Some of these motors have a thermostat (my 9.9 merc does) and water will not
come out til engine reaches operating temp.
" JimH" not telling you @ pffftt.com wrote in message
. ..

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