JimH wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I left the boat in the driveway for one year without starting the
motor. Today, I put the lower unit into a bucket of water, and start
the motor to winterize it. After trying to start it for a couple
times, I finally manage to start it. Unfortunately, I cannot see the
telltail water stream coming out from the motor cooling system. All I
see is some smoke coming from the hole where the water stream is
supposed to come out from. Despite the fact that the motor temperature
was not overheating (only run it for 30 seconds or so), I decided to
turn off the motor just to be in the safe side.

My question is:

Should I expect to see the telltail water stream coming out from the
motor as soon as I start the motor?

Yes.

Does the motor need to reach a
certain temperature before the water stream coming out?

No.

The impeller is shot. Any easy replacement. Here is one source for the
replacement kit.

http://www.outboardparts.com/mercury...repairkits.htm

Thanks for pointing out that I likely need to replace the impeller.
And also thanks for the link to the impeller kit; I quite likely need
to order one.

Now, I need to write down on my boat-owner manual to expect to see the
telltail right after I have started the motor -- to prevent it from
confusing me again.

Jay Chan