Thanks so much for the replies. This motor is new to me. I put it on a self made 15’ lobster style Alaska yellow cedar boat. When I bought the boat the impeller was toast so I replaced the whole pump (with a kit). I tested the boat and motor in a fresh water lake and got it all operating pretty well. That was just two or three months ago. The cooling system seemed to worked well. Just I put the motor in a barrel a couple of days ago. The tell tale showed no water, just steam. I let it run about two minutes. I pulled the lower unit off and took apart the pump. All looked new. Before it was re-assembled I applied a water hose to the lower end of the water tube and water flowed freely coming out all the places it should. After reassembly the Pee tube showed a good flow. It was run for 15minutes or so. The next day the motor was again started and nothing from the pee tube. After some advice from the forum the cylinder head cover was removed. The thermostat is toast and am waiting for a new one and the gasket. I went ahead and pulled the head as well. The head gasket was not damaged but of course a new one is coming. The water chambers look very clean, no salt in evidence. I can’t see the stuck thermostat being the cause of the pump not pumping.
Light to medium carbon. And a good idea to pull the exhaust side covers. I’ll do that today. This is my second ever outboard. The first one was a used 30 hp Evinrude. My wife and I built a fifty foot steel cutter rigged sailing vessel and sailed it 32,000 miles. The 30 hp was the dinghy motor which was used without any trouble for 7 years. Our cruising lasted seven years from the 1995 to 2002. I want to get this one as reliable as the old one, but now on a fixed income.
I do thank you for your input.
