Cooling; 83 Johnson Sea Horse w/1976 powerhead

I recently purchased a boat with a 83 Johnson Sea Horse w/1976 powerhead installed. It had a hesitation when applying the throttle. Based on reading threads here I rebuilt the carbs and checked the time base. I purchased some muffs and started it up in the driveway. I was not sure how to tell if the water was going through the motor correctly. From what I read I expected to see the cooling water come out with the exhaust through the prop but only saw a little coming out like a spray. There was some water coming out of a port on the lower unit, facing the boat. There was another small port on the lower unit by the bottom on the side.

How much water should I expect to come out with the exhaust? I only ran it for about 30 seconds. Do you need to wait untill it heats up to open the T-stat before you would see more water coming out with the exhaust?

Re: Cooling; 83 Johnson Sea Horse w/1976 powerhead

The overboard telltale did not come out for a few years after yours was built. There are two exhaust relief ports just down from the lower cowl on the midsection rear. Hold your hand just back from those ports. In a minute or two after starting cold, the thermostat will open. When it does, water mist will exit these ports and your palm should start to get wet. The engine does have a hot warning horn feature in the control box, which (if working properly) will go off at around 212 degrees. The thermostat will open at 143 degrees. You should be able to rest your hand on the head or block for 20 seconds at that temp. If it is to hot to touch, it is too hot. The water draining from the lower is normal.