86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

[joshz28]

I have an 86 mariner that i just fired up for the season and it smoked like crazy and wasnt peeing water out like it should. I only let it run for about 20 seconds. When i put it up for the winter it was fine. My question is what could be causing it to not pee out water? Water pump/impeller? I tried blowing through the line and didnt seem like there were any obstructions. Also checked intake to make sure nothing was clogged in there. All fine. Also noted that i tested in a tub of water not with the muffs. Thanks alot

 

[drum23]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

I have an 86 mariner that i just fired up for the season and it smoked like crazy and wasnt peeing water out like it should. I only let it run for about 20 seconds. When i put it up for the winter it was fine. My question is what could be causing it to not pee out water? Water pump/impeller? I tried blowing through the line and didnt seem like there were any obstructions. Also checked intake to make sure nothing was clogged in there. All fine. Also noted that i tested in a tub of water not with the muffs. Thanks alot

Hey Josh welcome to the site. How long have you owned this motor? There's probably not anything wrong with it if you've checked the intake and the lines to be sure they're free. It can take a minute or two for the engine to warm up to temp for the thermostat to open and let it pee out and sometimes they smoke a lot when they first fire up for the season. I would just keep an eye on it and let it run for 1-2 mins, and if it's still smoking a lot, then you might have something going on, but then again I'm not a certified mechanic. I'm sure you'll get some advice here though!

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

A lot of motors don't pea on muffs, once at the lake let it run 5 minutes so the thermostat can open then see. if it isn't peeing more than likely the pea hole is plugged up. You can lay your hand on the cylinder hear as it warms up to make sure it dosnt over heat it will get hot but but you should be able to touch it.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

My '82 30 HP is, I think, almost the same motor. If all is right, water comes out the tell-tale as soon as it fires up (thermostat doesn't have to open), even on the muffs.

I've read on this site where others have had winter layover problems caused by insects lodging/building nests in cooling water passages. Also, how old is the impeller? Could it have deteriorated enough over the winter to not function when you started up?

 

[joshz28]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

Well i decided i was going to replace the impeller anyway so i unbolted the lower gearcase and it separated from the motor about a half an inch and the driveshaft will not come out. Am i missing something?

 

[carholme]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

Have you disconnected the shift shaft at the top?

What is your engine s/n?

Gerry

 

[Guest]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

I believe you need to put it into fwd gear once you removed the bolts

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

I believe the shift shaft uncouples at mid-point, accessible at about the mid-point of the shaft housing, forward. Should be a coupling nut and lock nut.

You can also uncouple at upper end, if you can find it and get in there

 

[carholme]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

If it is an '86:

Mercury, Mercruiser, Force, etc. - GEAR HOUSING (DRIVER SHAFT) - 18/20/25 H.P. (XD)

Gerry

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

Yep, that would be different than mine - disregard re: shift shaft coupling.

 

[joshz28]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

My serial number is A906663. So your saying i have to disconnect it ip top as well. Im sorry im pretty green when it comes to outboards.

 

[carholme]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

That s/n comes up as:

MARINER - ( 25 H.P. (1985 ))
Serial No: 0A906663 Model No: 7025525

Parts List for model 7025525:

18/20/25 H.P. (XD) - Mercury, Mercruiser, Force, etc. Parts Lookup

The service manual you require for your engine is P/N: 90-43509--3

Mercury Mariner Outboards Service Manual Binder 18 20 25 90 43509 3 Boat | eBay

In the interim, here is the link to the condensed version of the Clymer manual. Download it soonest to your computer as the link is short lived. This is just the section on the lower unit.

Chapter Nine - 2-48 HP (Except 1986-on 45 hp) Lower Unit - LOWER UNIT.: Small Engine Repair Reference Center Home

See Page 438

Gerry

 

[carholme]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

To add;

The top of the vertical shift shaft (Item 26 under GEAR HOUSING (DRIVER SHAFT) connects to the lateral shift shaft at item 34 in this link:
Mercury, Mercruiser, Force, etc. - THROTTLE AND SHIFT LINKAGE (ELECTRIC) - 18/20/25 H.P. (XD)

Gerry

 

[joshz28]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

Ok fellas i got it out and have removed the impeller. It didnt look in that bad of shape but im going to replace it anyway along with the gaskets. Hopefully this fixes my problem. If not where do i go from there?

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: 86 mariner 20 not peeing out water

With some clever use of hose adaptors/tubing/etc. you can squirt water in all (most?) available openings - up the water tube, into the tell-tale hole, out both sides of the thermostat housing (pull the thermostat). This will help determine if the passages are open to water flow.

Go easy with the pressure - normal operating pressure is not all that high.