Alarm?

i just bought an old astroglass bass boat & its got a 1973 johnson 115 on it.
i started it today for the first time & it fired up but i never saw any pee stream from a water pump. then after about 5 minutes some kind of alarm started going off inside the control box(well,what i call the control box. where the key goes). it was right at the key. a loud constant horn sound. i had water going to it. anybody have an idea what this might be, or why i didnt see any water pump discharge.

thanks

Re: Alarm?

Your water pump has probably failed and/or you have thermostat problems. When a motor sits, the impeller can become brittle and the vanes can easily separate...thus clogging up the cooling passages.

Drop the LU and replace the water pump, remove and test the thermostat, and change the gear oil.

You may need to rebuild the carb if the motor is not running well.

MAS

Re: Alarm?

thank you for your quick response. i've never done a water pump relacement before. is this a difficult thing to do. i sure dont want to screw things any worse. thanks again for your help.

Re: Alarm?

The pump replace is not a difficult job if you have some mechanical ability. Buy the service manual (OEM is the best). It's will walk you through step by step.

But basically you:
1) disconnect the shift shaft from the LU
2) remove the bolts holding the LU to the leg
3) remove the pump housing
4) slide the old impeller off (note orientation of key)
5) remove & clean off old gaskets from both sides of impeller base plate
6) remove o-rings, grommets, and seals that are to be replaced
7) apply grease to new o-rings and grommets and sealants to the seals & gaskets
8) install base plate & gaskets
9) install shift shaft o-ring and water tube grommet
10) install impeller and key over the drive shaft with grease
11) lightly oil cup housing and impeller vanes and place housing over impeller
12) while turning the drive shaft clockwise, press down on housing over the impeller
13) align housing bolt holes & apply water proofing to bolts
14) torque housing to specs
15) apply moly lube to the SIDES of the drive shaft splines...NOT THE TOP!
16) grease copper water tube & grommet to insure grommet will seat properly
17) slide LU up
18) reinstall bolts...torque to specs
19) reattach shift linkage

While you have the LU off, it is a good idea to pressure/vacuum LU test to make sure you do not have to reseal the LU and undo some of the work you just did for the pump

Hope this helps...but this is the general procedure.

MAS

Re: Alarm?

get an OEM service manual at outboardbooks.com or from searayman13 on ebay.

Re: Alarm?

you guys are awsome! thank you for your help. just one more question. how & where do i disconnect the shift shaft. is that at the top or bottom of the outboard? thanks again for your help.