1987 Force 85 - not sure if impeller is working well enough

[boedekerj]

First time boater. Just splashed my first project and took it for a very leisurely ride. When run on the muffs in the driveway, the water holes spit water fairly well. When idleing in the water, it tends to steam from them. Unfortunately, I’m currently limited to a 5 moh zone on my “test lake”. What should I see out of the spit holes at 5-10 mph? Thanks!

 

[Jiggz]

Just to be on the safe side, is the impeller a new install? If not, try that first and post back.

 

[boedekerj]

Not new install. The previous owner said that the impelller was replaced along with dog clutch just prior to transfer of ownership to me.
What I’m hoping to understand is what is normal
behavior. I’ve ordered a new impeller just in case. Thanks!

 

[jerryjerry05]

The 87 still had the pressure relief system, so the amount of water really doesn't matter.
The excess water can exit through the exhaust snout.
The steam is normal.

Test the over heat system, key on, ground the orange lead at the buss bar, the alarm should sound off.
Install a pee tube, you can see the water being pumped.

 

[boedekerj]

The 87 still had the pressure relief system, so the amount of water really doesn't matter.
The excess water can exit through the exhaust snout.
The steam is normal.

Test the over heat system, key on, ground the orange lead at the buss bar, the alarm should sound off.
Install a pee tube, you can see the water being pumped.

Thanks Jerry! This makes perfect sense! I've ordered a new impeller (a whopping $18), but was hoping to just enjoy the boat for a month or so before end of season, and before tearing the lower half off to replace. After a year (off and on) of fiberglassing, carpentry, and electrical work, it'd just be nice to enjoy it for a bit. Again, thanks!

 

[jerryjerry05]

Just don't remove the slotted screw on the side of the nosecone.
Big trouble!!

 

[catfishcarl99]

that's some sound advise there /\/\ you will be removing all the guts to fix if you do lol.

 

[boedekerj]

Thanks for the advice all! First splash was uneventful...until this morning. I went to the garage and saw a pool of black oil that had dripped out of the exhaust port. Not being certain if this was some sort of leak from the lower unit oil, I dropped the lower unit. I found that everything looked fine on the input shaft/impeller side of the unit. No oilly residue whatsoever. So, the (ostensibly and possibly easy to answer) question is; Where in the hell would this oily muddy slurry guck be coming from? All told, it would probably only amount to 1/4-1/3 of a couple (4-6 oz). Is it possible that this is the culmination of 2 winters worth of fogging oil being forced out as it hasn't run in to winters? Thanks in advance!

 

[jerryjerry05]

You probably found the source!!
Unburned oil found it's way down to the floor

But 4-6oz? that's a lot of goop.

Drop the drive, squeeze the ball and pump it till it's firm.
Then let it set for 4-5 hrs. and see if it happens again?

 

[boedekerj]

You probably found the source!!
Unburned oil found it's way down to the floor

But 4-6oz? that's a lot of goop.

Drop the drive, squeeze the ball and pump it till it's firm.
Then let it set for 4-5 hrs. and see if it happens again?

Will do! The fact that I was unable to run the motor at anything much more than idle for 45 minutes (test was on a “no wake” lake) has me thinking that it is, in fact, unburnt 2-cycle oil. It has to be. I swear it even has a slight green hue to it. Thanks again Jerry!