Okay.. Need advice..

[fish_eat_sleep]

Was out fishing yesterday with a couple buddies. After trimming up the motor a little and pulling into the dock I left the motor running and went to get the truck. When the 2 guys got out of the boat after me the freshwater pickup was slightly above the waterline (about 1-2 inches....).

Soooo.. when I was ready to drive it on i realized it had been idling without cycling water for about 50 seconds. (due to the 2 guys getting off the boat.. It was cycling water when they were in their seats. but not while they were standing on the dock..

Anything to be worried about?

[CAMAN]

Just keep an eye on the tell-tale stream like you should always do, but since it was idling I wouldn't be too worried, motors don't create much heat idling for those short periods. The only thing to worry about is if the little bit of existing water in the impeller dried up and burnt up the impeller, and you will be able to tell if that's an issue the next time you start the motor up. Just make sure the stream starts up and has good pressure with it.

[fish_eat_sleep]

yeah i took it out tonight and it seemed to run almost normal. the stream took about 3 seconds longer to get good pressure. ran good once it was warmed up. It was probably running at about 90% of its normal water pressure flow for the most part. I assume somehow only minor damage to the pump/impeller? Im just glad its not an emergency to get it fixed. Id hate to miss the crappie bite the next to weeks.

Thanks for the reply. I was lucky it didn't completely burn up..

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Takes less than $50 and less than a 1/2 hour to replace the impeller for some peace of mind....

[fish_eat_sleep]

Thanks! I was really worried i had destroyed something! 50 bucks isn't bad. I was thinking much worse.

[boatfixer]

Personnaly is replace it, here's why. Sooooo many times I've heard the same thing happen and the guy said the same thing, "it seem to pump fine after that". What can happen is the rubber impeller gets hot enough to get brittle and crack. It may be just fine now, but the blades can fail much sooner.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Thats what i have heard.. Its pumping water at like 90% of the normal pressure. Takes a few more seconds after start up to gain good pressure. Called around to have it looked at... 2 weeks wait at most places. I know its the busy season at boat shops.

Will it be safe to use until then if I watch it carefully? Anything else to watch for besides enough water pressure in the stream? Don't want to toast the motor if I can avoid it. But the crappies are biting and I fish often.

Thanks again.

[marine_man]

Do you have any mechanical aptitude? Swapping the water pump is pretty easy to do (which is what the post above was referring to) if you have a basic understanding of tools.

marine_man

[fish_eat_sleep]

Not a mechanical genius but i can generally understand things if its clear what i need to do. ill look at it tomorrow.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Okay guys.. Took the lower unit off today. Using the schematics sheet, and a youtube video i found out that the impeller and housing looks pretty good. I couldn't find anything that looked like it shouldn't..

What can cause a weaker than usual stream leaving the motor if the impeller is still flexible and looks like new? maybe i could just be a paranoid worry wart too. Just wondering if anyone else has an idea.

Thanks in advance.

[Valv]

Did you replace the impeller while it was off ??

[fish_eat_sleep]

No, the impeller looked like it should and wasn't brittle or stiff. looked like new.

I know the stream didn't appear as powerful as it was before the motor idled without water. so to have the impeller look like new really confuses me. I didn't see any debris or anything either.

I guess ill put it back together today. anything to be careful about when i reassemble the lower unit? looks pretty easy. just want to be careful like always.

[Castinski]

It's still off? Put a new one on anyway. Then you won't have to worry about it for a while. It's a cheap part.

[SpecialK]

As was already said I would go ahead and replace it as well, just one less thing to worry about. Remeber when you put it back in to make sure the vanes are pointing in the right direction.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Just replaced it but i cannot get the shift cable adjusted properly. i have forward and neutral but the prop wont spin in reverse. by hand anyway. i feel like i adjusted it as far back and fourth as it will go. now Im a little frustrated. to the right it spins and clicks. neutral spins both right and left without a click. and reverse the prop wont rotate much at all.