[Ramblin' Rod]

Last year, at the start of the season, I replaced my water pump impeller, after a complete water pump failure. It worked fine, though I noted it didn't pee as hard out the little "indicator" spigot. As the season progressed, the pee stream got weaker until it finally stopped.

I monitored the outboard closely, and realized that the cooling system was functioning properly otherwise.

Though perhaps not wise, I chose to finish out the season, monitoring the outboard for signs of overheating regularly. It was fine.

Now I have the outboard on my kitchen floor in pieces.

I removed the lower unit, and found the water pump impeller intact.

So I attached a short length of hose onto the little indicator spigot and blew on it. It blows freely, but to my surprise, is not directly coupled to the tube the comes out of the water pump discharge.

That is, I can plug the water pump discharge tube that runs up to the power head, and still blow through the spigot freely (in the opposite direction).

I have an exploded view of the lower unit, that someone so nicely posted here a while back, however, I have no drawings for the power head, to figure out how the indicator spigot is connected to the cooling system.

So finally here is my question...

How is the indicator spigot connected to the cooling system?

(I don't want to needlessly tear my powerhead down if the little spigot was just temporarily plugged, yet I don't want to put it back together and find there is something still wrong.) Being able to blow through the spigot with the water pump tube to the powerhead temporarily plugged just seems wrong.

In your response, please identify how familiar you are with this particular motor, and how positive you are of your answer, (100% being positive).

[AGENT 37]

I have one of those... Is there something plugging the thru-cowl nipple that the indicator discharge hose plugs into? The flow is more restricted there and FOD tends to hang up on it; such as pieces from the old impeller, wood chips, or gravel. Can you blow air through the indicator hose into the motor easily? My wife would beat me if I had any part of a motor on her kitchen floor, 100% sure of that! (insert chuckle here)

[Ramblin' Rod]

Sorry, I used the wrong terminology. It was the indicator (through cowl) nipple that I could blow through freely.

PS, Wife's idea to do it on the kitchen floor.