Outboard Water not exhausting much

[ShipOfFools]

Hey guys i got a late model 2.5 HP Suzuki off Craigs List it runs ok but the water is not spewing out of the pee hole like I see it does on youtube. Its only trickling out, out of the pee hole and the hole below that, even when i have it at full throttle, is there a way to make sure the water cooling system is not clogged? Should i have it serviced, and about how much would this cost? thanks! ShipofFools

[Hudson Force]

Keep in mind that the higher visible water stream is not the cooling water itself, but an indicator that the cooling water is working. It's quite common for this indicator stream to be clogged with a little debris, often algae, while the cooling system is fine. Before you open the lower unit to change the impeller, take a piece of broom straw or the thin tube from a WD40 can and poke it in this hole to clear it. It can be this simple!

[ShipOfFools]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

Keep in mind that the higher visible water stream is not the cooling water itself, but an indicator that the cooling water is working. It's quite common for this indicator stream to be clogged with a little debris, often algae, while the cooling system is fine. Before you open the lower unit to change the impeller, take a piece of broom straw or the thin tube from a WD40 can and poke it in this hole to clear it. It can be this simple!

thanks i tried this but it didnt work, i wonder if its some other blockage inside the tubes that run up and down the shaft

[Hudson Force]

The next best step, for me, would be to go ahead and replace the impeller. This is not a very complex fix and you can follow some YouTube instruction videos for support. There is a possibility of some type of additional blockage, but that's unlikely. You could go ahead an use a strong stream of water attempting to flush things out, but I'm sticking with the impeller change.

[mvmojo]

If the motor is new to you, replace the impeller, if for nothing more than piece of mind! It's not a difficult or expensive job. At the same time you can blow out the indicator hose from the water pump up to the pee hole. As Hudson Force said, it's not unusual for these pee holes to become clogged with debris, including spider webs, but because they're so small, pushing something up in them can sometimes just move the clog further up the hose.

[Captndave1]

Very possible that the whole cooling system might be clogged with salt, get some Salt Away and run the engine in a barrel with Salt Away in the water.
This will clear salt from the water galleries in the motor.

[Cheechako]

Many times this is just salt or debris in the little tube. Push a soft small wire into the hole or the tube to clear it. This is especially true of salt water use engines. If they sit a while almost every time!
Don't jump right to replacing an impeller. I've done a few and not once have they actually been bad.

[MIRELOS]

if the exhaust water is good but not the "peehole" your impeler might be ok but your heat exchanger might be clogged, both are easy to check and fix

[Ambler]

Originally Posted by Captndave1

Very possible that the whole cooling system might be clogged with salt, get some Salt Away and run the engine in a barrel with Salt Away in the water.
This will clear salt from the water galleries in the motor.

I had this same problem with my 3hp yamaha. I didn't know about Salt Away which is basically an acid wash. Having previously cooked a small Mercury outboard, I took drastic action and pulled the engine apart. I was shocked at how badly the cooling system was blocked with calcium deposits.

I found using an old screw driver removed most of the gunk. I also experimented with a solution of acid, which looked to simply disolve it. It frothed up and dislodged. The acid I used was gelcoat restorer and I have since also used rust converter added to a bucket that I run the engine in. A few years later I discovered Salt Away at a boat show.

So we pay the ultimate price for not following the user manual instructions and flushing the system with fresh water after each use in salt water.

I have now found the ultimate answer to a yachtsman's dinghy outboard. I picked up a 2nd hand air cooled 2hp honda! One less job at the end of each day.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools

Hey guys i got a late model 2.5 HP Suzuki off Craigs List it runs ok but the water is not spewing out of the pee hole like I see it does on youtube. Its only trickling out, out of the pee hole and the hole below that, even when i have it at full throttle, is there a way to make sure the water cooling system is not clogged? Should i have it serviced, and about how much would this cost? thanks! ShipofFools

A wild guess would be change the impeller.

[CaptMarc]

A length of weed whacker line works well to run up the output...

[Mike Banks]

It sounds as though the system IS clogged--and you have to dismantle it to make sure all is clear. The only other possibility for the small flow is a damaged impeller--and you need to take that apart too. Download the workshop manual for your model from the internet--and with a small set of metric sockets and a cross-head screwdriver, you are ready to race. It is not as big a job as one might imagine.

Lotsa luck.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Captndave1

Very possible that the whole cooling system might be clogged with salt, get some Salt Away and run the engine in a barrel with Salt Away in the water.

This will clear salt from the water galleries in the motor.

This is s good idea on a new-to-you used outboard, as well as changing the impeller straight away. Most small outboards don’t have an overheat alarm and it’s why a lot of folks change their impeller every year or two as preventative maintenance.

[Defeverboat]

On the big fishing boats they
Change the impeller every year. Even if they don’t need it! Saltway is the best to use to clean the salt out of the cooling tubes no acid. Acid will scar the tubes so more stuff will stick to the walls.

[Defeverboat]

You can leave Saltway in the motor. It will not hurt the motor it will help clean it out more