90 hp Mariner, no tell tail stream

[tugboat80]

I have had this motor 3 or 4 years, Mariner 3 cyl 90 hp, OB229356. I put a impeller and lower seal kit on right away. I launched only once this year and it run fine, I mean really fine. Water squirted normal from the indicator tube. Yesterday I dragged it out on the drive way to fog it. I attached the muffs, ran the water sufficient to splash about, started after normal choking and saw no water stream from the tube. Alarmed I immediately shut down, pushed a wire into the tube, then ran some compressed air into same. Air rushed out the lower vents. Looks like I need a new impeller and to clean the water tube of any spider webs next spring. Other possibilities?

 

[Tassie 1]

Try it in a cut down 44 or similiar.

 

[tugboat80]

I gotta ask: What is a "cut down 44"?

 

[Tassie 1]

Sorry,
a old 44 gallon drum,
cut down to suit your motor,
may need to cut a slot/s to fit your lower unit,
fill with water,

it's better than muffs which can slip out of position when you're not looking, etc etc
no problems with kinked hoses etc
As long as the water level is around 6 inches higher than the intake
You can also run the motor at higher revs when it's in a drum or tank...shouldn't do that on muffs,
not saying you are...

a 'plastic' barrel is probably better looking though.

 

[tugboat80]

Thanks for the suggestion. I ran it also in a plastic tub, water level just above the intake where the muff would go. A mist seemed to come out the pee tube but no more. I shut it down right away. It was 36 degrees high that day. I wanted to fog before seasonal freezing prevented use of garden hose. I had been storing in vertical position all summer so that no water could have frozen in the lower unit.

 

[racerone]

Water MUST be above the pump !!--------Covering the intakes is not good enuff.

 

[Mohawkmtrs]

"ran the water sufficient to splash about"

Sounds like the motor wasn't getting enough water to cool...90 horses need more than a splash to keep cool and ****.

 

[QBhoy]

Was it last in salt water ? Take the hood off and make sure the pipe and outlet from the head isn’t blocked with salt.

 

[wn6ngp]

On my 90elpto '99 model with muffs I have surpringly had to run high pressure to get enough water up there. Like 40psi. Before I was worried about too high pressure and the high temp alarm came on, outch. but I guess now I now that the alarm runs.

BTW, it should be pretty easy to add a water pressure gauge, at least temporarily. Hopefully it doesnt have a prostate problem.

 

[QBhoy]

Some muffs work and some don’t. A good fitting set of muffs will almost push water all the way through the engine without it running.
If doing it from a drum, it needs to be way way above the level of the intake grate. The impeller needs a helping hand in the form of water pressure