Water pump issues

[KrazyKK]

Help! I have a 15 hp four stroke elec start motor 2006 model. I have only had it in the water two times. The first time the water pump would not pump. Took it to a certified dealer and had it replaced. Brought it home, ran it in a barrel, water pump stopped again. Technician replaced it again (two in one month) just got back from putting it in the water again, and yes I still have issues!!! The force of water is very low. At full speed the flow was like a faucet on a steady flow without much force. This is my first four stroke, is this normal? Yes as you may figured out I am female and green when it comes to these things. Trying to decide if I should trade it in on something else or drop it in the river. Any information/help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Water pump issues

Welcome to the forums,

Which brand is that engine to start with ? Is the peeing port inmaculate clean ? With engine on at neutral and fast idle run a thin wire upwads, downwars several times, if betters there was a clog in the water passage.

At wot you should have a constant steady water flow, with not too much force though as you would expect, the peeing is just an indication that water pump is working properly.

Happy Boating

 

[KrazyKK]

Re: Water pump issues

Thanks for your reply. It's a nissan. After the first water pump it was peeing with a medium force but this time not so much. Is this a common issue with this particular motor?

 

[pvanv]

Re: Water pump issues

Krazy,

As with all Tohatsu motors (yes, all Nissans are built by Tohatsu), model/serial is everything, and year is unimportant for servicing. I'm guessing you have an NSF15B2, right? If so, it's an extremely reliable motor, and should run many hundreds of hours without anything more than normal maintenance.

These motors should all pump well. The "pee indicator" will tell you whether the cooling system is pressurized. If it is not flowing well, either the telltale is clogged (very common in salt water, of if there is seaweed/debris in the water)... OR... the pump isn't delivering water to the powerhead base, either due to a poor pump, or a restriction in the system. The water pump of any outboard cannot tolerate any running out of the water -- not even for a second, or the impeller will be damaged. Even hand-cranking the motor (without starting) out of the water damages the water pump, so avoid that. The factory recommends inspection or replacement of the water pump annually, but in most cases, we find "real world" service intervals to be about 2 years in salt, or maybe 3 years in the cold, fresh waters and short seasons of the Great Lakes. OTOH, I have one customer who runs in silty water, and he changes the wp kit a couple of times a season. Never just change the impeller; always do the complete kit, because the pump will move more water, and will last longer. Did your dealer install a complete kit?

If a chunk of a vane came off the old impeller, and got jammed in the cooling system, it could restrict the flow of a new wp kit, and the mechanic should have checked for that. There is no reason for a new wp kit to fail in a month of normal service. In our shop, such a problem would likely be considered warranty work.

Is the motor overheating? If so, you definitely need to have it checked out. If not, be sure to confirm that the pee tune is clear, by running the motor (in the water), and pushing a stiff wire or monofilament into the pee tube several times to knock any debris clear.