Johnson 3.3hp outboard - cooling water question

[dscha]

Hi,

i got myself a 1998 Johnson 3.3hp and did some very basic service. i changed the impeller, spark plug and the gearbox oil and now started it up. After 2 pulls it was on. So far so good.

So here the qeustion: I can't find a specific answer anywhere (and i don't have a owners manual, only a repair manual), but apparently most engines should produce a strong water stream from the tell tale, which is in this case near the petrol switch on the bottom of the housing.

What i get though is, apart from the exhaust fumes above the propeller, constant water coming out from from 2 little wholes at the rear of the mid section / the leg, but only very few droplets from the tell tale. (I took the hose off from the tell tale, there are also only a few droplets coming out of the engine block where the hose is attached.)

i don't know how it should be at this specific engine.

Could anyone give me a hint please?

Thanks for your help in advance

Dietmar

 

[JRegier]

Could be as simple as a little critter made himself a home up there, try sticking a paper clip in while its running to see.

 

[Bonaventure]

My old repair manual (78 Johnson 2 HP) describes using a heat crayon to determine cylinder temperature. At 173 degrees Fahrenheit, the crayon would melt and it meant that an impeller change was needed. The same thing will work for a hand held infrared thermometer. My manual shows where to put the crayon, hence the thermometer beam. Does yours?

If running in a barrel, you may not be able to get enough speed to get a decent stream, have you run it under load on a boat? There may be a problem with the water tube being fixed into either the top or bottom grommet.

 

[dscha]

Thanks for te replies. I claned out the telltale and even disconnected it from the engine block. No change. I only used in a barrel, not under load. Re water tube: then the water would need to turn up somewhere else, e.g in the exhaust. All dry. And there is water comming out at the back of the leg as i wrote. And this seems to be by design. According to the maintenance manual the water flow does back into the leg.

 

[Bonaventure]

There just may not be enough flow. From what I understand (and am open to correction if wrong), the telltale stream is diverted off the engine more or less before it hits the cooling passages. If you have water coming out through the exhaust relief holes in the back of the leg, it is functioning. Most of the water passes down the leg with the exhaust.

Potential problems could be: the exhaust tube is not seated properly in the lower grommet at the top of the water pump housing, or in the upper grommet between the power head and the exhaust leg. There could also be a hole worn in the tube if it is bent out of whack and touching the drive shaft.

Is the engine temperature OK? This is the easiest place to start. Check the temperature on the side of the cylinders opposite the exhaust. . Go to the center of the cylinder and use the temperature that was in my earlier post.

Did you bend the vanes of the impeller in the right direction on installation? Are you sure that the little key for the impeller is in place?

It would benefit you to get a Johnson/Evinrude manual for the year and model of the engine. I got mine for about $30CDN from ebay. About the same amount of cash should get an infrared thermometer to test the engine temperature, or borrow one. If you are going to do your own maintenance, a few items and the book is necessary.

 

[Bonaventure]

In reading your original post I realise that you have a Repair manual.

 

[dscha]

Yes, i have a repair manual.But it does not say anything concrete about the water flow. There is a graphic that shows that the water goes down the leg again. But i watched a view youtube videos with apparently Johnson 3.3 (maybe different years), where i can see the tell tale with a lot of water coming out. So i am stilllooking for the right answer. The grommet where the water pipe goes into the gearbox is fine. Checked it. Impeller is also correctly set up. Will give it another go an check the temperature. Will also use a compressor and try to blow water throught the system. We'll see.

 

[dscha]

BTW: Thank you all for you comments so far !!!

 

[oldboat1]

The lower grommet for the water tube can be a problem. Also salt corrosion, if a salt water motor.

Is the motor running hot? Proper temp would be in the range of 100 to 140F (depends some on the temp of the water in the barrel.)