Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

[krono]

Well I got my boat out of mothballs over the weekend...cranked it up and overheat alarm is going off. I notice water that is usually squirting from the back of the outboard is not there. It picks up a little when throttle is applied...but only a slight trickle. So I looked closely at the water outlet and bits and pieces of ants are coming out...those big honkin' suckers that are red with the black behind. I have hooked up a hose to the hose inlet, but that only improved flow slightly and the alarm continues to wail. I am afraid they have built some nest who knows where inside my cooling system. How do I flush them out? Am I screwed?

 

[wired247]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Drop your lower. Clean out the pump. Put the lower back on. Probably a good time to change the impeller anyway.

 

[krono]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Dropped the lower and accessed the pump...no ants or debris there. Now having difficulty getting the lower back on...will try to line up shaft ussing throttle later.

Any other areas I can access to check for blockages? Could the ants be up in the engine block clogging it in there?

 

[carholme]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

The hose where you see water coming out is usually where mud daubers build their nests. Run a length of lawn trimmer line up there to see if you can feel an obstruction.

Gerry

 

[krono]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Did that but no blockage there...

 

[krono]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Re-attached lower after accessing the pump (nothing in pump). Did not replace impeller cuz I'm miles from supply store. Engine running, still with alarm sounding. Only change is that water is now 'pulsing' from the rear port...whether in neutral or in gear. Anything else I can try?

 

[krono]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Bump

 

[krono]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Well I have decided to just crank it up every so often with the waterhose...and that seems to be working. A steady stream is now squirting from the rear of the motor and alarm has ceased. Hope it lasts cuz we are hittin' the water first thing tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[gm280]

Re: Ants in my pants...nope...ants in my pump!

Well I have decided to just crank it up every so often with the waterhose...and that seems to be working. A steady stream is now squirting from the rear of the motor and alarm has ceased. Hope it lasts cuz we are hittin' the water first thing tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the advice.

Ants, dirt dobbers, mud wasps, cow ants, and whatever will build in some of the most unusual places and do create havoc on engines and such. I think you did the best thing to run water through the engine until they were either cleared out or pumped out in pieces. I doubt there is any other issue with them now. I once had ants built their nest in our AC/Heat pump one winter. I guess it was warmer there being the electricity there and the literality shorted out the main relay contacts and the unit would not shut off. So I have to clean them out and clean the contacts so the relay would work again. So have a great day on the water knowing that IF there is anymore ants in the cooling system that you are pumping them out all over the lake... :lol: