Johnson 50 HP no pee from telltale indicator

[lipinski]

Our boat ran fine last season. We pulled it out in Sept and had it winterized and shrink-wrapped for the winter. I was there when it was winterized and I know it was pee-ing then.

Last week, I put the muffs on and the motor fired right up. However, no water from the telltale. I verified the tubing was not clogged and even used an air compressor to blow air in the indicator hole (with the swivel-thing removed). Air came out the intakes and a few other holes in the lower unit.

The impeller was replaced mid-season last year.

The guy who did the winterizing mentioned that there seemed to be a slight amount of water in the lower unit oil when he drained it.

What would be the next steps? I'm thinking I need to drop the lower unit and check out the impeller.

What about the water in the lower unit oil?

Someone mentioned it could be a bad water pump, but I thought the impeller was the water pump...

Forgot to mention - this is an '03

 

[hidef]

Re: Johnson 50 HP no pee from telltale indicator

I had my 35 running on muffs but no water came out of the pee hole. Figuring I had nothing to lose I put it in a barrel of water and fired it up and it peed with no issues.

 

[lipinski]

Re: Johnson 50 HP no pee from telltale indicator

hidef - Thanks. yes, I need to try that. We tried with a plastic bin type of thing, but it was not tall enough and only covered the intakes - it did not cover the "other" intake near the trim tab. So, I need to find a better sized bucket that will cover better. Unfortunately the way the boat/motor are sitting currently, A normal barrel/garbage can won't fit....

 

[oldcatamount]

Re: Johnson 50 HP no pee from telltale indicator

Yes, the water pump is the impeller. Try taking a piece of wire and poking it up into the pee hole. Sometimes mud wasps will build a nest of mud up in there (happened to me and my 50hp once). Running a motor that size on muffs is deceiving. It takes a lot of water and water pressure to get a pee stream. The water in the lower unit can be an issue. If it were mine, I'd drain the old oil, re-fill with new, and run it for a day (or two). Then, check it again. If there is water in it, you have a bad seal. A dealer/shop can pressure/vacuum test it and locate which seal it is.