Re: cooling problem
Two things. First, the water inlet must be flooded. Otherwise the water pump cannot prime. Second, the water pump is mounted directly on the driveshaft. If the water pump is worn or damaged, it may not create enough pressure head to pump water through the powerhead. Also, there may be pluggage, but it is hard to completely plug the water passages.<br />Many outboard motors use thermostats to allow warm-up before water flow can go through the heads, but this does not stop water from "pissing" through the observation hole to show there is water pressure developed. If you don't see any flow at all, it's probably time to service the water pump.
