1996 Johnson 30hp (J30ELEDE)- new water pump last year but no water cycling

KB976

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Apr 24, 2015
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Hi everybody, I'm new and hoping someone can help me. I just recently, 3 weeks ago,bought a little 15' Princecraft that has a 96' Johnson 30hp outboard motor on it. The previous owner had a new water pump installed last year midsummer, I have the paperwork from the repair that backed his claim. The issue is I was prepping the boat to go out into the water and wanted to ensure it was cooling properly, only to find out nothing is coming out of the pisser. I tried it with the muffs and a hose, and also by submerging the lower and mid section in a trashcan full of water, still nothing. So I got out the air hose and blew out the line from the pisser, I had plenty of big bubbles coming out of the intake so I believe the line is all clear all the way through.

So what I am trying to find out is if there is anybody that has suggestions on how I can test the different components that make up the cooling system. How can I verify that the new water pump is working? How can I test that the thermostat is operating correctly? How about the temperature switch? Is there anything else I can test? I am pretty mechanically inclined but very new to the marine application, so this is all new to me. So any help anybody can offer is greatly appreciated. I know it would be nice to be able to test these components without having to tear down major parts like taking of the lower end, or removing the cylinder head, but I understand if that's the only option, just let me know..

Thanks

KB976
 

KB976

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Apr 24, 2015
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Install a new impeller.

If you are talking about part 0395289, that was just replaced mid summer last year. The last owner said he dosent think he has 10 hours on it since he had it replaced. what would cause it to go bad already?
 

tblshur

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Aug 24, 2011
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looks like the thermostat would be easy to take out and see if u have water there, if not post #2 would be my thoughts also.hope this helps:joyous:
 

SparkieBoat

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Aug 17, 2009
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if someone ran it just a few minuets with out water on the impeller then it got burnt up, drop your gear case and check your impeller is the thing to do.
 

KB976

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Apr 24, 2015
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looks like the thermostat would be easy to take out and see if u have water there, if not post #2 would be my thoughts also.hope this helps:joyous:

This was one option i was debating. I wasnt sure if the thermostats on these motors go out often or not. From what i can tell i have to take the head plate off to get to the tstat. is there anyway to test it when i get it out?
 

KB976

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if someone ran it just a few minuets with out water on the impeller then it got burnt up, drop your gear case and check your impeller is the thing to do.

I didnt realize the implers were so fragile. How hard is it to drop the gear case? What all do i need in preperation to do this job? Any tricks i should know?
 

KB976

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water intakes clear?

From what i can tell the intake is clear. I took the screens off and was feeling around, i also blew air in from the top down and plenty of air came out the intake. I am unsure how else i can tell. Any suggestions?
 

SparkieBoat

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I do not work on many smaller motors like yours but the general process to drop a gearcase is to remove the bolts and disconnect the shift rod usually right underneath the carbs. there is also usually a hidden bolt just above the prop you may have to remove the zinc tab to get to it. someone else may be more familiar with those smaller motors. but that is pretty much it. you can watch on youtube how to do it. I am sure there is a video close to your motor on there. most outboards are pretty much the same except OMC has to disconnect the shift rod under the carbs because whoever designed it was on crack and stupid.
 

AlTn

Commander
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Mar 9, 2010
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2,813
sounds like the intakes are clear....if you'll go to youtube search for a vid titled 1988 johnson motor 30 hp. idling....note a couple of things..1. the level of the water on his exhaust housing < yours needs to be this high or a little higher..2. on a rear view of the engine note the triangular cover at the top of his head cover..remove those 3 screws and that housing and you'll find a spring and the thermostat..easy to do and you can see if the water is getting that far up into the block
 

Harry B.

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Oct 11, 2007
Messages
101
Mud dobbers and other insects love the tale tell pee hole on motors. Is water coming out the exhaust?
Run a wire up into the tale tell hole a few inches and or take the hose off where the it comes out of the jacket and see if there's water there........or at the thermostat as mentioned.
It could be that the brass ring in the impeller is gone, the pin on the shaft sheared or.......... and you need a new one as well
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 28, 2013
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36,033
????--Shift rod connecter on that motor is no where near the carburetors !!!---------It is found when you remove water intake screens on the lower unit.---Ask before using a hammer on these motors !!!-----Pump impeller is not driven by a pin !
 
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SparkieBoat

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thanks Racerone, I do not work anything smaller than a V-4 usually. I do have an old 35 that I am about to drop the gearcase on..so thanks for the heads up.
 

KB976

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So I decided to take the advice of the veterans of the forum and drop the gear case and get to the pump. It was the right call, below are some pictures of what I pulled out. What all do you all think I should replace? Other than the impeller,does anything stand out that obviously is bad. Like the impeller base plate is scored, or that rubber gunk melted in the water passage in the pump housing, not sure if these mater or can be reused.
 

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racerone

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 28, 2013
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Since time began there have been folks who thought you can run an outboard dry.----The motor will not overheat in 20 seconds but you destroy the pump !!l----And 50 years from now folks will still run them dry.-In this case you need a complete waterpump repair kit as all the bits are junk.
 
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SparkieBoat

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I would order a new water pump kit, which will include all of those parts, someone ran that motor with no water going to it.
 

KB976

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Apr 24, 2015
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I took the advice here and replaced everything with a new waterpump kit which included all of these bad parts. Well, i dont know if it did the trick yet because now i cant get the motor to start! WTF! So far i am not happy with this motor.

Thanks for the advice on the pump.
 

SparkieBoat

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Aug 17, 2009
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follow the steps in my sig below to troubleshoot your motor. just so you know, outboards and boats in general are high maintenance. just relax and figure it out, it can be very frustrating sometimes I know.
 

Drummerhowie

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Jul 4, 2015
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Hey there. I did a water pump on my '84-30hp Evi, got it all done, submerged the lower unit in a cooler of water, electrical taped the top of the driveshaft to my Hitachi 3500 rpm drill, and SLOOOWWLY cranked it up...nothing. I pulled it apart, verified everything was kosher, ran her back up to speed, nothing. I tried several more times, and then suddenly-voila! Water sprayed 6' in the air. I never figured out what the problem was, but it works fine now. (I even verified proper impelller rotation when I installed it, as this is probably the most common error with water pump re-does.) Gooduck with it; it's well worth the effort
 
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