Mercury peeing problem

[Mikeyman104]

I recently picked up a new to me boat, a 2001 Starcraft 196 Superfisherman with a 2004 150 Mercury Optimax on it. When the guy was showing me the boat, he hooked up some muffs and I noticed how it took a while for it to start peeing but eventually it started to flow ok. Fast forward to my first outing with the boat and pretty much same thing was going on. Starts with a trickle but then gets going ok. 

 

I chalked it up to needing a new water pump, so I tossed a new one on tonight and then put the muffs on it. Nothing comes out. Makes me super nervous running it without any water coming out of the tell tale so I shut her off and pulled the lower unit back off. Guessing I did something wrong with the install cause one of the gaskets got chewed up so I tossed the old one back on. Hooked the muffs up again but she still wasn't spitting. Maybe a piece of gasket clogged everything up? I pulled the tell tale tube off and blew through it and it seemed fine. Anyway to clean out the system? 

[sszoldra]

Make sure you put the pump propeller in the right direction, and lube it the 1st time you start the motor

Edited September 4, 2023 by sszoldra
wrong spelling

[sherman brown]

before I tore it back down I would get a piece of heavy weedeater line about 18" long and start working it up the pee hole. if it goes up freely it's already clear but if you run into a blockage just keep working the line until it clears the line. bugs and even bees have been known to make a nest in the pee line and stop it up good. after clearing the line start the motor and see if water starts coming out. if you get water take the piece of line and run it in and out of the pee line while the motor is running to clear any pieces of debris out of the pee tube.

 

if that doesn't help you did something wrong and have to tear it back down. make sure you have the little keyway in its place in the impeller so the shaft turns the impeller.

[Sk8man]

I know this sounds strange but carefully check the "pee hole" very often spiders get in there and block it up believe it or not.

[jeb1340]

Disconnect the rubber house from the engine block and start it.

[Mikeyman104]

Thanks all!

 

Cleaned out the pee hole with some weedeater string. That worked great so thank you for the recommendation. Unfortunately it still wasn't spitting but I at least knew that was clean. 

 

Took the lower unit back off and gasket was all torn up again. Watched some more YouTube and looks like I had the gasket order on wrong, so user error. Got another kit on order.

 

Tried to flush everything out best I could. Also turns out this new motor has its own flush port, so ran some water in there for a bit too. Hopefully I'll put it together correctly next time 😆 (instructions are just someone else's opinion)

[Queechylakepro]

use garbage can or barrel with water instead of muffs. Muffs with hose under pressure will push water thru and give you idea impeller functioning. Then when you trailer to go fishing you will be disappointed .

[stinger]

On 9/3/2023 at 9:02 PM, Mikeyman104 said:

I recently picked up a new to me boat, a 2001 Starcraft 196 Superfisherman with a 2004 150 Mercury Optimax on it. When the guy was showing me the boat, he hooked up some muffs and I noticed how it took a while for it to start peeing but eventually it started to flow ok. Fast forward to my first outing with the boat and pretty much same thing was going on. Starts with a trickle but then gets going ok. 

 

 

How about the thermostat? Is it working properly? or at the right temps?

[rolmops]

The one thing that most people tend to forget is the screen for the water inlet to the pump.

If the motor is left in the water for longer periods of time, they tend to get clogged with zebra mussel and it takes a while for the impeller to pump up barely enough water. This also causes overheating and faster deterioration of the impeller. so make sure that your lower unit water inlet is clean.

Edited September 5, 2023 by rolmops

[Mikeyman104]

5 hours ago, stinger said:

 

How about the thermostat? Is it working properly? or at the right temps?

Thought about this as well. Once that gasket got chewed up, I was worried about it getting lodged up in the thermostat or elsewhere in the system. I flushed it afterward it got chewed up, but thinking about replacing the thermostats just in case. 

[tinfin]

After you check your T-stats, and still have a problem, look at your Poppet valve. Is it running hot?

[Dirtyhooker]

X2 on poppet valve 

[Mikeyman104]

1 hour ago, tinfin said:

After you check your T-stats, and still have a problem, look at your Poppet valve. Is it running hot?

When I took it out the boat out for a ride (ran a couple miles at about 4000 RPM), I didn't get any alarms or beeps, so hoping it was ok and not running hot. 

 

Once she got running, the flow improved. Maybe it's normal for these motors? Either way figured it'd be good to replace the impeller (till i messed it up )

 

Also had to google what a poppet valve is, where it's at, and what it does. Looks like a pain to get to. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Mikeyman104
Poppet valve lookup

[Crestliner]

Thermostat not functioning they are cheap. had several Mercury t-stats get clogged with mud bugs never mind that poppet 

[Dirtyhooker]

My poppet problem showed on trolling overheating stopped full throttle would cool the engine back down 

[HB2]

A few weeks ago I started my 35 Merc the first time since last year  with the muffs . It wasn't peeing water and then started just a little . 

 

I kind of push on the hole and moved the rubber around . I pulled about a 1" piece of some gummy substance out which I figured was bug residue . Strong steam after that and I just used it hard for 2 days . 

[rolmops]

1 hour ago, HB2 said:

A few weeks ago I started my 35 Merc the first time since last year  with the muffs . It wasn't peeing water and then started just a little . 

 

I kind of push on the hole and moved the rubber around . I pulled about a 1" piece of some gummy substance out which I figured was bug residue . Strong steam after that and I just used it hard for 2 days . 

Maybe your old merc had a prostate problem

[sherman brown]

On 9/4/2023 at 4:17 PM, Queechylakepro said:

use garbage can or barrel with water instead of muffs. Muffs with hose under pressure will push water thru and give you idea impeller functioning. Then when you trailer to go fishing you will be disappointed .

 

 

 I have to agree with what your saying. if this was true the water would go through when it was turned on. I am 72 now and have been changing water pumps and impellers since I was only 26 years old. and I have never had water come through if the impeller was bad.

 

some people believe if the water is turned on high it will damage the impeller. people just don't realise just how much more water pressure it gets from running down the lake at 50 or 60 MPH. I have always turned the water on high and never had any problems with outboards and stern drives. if the water isn't turned up high enough the motor won't get enough water to cool it at higher RPMs. the first thing I do when starting the motor on muffs is look to see if the excess water around the muffs is reduced to almost nothing and it should have any water coming out around the muffs if you rev the motor up.

 

 

On 9/4/2023 at 12:01 PM, Mikeyman104 said:

Thanks all!

 

Cleaned out the pee hole with some weedeater string. That worked great so thank you for the recommendation. Unfortunately it still wasn't spitting but I at least knew that was clean. 

 

Took the lower unit back off and gasket was all torn up again. Watched some more YouTube and looks like I had the gasket order on wrong, so user error. Got another kit on order.

 

Tried to flush everything out best I could. Also turns out this new motor has its own flush port, so ran some water in there for a bit too. Hopefully I'll put it together correctly next time 😆 (instructions are just someone else's opinion)

 

 

I was told as a young lad that if everything else failed read and follow the F-ing instructions.

[LongLine]

On 9/5/2023 at 6:35 PM, HB2 said:

A few weeks ago I started my 35 Merc the first time since last year  with the muffs . It wasn't peeing water and then started just a little . 

 

I kind of push on the hole and moved the rubber around . I pulled about a 1" piece of some gummy substance out which I figured was bug residue . Strong steam after that and I just used it hard for 2 days . 

 

My 75 stopped peeing a month ago or so.  Not having the umph to pull the lower unit, took to Hank down at Port Bay.  He changed impeller for me but found the outlet tube plugged up.  He said it smelled "like pine" and fished it out with wire.  Never heard of it before but possible bug slime.

[sherman brown]

On 9/6/2023 at 9:10 PM, LongLine said:

 

My 75 stopped peeing a month ago or so.  Not having the umph to pull the lower unit, took to Hank down at Port Bay.  He changed impeller for me but found the outlet tube plugged up.  He said it smelled "like pine" and fished it out with wire.  Never heard of it before but possible bug slime.

 

I have dealt with outboard motors since 1977. I have had many motor's pee lines get stopped up with something. I always just figured it was some type of bug getting in the line and either building a nest or other things they take up in the tubes that stop or reduce the water flow. I bought an old 115 mercury inline 6 out of a field that was on an old junk boat that had been sitting for many years. it started right up but no water coming out. with the motor running I started working a short piece of large gauge weedeater line up the line. as I was getting it farther up the water started coming out slow at first which was green. as the water started flowing better all kinds of green and brown started coming out as I kept working the line in and out.

 

these lines get clogged many times after setting for any long period. many impellers get changed well before they are bad when the line is only stopped up. anytime my water just isn't coming out the first thing I do is clean the line with weedeater line. in my 45+ years, i have never seen an impeller so bad that some water wasn't coming out a little. before i took it out on the water i did change the impeller. the old one still looked good but it had to be rotten from setting all those years.

 

piece of mind knowing your water impeller isn't going to fail out 10 or 15 miles from shore is well worth the price of a new one and the hour or so to install the new one.

Edited September 14, 2023 by sherman brown

[LongLine]

S.B. - Funny thing is that just the week before, it ran perfectly.  I learned from my Dad, back in the late 50's to always check the outflow when ever I start a motor, which I've done religiously ever since.  I've never had this happen before.  Impeller was in great shape.

[Crestliner]

I'M old too!. And have had trouble peeing.,please don' t stick weed wacker line in me!!!!

[Crestliner]

for gods sakes man everheard of a thermostat ? first place to check

[sherman brown]

47 minutes ago, Crestliner said:

for gods sakes man everheard of a thermostat ? first place to check

what has the thermostat got to do with water coming out of the pee hole? the water coming out of the pee hole is just a bypass to show you have water pumping to the motor. the water out of the pee hole has nothing to do with the thermostat being open or closed. it is supposed to flow as soon as the motor starts or a few seconds after while the motor is still cold. the water out the pee hole has nothing whatsoever to do with the thermostat.

[fisherdude]

7 hours ago, sherman brown said:

what has the thermostat got to do with water coming out of the pee hole? the water coming out of the pee hole is just a bypass to show you have water pumping to the motor. the water out of the pee hole has nothing to do with the thermostat being open or closed. it is supposed to flow as soon as the motor starts or a few seconds after while the motor is still cold. the water out the pee hole has nothing whatsoever to do with the thermostat.

True , mud bugs was in my kickers water pee hose this summer also blew out with air compressor then I check bilge pump holes that was also plugged with mud and leaves and whatever the bugs drag down bilge pump line.