Honda 10hp 4 stroke Outboard VERY low water trickle...

[Zoid]

My Honda outboard on the dinghy is only about 1 1/2 years old and this morning I just noticed that the water outlet wasn't "peeing" like normal. At idle or just clicked over into Forward it was a trickle running down the side of the engine. At higher revs is was a very slight "pee" stream. This is definitely not normal. I assume I've got a blockage as the intakes look clear. Well they look clear from the outside. Should I take the black plastic covers off the intakes off?

Anyway, I guess my first step should be to try and clear a blockage. Maybe take the black hose off and try and push something through? Any suggestions?

Thanks for all the help in advance

[AfterHoursNLCT]

The discharge hole may be partially blocked...

[Zoid]

Any suggestions on the best way to unblock it?

[Cormorant]

Plastic weed whacker line is handy for this, if you're anywhere you can lay your hands on that. . . .

Also, if you have the right socket wrench, it's not hard to open up the water pump and check your impeller. They should last more than 1 1/2 years, but you never know . . .

[Azul]

Almost everyone has a set of drill bits around. Gently twist an appropriately sized bit in the discharge nipple to see if sand or crud is blocking the hole. If that doesn't do it you need to check the impeller. I had one engine that seemed to need to have this done on a regular basis and kept the drill bit in my fishing tackle box.

Once I had to take an 8 HP I purchased apart about six times to get it to work. It turned out bits of the prior failed impeller had wedged in every conceivable location. Each time I thought I had it fixed, and the whole experience made me glad I was never employed as a urologist.

Another way to do it is to take a piece of windshield wiper hose from AutoZone and put it over the nipple without the engine running, then blow through the tubing to see if you can hear the air going down the tube. Don't suck on the tube with the engine running as you will be inhaling exhaust gases (yes I have seen people do this.)

[Zoid]

I'm in Greece right now so a weed whacker may be tricky to find, but I can find something to work. I was looking through the manual but didn't see anything on checking the water pump and impeller. I'm going to search and see if I can find a service instruction or youtube video on it.

[sartorst]

i would be checking the water pump impeller 1st

[Zoid]

I found some heavy test fishing line and fed it into the water outlet. About 8 inches or so I would guess. I now have much better water flow. Will need to clean the lines and check impeller as soon as I get a chance. (guests on board make that difficult). Thanks everyone!

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[boeing1]

how offen do you flush the engine, possible impeller needs replacement however might try flushing engine first with a desalt product, or if you can not get any in your area, vinegar, also works well

[adam56usa]

You might remove the thermostat. Problem with that is replacing the gaskets. Also put the motor in some fresh water and flush it out.

[Moontide]

90%+ of the time pushing something up the hole solves the problem. I just use straightened out paper clip. Have not tried heavy fish line or the weed whacker line and imagine they would work fine. Pretty much anything will work. I always do it with the engine running so if flushes out any crap that I loosen, and get instant gratification.

Flushing with fresh water between uses will help a lot as well.

[poiu]

The pee hole is probably blocked and maybe too small. This is certainly a recognized problem on some Honda engines like the 40 and 50. They have made a bigger hole exit part, which you can buy. I bought one, but didn't fit it as my old one is seized in there and I can't get it out, so I just ignore the fact that it doesn't pee anymore. It's either that or unblock it once a week. A bit of a nuisance. If this is the problem you could also drill out the hole if you can get the fitting out.

You may be able to poke the hole from below with something thin like a small electrical wire of the right size or if that doesn't work, take the cover off, pull off the hose and clean from above.

[exMaggieDrum]

I had a wonderful little 9.9hp Tohatsu 4stroke. I was very particular in doing maintenance on it and put lots of hours on it cruising full time. One time I had the same problem. I immediately overthought the whole thing. I took apart the lower end. Replaced the impeller, etc. Turns out it was the hose that goes from the engine outflow port to the little pee hole. It was plugged with salt. You should try the easy stuff first before doing impellers/thermostats/etc.

Run something through the pee hole fixture but also check out the hose going to it. You can remove it easily and just blow on it from the engine side. If it is hard to blow then you have the most likely cause ID'd. And make sure and run fresh water through the motor occasionally to prevent a recurrence. Get some OB ear muffs and hook your hose to it. You can do it off the motor mount on your rail (or wherever you leave the motor when out of the water)

[CatboatWilly]

I have the same engine and make it a practice to replace the impeller often. While all the above suggestions are worthwhile trying - I use a can of compressed air (used for computer cleaning) and shoot it through the water exhaust port hole.
If that doesn't work look to replace the impeller and insure that you have clear passage while you are at it.
Honda impellers are prone to breaking apart and it's quite possible a small piece of a broken impeller is blocking the water output. That is exactly what happen to me. Hope it's something simple.......