Evinrude 5.5 Fisherman: Age & Cooling ?'s

Hi Folks,<br />I have a Evinrude Fisherman 5.5 H.P. that carries a serial number of 5514-05172. I am a outboard novice and need some basic help. I would like to know how old this motor is, and I need some information on how the cooling works. My first question is about water flow. There is a screened opening very near the prop that is angled, and up a little higher on the lower unit is a plate with some flared holes in it; I was wondering which one is intake and which one is output? The motor runs very well, but I want to make sure it is cooling o.k. and am not sure how to verify that water is flowing properly. Any help that you folks could render would be greatly appreciated.<br />Thanks!!!

Re: Evinrude 5.5 Fisherman: Age & Cooling ?'s

Veluxman, you have a 1957 5.5 Evinrude.

Re: Evinrude 5.5 Fisherman: Age & Cooling ?'s

Hi Veluxman,<br /> Water enters through the screened area under the cavitation plate, on the leading edge of the exhaust outlet. Most of the water exits with the exhaust. Some will exit through the thumb-sized exhaust relief hole mid-way up the motor leg.<br /> In order to service the waterpump you must remove the powerhead from the leg (not as hard as it sounds). Be careful, take note of what washers/gaskets/springs go where and be sure to grease the driveshaft splines before reassembly. Always work with a manual handy (likely one in your local library!).<br />- Scott