FREDO wrote:
Some of these motors have a thermostat (my 9.9 merc does) and water will not
come out til engine reaches operating temp.

I was thinking along that line. But turned out this is not the case.
The telltail of my motor starts coming out as soon as I put the lower
unit in a water bucket. I need to make sure there is enough water
depth above the top water inlet in the lower unit; otherwise, there is
not enough water pressure and the telltail will not come out, or I can
point a water hose directly at the top water inlet to apply water
pressure.

I still don't know why the ear-muff adapter doesn't work though.

Jay Chan

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? Does the motor need to reach a
certain temperature before the water stream coming out? The boatowner
manual said this:

"2. If engine is cold, run engine for 1 or 2 minutes ...
3. After engine has warmed up, check water temperature
gauge to ensure that engine temperature is not
abnormally high... Check that water is running from
the tell-tail on the back of the engine..."

This seems to suggest that the telltail water stream may not come out
if the engine is not warm enough. Considering the fact that the
overheating warning horn doesn't sound, the cooling system may not
really have a problem.

However, the Mercury Operation & Maintenance Manual for my 1995 Mercury
115hp outboard said this differently:

"10 Turn ignition key to START ...re-prime until engine
is running smoothly.
11 Check for a steady stream of water flowing out
of the water pump indicator hole.
IMPORTANT: If no water is coming out of the water
pump indicator hole, stop engine..."

This surely seems like I should expect to see telltail water stream
coming out as soon as I start the engine.

Now, I am really confused with this conflicting info. Obviously, I
don't want to risk overheating the motor. Can someone help me with
this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan


Pull off the hose to the tell tale from inside the cowling. See if water
comes out. Lots of times a bug builds a nest in the hole, or some other
dirt plugs it up. Is a small orifice.

Calif Bill 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? Does the motor need to reach a
certain temperature before the water stream coming out? The boatowner
manual said this:

"2. If engine is cold, run engine for 1 or 2 minutes ...
3. After engine has warmed up, check water temperature
gauge to ensure that engine temperature is not
abnormally high... Check that water is running from
the tell-tail on the back of the engine..."

This seems to suggest that the telltail water stream may not come out
if the engine is not warm enough. Considering the fact that the
overheating warning horn doesn't sound, the cooling system may not
really have a problem.

However, the Mercury Operation & Maintenance Manual for my 1995 Mercury
115hp outboard said this differently:

"10 Turn ignition key to START ...re-prime until engine
is running smoothly.
11 Check for a steady stream of water flowing out
of the water pump indicator hole.
IMPORTANT: If no water is coming out of the water
pump indicator hole, stop engine..."

This surely seems like I should expect to see telltail water stream
coming out as soon as I start the engine.

Now, I am really confused with this conflicting info. Obviously, I
don't want to risk overheating the motor. Can someone help me with
this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan


Pull off the hose to the tell tale from inside the cowling. See if water
comes out. Lots of times a bug builds a nest in the hole, or some other
dirt plugs it up. Is a small orifice.

I didn't remove the telltail hose. I ran a stiff wire up the hose and
I didn't feel any blockage. I doubt the telltail hose is being blocked
because I can see smoke coming from the telltail hole. I have a
feeling that if the telltail hose wass blocked, I should not see any
smoke coming out.

Jay Chan

wrote:
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.

Jay, just out of curiosity, if you haven't used the boat in a year,
then why are you deciding to winterize it at this time?

According to what yoyu say, it must have sat all through the colder
winter months of last year,a nd the first part of this year.

why now?

wrote:
wrote:
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.

Jay, just out of curiosity, if you haven't used the boat in a year,
then why are you deciding to winterize it at this time?

According to what yoyu say, it must have sat all through the colder
winter months of last year,a nd the first part of this year.

why now?

The reason of winterizing the motor even without using it for a year
is:

Last fall when I winterized the motor, I didn't run the fuel
system dry. I ran the motor for 5 minutes to let treated fuel get
inside the fuel system and then I shut down the motor. This means
there is still fuel inside the fuel system of the motor. Although the
fuel was treated with stablizer, it will only be good for one year. If
I didn't winterize the motor now, by next spring the treated fuel would
have sat in the fuel system for 17 months -- that would be 5 months
longer than what the treated fuel is supposed to last. This is the
reason why I need to winterize the motor now.

Jay Chan

Jay, it's a shame you wern't able to use it this year.

If you would still like to do-it-yourself repairs on the engine, which
at this point I really wouldn't recommend. (If I were in your position
, I'd take it to a reputable mechanic).

BUT, i would get a repair manual for that model or series of engines.
like a "Peterson", "Chiltons" or "Motors" or likewise book that you
could study really well, A book that will tell you in great detail on
how to even overhaul your engine if necessary. A vast amount of
knowledge can be found in these books. just for if anything else, a
reference point. You can find these books at about any boat
dealership, or what i did was bought an almost brand new manual for my
mercruiser off Ebay, for less than half price of what the stores
wanted.

For my book, the dealership retail price was about $49.00. I bought
mine with a high bid of $18.00 plus $3.75 s&h.



wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
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.

Jay, just out of curiosity, if you haven't used the boat in a year,
then why are you deciding to winterize it at this time?

According to what yoyu say, it must have sat all through the colder
winter months of last year,a nd the first part of this year.

why now?

The reason of winterizing the motor even without using it for a year
is:

Last fall when I winterized the motor, I didn't run the fuel
system dry. I ran the motor for 5 minutes to let treated fuel get
inside the fuel system and then I shut down the motor. This means
there is still fuel inside the fuel system of the motor. Although the
fuel was treated with stablizer, it will only be good for one year. If
I didn't winterize the motor now, by next spring the treated fuel would
have sat in the fuel system for 17 months -- that would be 5 months
longer than what the treated fuel is supposed to last. This is the
reason why I need to winterize the motor now.

Jay Chan

No, I really don't want to DIY repair the motor. As mentioned in
another of my post in this thread, I am fixing the rotten core of the
deck and the deck core is exposed, and is not in the position to bring
the boat to a mechanic and risk getting rain water inside the deck
again. I just want to do enough on the motor to be able to finish
winterizing it. Next spring or later when I am done with fixing the
deck, I will bring the motor to a marine mechanic (my boatowner
neighbor has recommended a really good mechanica in my area) and have
the motor checked out and also to look into a few things.

Thanks for the suggestion of a couple good reference books for
maintaining motors. Also thanks for suggesting to buy those books from
eBay at a low price.

Jay Chan


wrote:
Jay, it's a shame you wern't able to use it this year.

If you would still like to do-it-yourself repairs on the engine, which
at this point I really wouldn't recommend. (If I were in your position
, I'd take it to a reputable mechanic).

BUT, i would get a repair manual for that model or series of engines.
like a "Peterson", "Chiltons" or "Motors" or likewise book that you
could study really well, A book that will tell you in great detail on
how to even overhaul your engine if necessary. A vast amount of
knowledge can be found in these books. just for if anything else, a
reference point. You can find these books at about any boat
dealership, or what i did was bought an almost brand new manual for my
mercruiser off Ebay, for less than half price of what the stores
wanted.

For my book, the dealership retail price was about $49.00. I bought
mine with a high bid of $18.00 plus $3.75 s&h.



wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
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.

Jay, just out of curiosity, if you haven't used the boat in a year,
then why are you deciding to winterize it at this time?

According to what yoyu say, it must have sat all through the colder
winter months of last year,a nd the first part of this year.

why now?

The reason of winterizing the motor even without using it for a year
is:

Last fall when I winterized the motor, I didn't run the fuel
system dry. I ran the motor for 5 minutes to let treated fuel get
inside the fuel system and then I shut down the motor. This means
there is still fuel inside the fuel system of the motor. Although the
fuel was treated with stablizer, it will only be good for one year. If
I didn't winterize the motor now, by next spring the treated fuel would
have sat in the fuel system for 17 months -- that would be 5 months
longer than what the treated fuel is supposed to last. This is the
reason why I need to winterize the motor now.

Jay Chan

wrote:
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? Does the motor need to reach a
certain temperature before the water stream coming out? The boatowner
manual said this:

"2. If engine is cold, run engine for 1 or 2 minutes ...
3. After engine has warmed up, check water temperature
gauge to ensure that engine temperature is not
abnormally high... Check that water is running from
the tell-tail on the back of the engine..."

This seems to suggest that the telltail water stream may not come out
if the engine is not warm enough. Considering the fact that the
overheating warning horn doesn't sound, the cooling system may not
really have a problem.

However, the Mercury Operation & Maintenance Manual for my 1995 Mercury
115hp outboard said this differently:

"10 Turn ignition key to START ...re-prime until engine
is running smoothly.
11 Check for a steady stream of water flowing out
of the water pump indicator hole.
IMPORTANT: If no water is coming out of the water
pump indicator hole, stop engine..."

This surely seems like I should expect to see telltail water stream
coming out as soon as I start the engine.

Now, I am really confused with this conflicting info. Obviously, I
don't want to risk overheating the motor. Can someone help me with
this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

I thought the impeller was damaged and could not push water through the
telltail. Last weekend, I opened up the impeller and found that it is
in very good shape. Now, I really don't know why I cannot see the
telltail water stream when I start the motor.

At this point, this problem is beyond my skill level. I will bring the
motor to the dealer next spring and let them to fix it. Meanwhile, I
can only finish half the winterizing process (fuel system is only
partially winterized). I will just have to try my luck and hope that
some of the treated fuel managed to get into the fuel system of the
motor when I ran the motor for 30 seconds two weeks ago (I am betting
on this because I know that I had used up all the old fuel from the
fuel tank before I ran the motor).

Thanks for all the people who have tried to help me. I appreciate
that. I will let people know how this goes next spring when I will
bring the motor to the dealer.

Jay Chan

There is usually a brass or fiberglass insert in the impeller. If you try to
pull the impeller away from the insert, you might find that the bond between
the two no longer exists. Many folks have been fooled by this failure.
Jim
wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
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? Does the motor need to reach a
certain temperature before the water stream coming out? The boatowner
manual said this:

"2. If engine is cold, run engine for 1 or 2 minutes ...
3. After engine has warmed up, check water temperature
gauge to ensure that engine temperature is not
abnormally high... Check that water is running from
the tell-tail on the back of the engine..."

This seems to suggest that the telltail water stream may not come out
if the engine is not warm enough. Considering the fact that the
overheating warning horn doesn't sound, the cooling system may not
really have a problem.

However, the Mercury Operation & Maintenance Manual for my 1995 Mercury
115hp outboard said this differently:

"10 Turn ignition key to START ...re-prime until engine
is running smoothly.
11 Check for a steady stream of water flowing out
of the water pump indicator hole.
IMPORTANT: If no water is coming out of the water
pump indicator hole, stop engine..."

This surely seems like I should expect to see telltail water stream
coming out as soon as I start the engine.

Now, I am really confused with this conflicting info. Obviously, I
don't want to risk overheating the motor. Can someone help me with
this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

I thought the impeller was damaged and could not push water through the
telltail. Last weekend, I opened up the impeller and found that it is
in very good shape. Now, I really don't know why I cannot see the
telltail water stream when I start the motor.

At this point, this problem is beyond my skill level. I will bring the
motor to the dealer next spring and let them to fix it. Meanwhile, I
can only finish half the winterizing process (fuel system is only
partially winterized). I will just have to try my luck and hope that
some of the treated fuel managed to get into the fuel system of the
motor when I ran the motor for 30 seconds two weeks ago (I am betting
on this because I know that I had used up all the old fuel from the
fuel tank before I ran the motor).

Thanks for all the people who have tried to help me. I appreciate
that. I will let people know how this goes next spring when I will
bring the motor to the dealer.

Jay Chan

The brass key pin is there, and I vaguely recall that I had turned the
driveshalf to verify that the brass key pin can turn the impeller. But
I don't trust my memory. I will try this one more time today when I
get back home.

Thanks for the tip.

Jay Chan


Jim wrote:
There is usually a brass or fiberglass insert in the impeller. If you try to
pull the impeller away from the insert, you might find that the bond between
the two no longer exists. Many folks have been fooled by this failure.
Jim

wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
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? Does the motor need to reach a
certain temperature before the water stream coming out? The boatowner
manual said this:

"2. If engine is cold, run engine for 1 or 2 minutes ...
3. After engine has warmed up, check water temperature
gauge to ensure that engine temperature is not
abnormally high... Check that water is running from
the tell-tail on the back of the engine..."

This seems to suggest that the telltail water stream may not come out
if the engine is not warm enough. Considering the fact that the
overheating warning horn doesn't sound, the cooling system may not
really have a problem.

However, the Mercury Operation & Maintenance Manual for my 1995 Mercury
115hp outboard said this differently:

"10 Turn ignition key to START ...re-prime until engine
is running smoothly.
11 Check for a steady stream of water flowing out
of the water pump indicator hole.
IMPORTANT: If no water is coming out of the water
pump indicator hole, stop engine..."

This surely seems like I should expect to see telltail water stream
coming out as soon as I start the engine.

Now, I am really confused with this conflicting info. Obviously, I
don't want to risk overheating the motor. Can someone help me with
this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

I thought the impeller was damaged and could not push water through the
telltail. Last weekend, I opened up the impeller and found that it is
in very good shape. Now, I really don't know why I cannot see the
telltail water stream when I start the motor.

At this point, this problem is beyond my skill level. I will bring the
motor to the dealer next spring and let them to fix it. Meanwhile, I
can only finish half the winterizing process (fuel system is only
partially winterized). I will just have to try my luck and hope that
some of the treated fuel managed to get into the fuel system of the
motor when I ran the motor for 30 seconds two weeks ago (I am betting
on this because I know that I had used up all the old fuel from the
fuel tank before I ran the motor).

Thanks for all the people who have tried to help me. I appreciate
that. I will let people know how this goes next spring when I will
bring the motor to the dealer.

Jay Chan