1982 Evinrude 9.9hp running too cold

[svmariah]

Hi folks, I bought the Evinrude in spring of 2015. It ran fine for one season but now it seems under-powered--it starts GREAT, runs fine at mid and high speed, but it dies when idling. There's also a lot of white smoke that seems to come from under the cowl.
I've done a lot of fiddling with it-- removed, soaked, and cleaned the carbs, twice; replaced the fuel pump; replaced the impeller (all with the help of the indispensable LeeRoy's Ramblings!) The motor pees strong but the water is cold to the touch, which makes me think the engine is not getting hot enough or that water is not circulating properly. Today I replaced the thermostat, which was a frozen salty mess, but managed to damage the water cover gasket, so now there's water coming out of the water cover, and I'll have to replace that gasket next weekend.
I guess my question is, what does one do with a motor that's maybe running too cold, or has hotspots? I know that usually the problem is with motors that are overheating, but I have the exact opposite issue. I hope that when I replace the water cover gasket I'll be able to get a good seal and get some water circulating through the motor. Has anyone had this issue, and what was the solution? I feel like anything that goes any deeper than the thermostat is beyond the scope of what I can reasonably expect to accomplish. As it's the kicker for my sailboat it's important that it idles well.
Thanks for any and all help.

 

[ondarvr]

The pee stream will always run cold if everything is in good working order, if it's hot you have problems.

​If the thermostat was corroded the water passages may be plugged with corrosion too, pulling the head off will allow you to clean most of them.

​One reason for white smoke (steam) is a blown head gasket, this can also affect how it runs (if it does), it's a bit odd coming from under the cowl unless the base gasket is leaking.

 

[boobie]

Pull the head and check it out.

 

[svmariah]

Thanks, I ordered a head gasket set and will pull this weekend. I'll also check to see how the cylinders look while I'm at it. Does the thermostat require a gasket? The old one was so far gone that I couldn't tell if there had been a gasket or not. I have the pain in the butt thermostat that's in the bottom of the water cover, not the top. It was a doozy getting it out and back in again.

Shouldn't the peehole water be at least a little warm from circulating through a hot engine? This water is cold, same temp as the creek from which it is being drawn.

 

[racerone]

It was stated that pee water stays cold !------------That is because that water does NOT go through the engine.--------It is merely an indicator that water pump is working.--------------Note that the hose comes of the exhaust manifold where cooling water goes first.

 

[svmariah]

Thanks for your advice; I see where I was wrong thinking about the temp of the water going overboard.
I pulled the head and bypass cover and cleaned the cylinder heads, which had carbon buildup. There was some very light
scoring on the sides. I replaced the water cover gasket and head gasket with new gaskets and reassembled.
Started it up...water is now bubbling out from under the new head gasket. Do I need to use a torque wrench to tighten the head bolts, and if so what would be the proper pressure?

 

[oldboat1]

216-240 in. lbs., or 18 to 20 ft. lbs.

If you didn't resurface the head cover, you may want to do that. I would do the same thing for the t.stat cover on that one. (lay some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a smooth surface, an move the mating surface in a figure eight motion until you get a uniform shine.) The t.stat cover can leak, especially down at the bottom at the thermostat location. As you already found, the head cover has to come off to easily get at the t.stat cover.