Tell-tale - how much water should there be?

[Yozemite]

Hi, new to outboards so here's my first newbie question:
I've kind of inherited an old tinnie with a 25hp 2-stroke yamaha outboard. An auto mechanic mate helped me get it started and it seems to run ok (was left unused on the water for 3 months). There is some water coming from the tell-tale but it is really only a dribble. How much water should be coming through?

Second question; if it isn't pumping enough and if the impellor needs replacing what sort of $ am I looking at on an old engine like this?

Thanks in advance!

Yoz

[Roughasguts]

Mine pumps 500ml of water at 1500 Rpm in 30 seconds.
Obviously when the water pump is good and theres no blockages.

Ahh but she's an 85 Hp Suzuki.

[Lucky_Phill]

The tell-tale should be ' squirting' out. You can place your hand under the water and it should be warm.

Further, just because it is not squirting out, doesn't mean it is the impellor. try poking a stiff piece of wire... copper wire is good, in the motor area where the hose for the tell-tale attaches. sometimes ' shale / scale ' blocks this outlet, particularly in motors that do not get a lot of use.

Further, I would check the thermostate for corrosion.

IMO.


Phill

[trueblue]

Wasps etc can also build nests in the tell tale. As above - copper wire.

If it is an unknown motor, I would replace the impeller and inspect the water pump housing as well as inspect thermostats.

cheers

Mick

[Yozemite]

Thanks! :)

[Seahorse]

With the temp of the tell tale water, why should it be warm. I got 75hp merc, 100 hrs up, and i only feel the water when i flush it and its always quiet cool, never warm.
What the go.

Cheers
Greg

[Seahorse]

hey,
can anyone elaborate on the temp of water from tell tail.
Iam interested.

cheers
greg

[Roughasguts]

Seahorse my tell tale water is cold it comes from the bottom of the block, so doesn't get a chance to get hot, its virtually straight from the pump.
But when you turn the motor off, it runs water out from the top which is hot.

On the top of your leg you may have an exhaust vent that spits water. When the leg fills up with water it vents the over flow of water out the leg vent rather than fill the cylinders with water. That is usually hot.

[TOPAZ]

The temperature of the tell-tale water depends on where in the cooling water system it is drawn from.
In both V4 Evinrudes I had (115HP and 90HP 2-strokes) the telltale was always cold as it originated from the water supply from the pump BEFORE it entered the engine. I believe others may be different, and originate from a point after the cooling water has come into contact with hot bits of the motor.
Those with greater knowledge of such things than I should be able to be more specific with respect to your engine.


Richard

[BM]

Yoz,

Heres what happens with old Yams.......

The cooling jacket around the cylinder head salts up. The thermostat housing salts up. The cooling galleries around the cylinders salt up. The cooling galleries in the side plates salt up. The bypass hole between the sideplates and the cylinder galleries salt up...

All this creates an engine that sets of the overheat alarm typically if you have forward controls and an overheat sensor...

The only remedy is a strip down and cleanout. Not cheap due to the hours involved and the broken bolts along the way.

Yams are great, until they get a few yrs up on them and then the tight "Japanese" tolerances and inflexibility shows and they become great liabilities....

Cheers

[Noelm]

Jesus BM, I hope you have a hard hat to wear with statements like that (even if it is true) Yamaha owners do not tolerate negatives all that well!

[STUIE63]

yep definately time for the flak jacket and helmet for this but if it was an etec everyone would agrre
Stuie

[Noelm]

steady on Stuie, skating a very thin Ice now!

[Seahorse]

Glad i dont have a yammie.

[BM]

Why the hardhat Noel??? It's true or I wouldn't state it. I just went partially thorugh it again the other day with a pair of 87 model 90 Yams on a Marlin Broadbill.

Pull a head or sideplate form a Yam and then do likewise with any other non Jap brand and see the difference in cooling system volume. Its huge!

I don't dislike Yams, not at all. Yamaha essentially pioneered the tight piston tolerance of outboards so the "slappy" running outboards became a thing of the past across the board. Its just that the Yam's dont fair so well with a few years on them.

I like in particular how Yamaha have never had a "no oil' alarm on their engines. No other brand could claim that. And the Yam system is basically failproof.

Cheers

[Splash]

BM is right - even for the old Johno's...

Everyone knows what pain I went through - twice!

Both times I remvoed water jackets, I observed salt build up and i am sure help contribute to my overheating - amongst other things...

Good luck Yozemite!

Splash