New 15hp Mercury- Please help

[aeviaanah]

I just purchased a new 15hp 4stroke from Bass Pro Shop. I was running the motor in a barrel and everything was running fine. I walked away for a minute and when I came back water was not pumping due to what i thought was the water level had dropped in barrel. Motor was idling and it couldn't have ran for more than 2 minutes although it could have only been a few seconds. I immediately shut it off and filled barrel with more water and fired motor back up. A bit more exhaust came out for a few seconds. I didn't notice an overheat smell or any excessive temps coming from motor. Everything seems to be running fine...water pump works, motor sounds fine.

I really don't know if I messed up badly or if I didn't do anything at all. Can these motors run for a bit without water? Water was in system and was idling before hand, is there stored water in motors to keep em cool for a few seconds? What if someone is running full throttle on the water and a blockage occurs, where is the protection? How tough are these motors?

What should I do? Should I check anything out to prevent further damage?

 

[Ant-Knee]

Re: New 15hp Mercury- Please help

Hello,

I am little new to marine but think you did no damage to the motor as long as it was not running long without water. It is definetly not good to let this happen tho.. As long as motor is running fine now and pumping water I would think you are fine..

When on the water you should always be aware of the water pumping out, If you ever do notice water not pumping for sure shut the motor down and check for blockage..

Just my opinion..

Ant...

 

[Star]

Re: New 15hp Mercury- Please help

Hello Aev,
You are probably ok due to the fact you were at idle. The extra smoke you saw was water flashing to steam as the pump started to pump as the water level went up. Keep an eye on the temp of the water leaving the teltale at full load and WOT. You can't do this until you are at the lake. Five minutes should be enough. The water should not have any temp to it at all. It is a small engine and has a well designed cooling system. Good Luck!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: New 15hp Mercury- Please help

Where was the water level in the barrel in relation to the motor? Unless the water was high enough (well above the AV plate) you were extremely lucky. Just having the prop in the water doesn't allow water to reach the pump inlet. No -- there is no water storage in the engine. Anytime the engine is running the water pump is spinning. If you fail to see a good stream of water from the tell tale you have an issue.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: New 15hp Mercury- Please help

To be absolutely sure, you may want to drop the lower unit and inspect (replace) the impeller. They can be toast within seconds without water circulation.

 

[Star]

Re: New 15hp Mercury- Please help

Silvertip,
You are right if it is the bigfoot LU. On the regular motor the
pickup is on the bottom of the AV plate in front of the prop. Thank you for your vast knowledge and your willingness to take the time to try to keep the rest of us out of the weeds.

 

[aeviaanah]

Re: New 15hp Mercury- Please help

Hello,

I am little new to marine but think you did no damage to the motor as long as it was not running long without water. It is definetly not good to let this happen tho.. As long as motor is running fine now and pumping water I would think you are fine..

When on the water you should always be aware of the water pumping out, If you ever do notice water not pumping for sure shut the motor down and check for blockage..

Just my opinion..

Ant...

Ok ill keep that in mind to always look at the water port.

Hello Aev,
You are probably ok due to the fact you were at idle. The extra smoke you saw was water flashing to steam as the pump started to pump as the water level went up. Keep an eye on the temp of the water leaving the teltale at full load and WOT. You can't do this until you are at the lake. Five minutes should be enough. The water should not have any temp to it at all. It is a small engine and has a well designed cooling system. Good Luck!

When i checked the water comming out after I fired it up the second time it was a bit warm. Didnt burn my hand or anything. I havent fired it up since.

Where was the water level in the barrel in relation to the motor? Unless the water was high enough (well above the AV plate) you were extremely lucky. Just having the prop in the water doesn't allow water to reach the pump inlet. No -- there is no water storage in the engine. Anytime the engine is running the water pump is spinning. If you fail to see a good stream of water from the tell tale you have an issue.

Water was above cav plate. I do have a good stream.

To be absolutely sure, you may want to drop the lower unit and inspect (replace) the impeller. They can be toast within seconds without water circulation.

Ok ill look into what is required to doing that.