Outboard motor

[livinisfishin]

If an outboard motor is fired up for about 10 seconds can that cause alot of damage to the impeller?

[Tybo]

At no time should the impeller be ran dry.

[Terry]

if it hasn't been ran in a long time

it sure can

[cheaptackle]

Yup it sure can. Why take the chance? Stick the lower unit in a bucket of water if it's small enough, or get a set of "ear muffs" & hook 'er up to a garden hose. That way you can both test fire & verify the pump is working too!

 

Michael

[livinisfishin]

Guess im grabbing a whole replacement kit

[cheaptackle]

Guess im grabbing a whole replacement kit

"Can" doesn't mean every time. Try what I suggested first and see if the tell tale (or bypass) is jetting out water. If it is, you should be ok. If not, install the kit.

What year/model/hp are we talking about anyhow? (curious)

 

Michael

Edited March 19, 2010 by cheaptackle

[BFSC Kevin]

if the water doesn't come out right away.. your motor may have a thermostat.. so you don't have to be worried right away...

[livinisfishin]

1998 mercury 9.9

[cheaptackle]

You should see water jetting at idle within a few seconds of starting as I recall. My 7.5 Merc would only jet when I revved it up which lead me to changing mine out.

 

Michael

[livinisfishin]

i was told by some friends that it burns it out instantly and that it would probably still work for a while but then jjust break up into tiny pieces of rubber clogging up the housing or something along hose lines.

[Big Cliff]

Change it!!!!!!!!!!

[livinisfishin]

Is it something i should try and do myself? I was also advised to get a kit as opposed to just the impeller, is that something i should do aswell?

[irishfield]

Stick it in a garbage can full of water.. fire it up again and if it pisses water then wipe the sweat from your forehead.... and then slap yourself so you never do that again.

 

If it pees.. run it. You got away with it and it will probably last for years yet. If it doesn't pee.. well you need a new impellor and if you melted it down then yes I'd suggest a full kit that includes the housing.

[Big Cliff]

Yes, get the kit. How handy are you? It isn't a difficult job if you are use to working on mechanical things. Get a manual, read it, and make sure you understand it. If you do then you should be good to go.

[livinisfishin]

ok thanks a lot guys for your help.

[HTHM]

ok thanks a lot guys for your help.

It is so easy I can do it!

[cheaptackle]

Yes, get the kit. How handy are you? It isn't a difficult job if you are use to working on mechanical things. Get a manual, read it, and make sure you understand it. If you do then you should be good to go.

Haven't had to work on Mercs for a while. Evinrude, omc & johnson mostly. I've had good luck with the local dealer printing off schematics that clearly show the assemblies, didn't charge any extra for it either. The print out was detailed enough to make it a breeze. Some kits come with the schematic in it already.

However, Wayne & I have both said it - try it again with a water source, bucket or earmuffs first. And don't forget part 2 of what Wayne said! (slap!)

 

Michael

[boatman]

10 seconds of running probably didn't do anything. However, the impeller fins on Mercurys are very small and easily damaged. If one of them breaks off it cold easily jam up the cooling passages in the powerhead. I will tell you from experience its a pain to remove a blockage in the cooling passages. Also, the impeller is a wear part with a shelf life of 1-5 years. It'll cost about $25 and may take up to an hour of your time to replace since its your first time. Yes, someone will chine in and say they have a 30 year motor and have never replaced the impeller. I wouldn't risk it with such a small finned impeller.

[livinisfishin]

Thanks for the reply boatman! May i pm you and ask you a question about another engine that i would like to fix?

[landry]

changing an impeller is esy. most likely when you see it it will be fine but it never hurts to be safe.

Last fall, I saw a guy hand crank his very nice boat onto his trailer until the prop was high and dry and running!!!! It ran for at least 3 minutes out of the water - why - I don't know. It was disturbing to watch.

The next day I saw a guy run his old 25hp in the parking lot just to make sure it was running before they launched!!! He fished all day and seemed okay - go figure?!

Hang around a launch long enough and you will see some very funny things!!

I have more stories but I'll stop there.

Landry