Hi everyone,
I think I resolved one issue but have become stuck on another. I decided it was sufficiently unrelated to the other problems I posted about, so I am starting another thread to try to get some help. I am having trouble installing the exhaust/thermostat plate on my 2003 9.9 4-stroke, (non-bigfoot.) I removed it in the course of replacing the thermostat and cleaning/inspecting the water passages, and now each time I reinstall it and start the motor, I get exhaust only in the indicator, no water. When I remove the plate, I see water on the gasket indicating a leak between the exhaust passage and the water passage. I imagine this exhaust pressure is preventing the water from making it through the system. I have used 2 different new gaskets and torqued the bolts in the proper sequence, to the proper torque, and still the leak.
The mating surfaces are clean and smooth, but they took a bit of scouring to get that way. It was obvious that this plate had not been removed in the motor's 8 year life, so there was some build-up around the mating surfaces that needed removal. Has anyone had this leak problem before? Did I scour it too much and leave a slightly uneven area that might be causing the leak? The plate didn't look warped to me, and it didn't leak before it was disassembled, but maybe it warped just a tiny bit to cause this? Any help you can provide would be great. Thanks.
I think I resolved one issue but have become stuck on another. I decided it was sufficiently unrelated to the other problems I posted about, so I am starting another thread to try to get some help. I am having trouble installing the exhaust/thermostat plate on my 2003 9.9 4-stroke, (non-bigfoot.) I removed it in the course of replacing the thermostat and cleaning/inspecting the water passages, and now each time I reinstall it and start the motor, I get exhaust only in the indicator, no water. When I remove the plate, I see water on the gasket indicating a leak between the exhaust passage and the water passage. I imagine this exhaust pressure is preventing the water from making it through the system. I have used 2 different new gaskets and torqued the bolts in the proper sequence, to the proper torque, and still the leak.
The mating surfaces are clean and smooth, but they took a bit of scouring to get that way. It was obvious that this plate had not been removed in the motor's 8 year life, so there was some build-up around the mating surfaces that needed removal. Has anyone had this leak problem before? Did I scour it too much and leave a slightly uneven area that might be causing the leak? The plate didn't look warped to me, and it didn't leak before it was disassembled, but maybe it warped just a tiny bit to cause this? Any help you can provide would be great. Thanks.