Re: 65hp Evinrude cooling Question
The primary exit point for cooling water on your engine is in the gearcase, just above the cavitation plate. Look for verticle slits on either side of the case, directly above the prop shaft. If you run the motor on muffs, you will see water exit at this point, as soon as the t-stat opens. The holes in the back of the midsection are relief exhaust points. You may see a small trickle of water out of them, but most often all you get, is a bit of spray.
The t-stat opens according to water temperature and the motor does not have to be running at high rpm for this to happen. In fact, it should open with the engine at idle, in most cases.
What opens at high rpm, are a pair of pressure relief valves, located in the cylinder head cover, in the vicinity of the t-stat. These are essentially poppet valves and they will open, once engine rpm (and hence, water pump rpm) reaches a point, that creates a certain water pressure in the cooling system.
Try putting your motor on the muffs. Don't turn the water pressure from the hose up high enough to force feed your cooling system - just feed the pump and let it do the work. About 60 seconds or so after you start the engine, you should see a good flow of water coming out of the verticle slits in the gearcase.