Water pump problem (I think)

[Mike2043]

I started winterizing my Parker this weekend and ran into a problem. The boat has a Yamaha 175 HPDI. I changed the oil in the lower unit and hooked it up to the muffs. While running I noticed no water coming out of the pee hole so I shut it down. I noticed this right away.

I then figured that the muffs were not providing enough water so I got a large landscapers garbage can and filled it with water. The water was well above intakes on the lower unit. I fired it up and still nothing out of the pee hole.

Hmmm..

I let it run a bit and the overheating alarm went off. Not sure what to do next so I left the motor off and hooked the hose to the flush hook up on the side of the engine. (not sure what it’s really called.) again I got nothing out of the pee hole. I also tried running the engine with the hose hooked to the flush port and got a dribble of water out of the pee hole.

I then held my finger over the pee hole for a second and when I removed it I did get a squirt of water..

Does this sound like water pump problem?

PS: The water was coming out of the pee hole just fine two weeks ago when I brought the boat home. I have not ran the boat since then.

 

[Uncle Matt]

It could just be an accumulation of salt, weeds, or some type of debris blocking the hose. The first thing I would try is to take a piece of fishing line and slowly feed it down the pee hole. You want to use a heavy weight line (for example 40+ lb line) so it's stiff. Many times that itself is all it takes to unblock a clogged line. Let us know.

 

[Mike2043]

Uncle Matt, you hit in on the head. Line was plugged. All fixed now. Thanks.

 

[tbone65]

The fact that you got an overheat alarm concerns me..the pee tube telltale has no effect on that alarm..if you got the alarm, you got hot. I would pull the leg and have the impeller inspected/replaced.

 

[Parker23.5]

I was told to change my water pump every two years I don't know if this is right but I have never had any trouble with the water pump? I hope that helps you but it sounds like you need a new water pump Tom

 

[johnsw]

I had an overheat problem when I did my spring startup. Using muffs, I had a good stream from the pee hole. Figured city water pressure would make water pump not likley, but possibly the problem. Started simple and pulled the thermostats (150 V6) and found the port in one housing was just about completely blocked with sand. There's a small port, about 1/4" by 1/8", machined into the housing that the water flows through as the thermostat opens. Cleaned out the sand and put new thermostats in while I had it apart. No more overheating.

Yes, water pumps should probably be done every couple years, more or less often depending on how many hours you put on it in a season. It's cheap insurance to prevent a bigger problem.

John

 

[DaleH]

Yes, water pumps should probably be done every couple years, more or less often depending on how many hours you put on it in a season. It's cheap insurance to prevent a bigger problem.

It is my opinion that provided you don't run in sand or mud ... that the lifetime of the impeller could easily be 5 to 10 years. I've taken impellers out of motors with 7 to 12+ years of use on them and the impellers were fine, without any hard 'set' and none had any scorching in the housing.

BUT here's the kicker ... every motor had bolts frozen in place as to where a 'heat hammer' (torch) and EZ-Out stud-removal tools were needed, making the once-simple job an indeed HUGE pain in the arse! When parts come apart easy, I can perform a V6 full waterpump service in 30 to 45 minutes provided I have all the tools handy.

IMHO it is best to do this full waterpump service every ~300 hours of so of use, or at least every 3rd year, going to 2-years with lots of use or if near sand or mud areas. Regardless of service interval, the BEST thing to do is to make sure you apply gasket sealing compund to every bolt used to service the waterpump and lower unit ... so you can get it apart for the next time. Also replace your thermostats at the same time.

 

[BuddahB]

When I did my F225 water pump and thermostats, my port side thermostat had alot of sand in it as well. The starboard side was completely clean. Must not flow as unobstructed on the port side as starboard.