No Water From Tell Tale 81 Johnson 15hp

Spyhopper

Cadet
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
12
I recently picked up an 81 Johnson 15hp cheap, and this weekend after a carb clean got it running (starts first or second pull and idles smooth). The problem is that there is no water flowing from the tell tell when running in the driveway on muffs. Suspecting a bad impeller, I pulled the lower unit but the impeller appears to be in new condition and the housing looks to have been replaced recently as well. There was still some grease inside the impeller housing, so my guess is the previous owner replaced it thinking it was the problem. Put it all back together and still no water from the pee hole.When running on the muffs, water is pouring out the the hole in the lower leg that the shift linkage passes through. Not sure if this is normal when running it attached to a hose?

Is it likely that there is a blockage inside the engine causing this, and if so, where should I be looking? I pulled the rubber hose running from the engine to the pee hole and it was clear.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me here. As i said, I picked the engine up cheap but don't want to put much money into it.
 

flyingscott

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
7,985
Is the water line in the pump housing correctly? Is the key in the impeller? Do you have water coming out of the exhaust reliefs or the holes above the prop or running out of the prop? If it overheated there is a rubber grommet under the powerhead that can melt and close the waterline off. Or it overheated when the old water pump disintegrated and parts of the impeller are in the motor somewhere. I would take the thermostat cover off and see if you have water flowing in there.
 

oldboat1

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
9,598
^^Agree w/the above. The t.stat cover is a little difficult to R&R, though -- might want to pull off the l.u. and push water up the tube (need to rig a connector to the hose or to a pump -- not too much pressure). That should tell you if the water is getting up to and around the head, and may find that the tell tale clears as well.

With the l.u. still off, submerse it in water and turn the driveshaft clockwise with a drill (careful with the splines). That will tell you if the pump is working -- should shoot the water up a few inches.

If it's a salt water motor or a river runner, you may need to remove the head cover and clean out the passages (at which point you would service the thermostat as well). But I would try flushing first, and see if that clears it. If so, try running again and check temp.
 

Spyhopper

Cadet
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
12
So I fired it up again today to see if I was getting water out of the exhaust near the top of the leg or the prop, and nothing. Pulled the lower unit and found that the rubber grommet on top of the impeller housing had a split in it. Looked at the copper water tube and noticed a slight bend in it, so I guess it wasn't centered and damaged the grommet. It looks like the grommet alone is available so I will order another one.

When reassembling, is there an easy way to make sure the tube is entering the grommet properly? It is a long shaft with the spacer, so you can't see what's going on down there when sliding the lower unit back on. As I said, there appears to be a slight bend in the tube which probably caused the torn grommet in the first place. Do I just bend it so it looks straight and hope for the best?
 

flyingscott

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
7,985
Bend the tube so it's straight be careful don't kink it they are a pain to replace. The Spacer has to be unbolted from both sides to do it properly and make sure the water tube lines up. Make sure you get the correct grommet they are 2 and one is specifically for the long shaft. The long shaft pumps are a little harder to replace because of of where the shift rod connects. Here is how I do them leave the spacer separate do not bolt it to either section. Now put the lower unit in reverse by pulling up on the shift rod and put the shifting lever on the motor in forward. This will give you enough room to do everything. Now put everything together with the spacer still loose and connect the shift rod together. Once that is connected put one or two bolts in the spacer to hold it to the upper section you need to support the lower unit while you are doing it. Once that is done you can line everything up for the drive shaft and the water pump tube through the gap by the water pump housing that will be there. The water tube will line up before the shaft goes in you can use the shifting lever to help you pull everything in by shifting it into reverse as you push up on the lower unit. Once everything is lined up you can put the other 4 or 5 bolts in.
 

jdhgcb

Seaman
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
59
just went through this with an 85. you mentioned the hose to the tell tale was clear, did you check the plastic tell tale piece itself? check my post about where the water exits and read through it, it may answer a few questions.
 
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