Peehole Water Pressure (Help!)

[rickpo]

I hooked up my boat to the water hose. I do not use those ear muffs. My engine has a water inlet that hooks straight up to the water hose. It runs thru the engine and out the bottom, sides and the top pee hole.
I had a very good stream coming out. Plenty of pressure. Turned engine on. All good. After a few minutes the pressure dropped considerably. I can literally urinate harder. I would rev up engine (in neutral) and no change.
Never seen it do this before. Been 10 years now. Any ideas what I can start looking at. First thing that comes to mind is the impeller. I just changed it out a few weeks ago.
Thanks in advance

[tkrein]

you are not supposed to run the motor off that hose plug, it is for back flushing only. You need to get muffs or put it in the water if you still have no water pressure with muffs or in the water make sure the pee hole isn't plugged, if not then it might be the water pump.

[Jayjoans]

I just watched a couple of videos on this last night. The hose connector is for static flushing as stated above. You use the muffs if you're going to start it up.

Static flush:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0vuFkp7Rtk
(in the comments a person states that he's getting pee flow when doing a static flush and the service guy says that shouldn't be happening. Maybe yours is fixed now!)

Running flush:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nThSjoBl-4

[ROLAND]

That hose connection is for flushing your motor... you shouldn't run your motor when using the hose connection.... you need to get a set of muffs ( pretty cheap ) and put them on so that they cover the water inlets... you can then run your engine when you have water coming from your garden hose into the muffs and then into the water inlets on your motor.

[SamiGuy]

Yep....I'll bet even money the impeller is fried. Easy mistake to make. Seen plenty of impellers ruined just that way. Without the muffs, the water pump doesn't get water to cool and lubricate. Let us know when you pull it apart.
Good Luck!!
Sami

[rickpo]

Ok. Thanks. When I bought the boat the tec at the dealership told me I didn't have to use muffs. He said that's what that hose is for. Its been 10 years doing it that way, never had a problem. I'll get a set and try again.

[lakerunner]

FIND A NEW TEC ASAP before he tells you, you don't need oil

[ralph]

[quote="lakerunner"]FIND A NEW TEC ASAP before he tells you, you don't need oil[/quote]



If you had the manual from the engine manufacturer it would tell you not to run the engine using the flush fitting. Time to find a new mechanic.

[newb1]

So mine is doing something similar... It just barely weeps out the pee hole, there just is no flow at all.

I ran it all weekend at Powell with no over heating issues and when you put your finger over the hole there is a ton of pressure.

I am also curious what is going on. I have looked over the "plumbing" diagrams and cant see how this would get plugged or if the way it is plumbed is causing some sort of bypass.

[mrlouis]

get a small plastic straw and run it into the pee hole, they sometime get clocked up if the flow doesn't get better as stated by others you
may have fried your impeller

[curtiscapk]

weedeater string! I keep some in my back bench. Mud-dobbers are notorious for clogging that.

[Bryden24shp]

There is a check valve that runs off of that flushing adapter on Merc outboards that will stick, when flushing with the motor running. That check valve (if so equipped on yours) just needs to be taken apart and reset. Dealers will say it needs to be replaced, but you can take them apart.

[ROLAND]

we do the same as craig... the few times mine has gotten clogged with sand, we just kill the motor, and run weed eater line back and forth.. then restart the motor.. sometimes it takes 2 or 3 weed eater treatments to break it loose.

[rickpo]

Dealer went out of business several years ago. I took it apart again this past Saturday, impeller looks ok. No cracks or nothing on it. I hooked up the water while I had the lower unit off. There is a water line that runs down to where the impeller is. It feeds water to the impeller unit. I covered it with my hands and there was a few gurgling sounds and lo and behold the pee hole started working again. Must have had something in it. Still going to get those muffs. Havent had time yet.

[ralph]

[quote="rickpo"]Dealer went out of business several years ago. I took it apart again this past Saturday, impeller looks ok. No cracks or nothing on it. I hooked up the water while I had the lower unit off. There is a water line that runs down to where the impeller is. It feeds water to the impeller unit. I covered it with my hands and there was a few gurgling sounds and lo and behold the pee hole started working again. Must have had something in it. Still going to get those muffs. Havent had time yet.[/quote]


Good news Rick.

Hey if it ever gets cold down there you can put the muffs on your ears too! All kidding aside they are a good investment and a definite need for what you were doing.