving.
Seacocks open, lines clear, impeller good. turned out to be the PTO and impeller had a spline gear between them that was out of spec, it only had 1/30000" meshing and after the wear on the part, suddenly failed and disengaged the engine from the pump.
A shim put them back in order, but wow, funny how something like that can go for so long and suddenly fail, good thing it wasn't out in rough weather.
I learned as well. The hornet made it full of mud and a black hornet flew out of the carb..... I took sushi chopsticks and wallered it out. And when starting the boat I use a garbage can. From now on I'm going to flush out the system after each boating outing. I might use awesome to prime the intakes so that it will clean the system after each boating and then plug your lines and intake with tape as well so it ensures no bugs will get into system. Also a little higher idle will help it pee stronger allowing the impeller to spin faster. Trial and error. And always change out gearcase oil once a year or every 100hrs. Also if using a garbage can to start boat, have the tailtail pee outside of the can onto the ground so your garbage can water stays cool and doesn't get hot. And remember to refresh water in garbage can to keep water cool.
Change the name of the channel to the boat detectives, I had a creature build something in my tell tail hose outlet cleared it, and now I keep a golf tee in the opening to stop the creatures. My boat does not live on the water. Thanks for the content, learning a lot from your channel.
Golf tees are used by mechanics to test plug rubber hoses. Stops fuel and air nicely.
Put my boat in today and the hose was completely clogged with bugs and crap, cleaned it out working great
dont put a stick in the tell tale, it could brake off inside
Instead of a tell tale I had a water pressure gauge on my outboard. Hooked up the tell tale to a line running to the dash. Then able to constantly monitor the cooling system.
If water does not come out of the tell tale, i always stick waterhose with nozzle to the telltale and shoot water in it. Works every time.
Thank you soooo much Thomas!! I just tried that and it worked! I was getting an overheat alarm and you saved me some money!!!
Yeah or you could take a air hose and shoot some air in there. It all works good
Thomas if I could buy you a drink I would. I was reading the owner's manual and it said if nothing is coming out..."...consult your authorized marine dealer." I said no thank you! Thanks anyways!
What's the chance you will blow the obstruction all the way out the intake ? Having this problem now and would be great if it worked ...but just worried it would free up temporarily. Thanks in advance
@@JohnMac-qy3sg pretty low. The cooling system and a motor it’s pretty lengthy. I think it would be pretty hard to blow the obstruction all the way out. The idea behind blowing air or water in there is to adjust the obstruction so next time your boat runs it has a higher chance of blowing out.
Well I change my pump, thermostat,plunger was melted …replace all and still no tell tail ,back flush with garden hose and the lines were unplug.and that did it..back on the water…yes
I put a zip tie in the outlet to keep mud daubers out. I remove it before launch, a couple times I forgot, you still get the stream past the flat sides of the zip tie, but looks different and then realize it needs to be removed. This helps protect the discharge end from pluggin
I've had small wasps lay eggs inside my telltale. They took small leaves into the opening to surround the eggs. This blocked my telltale completely. It happened a few times, so I took to turning a small stainless steel screw into the rubber outlet just finger tight. That kept them out.
i used wooden golf tees while the engines were not in use. those wasps are a real nuisance
A little suggestion on your zip ties. Don't cut with pliers. If you do it will leave a sharp edge and could cut you arm when working on the engine. Simply keep twisting the tie wrap until it breaks and the end will be smooth and not able to cut you.
I have a 2001 Yamaha 200 HPDI that did not pee. Foolishly, I went in and changed the impeller, then pulled off the hose at the back of the engine and found the cooling system working fine as water was coming out. I ignored it, and in a couple of fishing trips noticed that my battery voltage was at 16 volts. The regulator burned up as it was cooled by this telltale water. The problem was a blockage in the hose from the regulator to the outlet. Lesson learned.
We had the same problem with our 70 Johnson horsepower We had ran into a sandbar and got stuck before putting the boat in reverse to get out of the sandbar We took it to the Moreno and they was the one who we built the engine comes to find out it was clogged up inside with a lot of mud in sand You definitely have to be very careful out there on the water
Those mud dauber wasps plugged my optimax... cleaned it out and it was plugged again in a week! Got to be careful with the optimax, as the tell tale does not mean water is going through the block, only means the air compressor is getting cooled. You could have a strong tell tale, but no water going through the block! On my suzuki 200 I had the lower cowlings off and they plugged every single bolt hole, tell tale, and even the exhaust port!
A piece of whipper snipper line is always kept in my boat for this reason.
I’ve been learning tons of information from your channel. Thanks !!
Awesome, thank you!
Awsome video, just had a problem this past week you have not covered and its a good idea for you. I spun my prop out on the water. When should you change your prop hub for maintenance?
Ouch! That always sucks, there really isn't a time or hour period lol just look at it when doing gear lube and when it looks really bad and sloppy its getting close lol :)
After hitting weeds, dirt or whatever, sometimes the pee slows and motor sounds bogged. I throw it in reverse and slam the throttle, seems to work most of the time.
Stick a golf tee in water outlet in between uses. Keeps mud dobbers and insects out.
Never thought of that. I bet it stays in better than covering the hole with tape.
Weed Wacker line Works great for cleaning that drain and you leave it in when you're not using the boat .
I have a stump the chump problem.
Suzuki Df-50
My tell tail was not peeing intermittently. No ryme or reason. I tilt the motor full down and it steams out…
I determined it was head gasket. After i replaced the impeller plate key and gaskets it pee’s under a water hose but not on it’s own at idle. Replaced the head assy (yep valves and all). Rebuild fuel separator and collant, replaced all hoses and T’s.
Flushed the foot forward and back. Replaced the water pressure valved that is under the oil pan.
Pulled all anodes out and flushed motor on and off. Still intermittent pee stream and steam outs at idle 900 rpms.
Still same problem. Seems like the exhaust pressure is pushing the water out.
When does the exhaust enter the water chamber. Could excessive exhaust pressure keep the water from pressurizing the head.
I have separated every joint on this motor except the block piston cover. There is neither water or exhaust in that section of the motor.
Any ideas please help.
Next step is to backflush the system thru the pee hole with rydlyme and ‘hope’ it is a salt pack buried deep in a casting…
If i take off the gearbox foot and attach a hose to the pickup tube i get a 3-4ft pee stream. Under impeller on the best day i get 1/2 foot.
I have owned this motor since new and have always had a 2foot pee stream even at idle.
I am completely stumped. I have done all the easy steps.
welcome reply’s if you understand the water exhaust system and how they could get blocked up or keep the water from pressuring the engine.
I would be looking at the water tube and the gaskets around the water tube, there is also a water plug assembly on the side of the oil pan housing/ adapter plate/ upper driveshaft housing area. Could be any debris in there. When you did the cylinder head you should have seen the water tube and the gasket around it, if there is anything wrong with it there that would create an issue. It will pee on the hose because the garden hose probably has about 40PSI whereas at idle the impeller maybe makes 2PSI.
That's the best I can think of and cover in a youtube comment :/ if you haven't figured it out yet and want more in depth help or advice, you can join our Boater's Program and message us there with pictures and videos, and we have a weekly livestream where we can talk about stuff like this. www.bornagainboating.com/
But I would definitely be telling you the first thing to get to that water tube and inspect for an issue there, because of what you have said you have already done. Where more than I would think to do :/ especially changing out the entire head!
hope you've figured this out already though :)
@@BornAgainBoating thanks for the detailed reply. Seems that if i start the motor and the motor is tilted full down it will steam out and then overheat. If the motor is tilted 15deg or so above engine parallel then it pressurizes and runs fine at any angle
I reflushed with vinigar even took some dishwasher cleaning tabs and put them in thru the temp valve ran on idle for 20 min. It helped. The best i can figure is there is a piece of casting that has broken off and is floating between the water pressure relief valve and the head. The holes are small so it must be trapped in the casting..and rolling around like a marble. I pulled all the anodes and flushed back and forth motor on and off nothing significant. Again brand new head assy 15 hrs on it. I replaced all rubber and ALL seals when i replaced the head assy. Valve pressure at 155 each cylinder. I routinely flush my motor once a week for 20 min on ears for the last 25 years.
thanks for this timely video. I had a situation yesterday where my engine was running fine on the trailer. i had ear muffs hooked up and water flowing to them. all the sudden an alarm went off so i shut off my motor. i checked everything then noticed the hose was kinked at the faucet limiting the flow to the ear muffs. i cleared the kinked hose and restarted my motor. everything went great after that. my motor ran a minute or so with limited water and no water out of the indicator. i was wondering is there a better i.e. louder or better location for that alarm buzzer. its located inside my center console/helm compartment. i barely noticed the alarm noise.
Typical owner does more damage then good.
about to embark on figuring out why my tell tale is not peeing. Hoping its the impeller.
Weed eater string works like a charm. 😁
Dirt dobbers get in mine all the time. I keep a piece of 80 lb leader cut to 2 ft with a bobber on it in my console. I've dropped it once