1988 30hp will not pump water

[vicman]

The other day I posted "1988 30 hp will not start". I want to thank everyone for all the different ideas. It turns out, after asking the previous owner about the gas in the tank, he decided it was about 4 years old. I'm thinking it was more water, sludge, sticks and rocks than gas. New gas and a squirt of starter fluid, and it purred like a kitten. The problem is now, no water out the tell-tale tube. Checked, it was clear. Disconnected, and no water out of the block. Checked, it was clear. I was running on muffs, with plenty of water going in. Is the next step automatically impeller? I am going to tear into it over the holidays, but wanted to see what everybody thought. Oh, also, I was the first owner for about three years, and the second owner had it for 17 years, and the impeller has never been changed out. I am guessing the boat may have 100 hours on it, so this is turning out to be a restoration project first.

 

[blimp]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

Replace thermostat and impeller, or get a 'water pump kit' which will have the impeller housing as well. Definitely recommend the kit if it has been in salt water at all.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

Definetely do the impeller, thermostat I'd pull and test, no sense wasting $25-$30 or so dollars if you don't have to (that's the price of them in my neck of the woods). When you are in there to replace the pump and have the stat out you may want to flush some water into the pump tube to get out any garbage in the system.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

Yea, I recently changed my water pump. I suspect it was the first impeller change. You will probably be better off doing the kit. The impeller plate, gasket and seal will probably be shot when pull it apart. FYI, Boats.net does better OEM pricing than the dealer.

edit: I would change the lower unit oil too, and put on new vent/fill plug seals.

 

[vicman]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

I tested the thermostat, it worked fine. It was a little crusty, but works. I expected the impeller to be in bad shape, but it was fine. Since I already had it out, I ordered a new water pump kit, a thermostat gasket and the gasket for the block cover that had to be removed to get to the thermostat. Since all looked new, could there be another thing to check or just wait to see what the new water pump kit will do?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

I tested the thermostat, it worked fine. It was a little crusty, but works. I expected the impeller to be in bad shape, but it was fine. Since I already had it out, I ordered a new water pump kit, a thermostat gasket and the gasket for the block cover that had to be removed to get to the thermostat. Since all looked new, could there be another thing to check or just wait to see what the new water pump kit will do?

Couple of questions.
With your location am I safe to assume this was not a salt water motor ??
Did you give it a flush to check the waterways ??
Any chance of photos of the impeller for us all to look at condition ??
Was there a drive key in the impeller ??
You can check the water pumping function with a pail of water and a drill on the drive shaft before you re-assemble.

I will be traveling to Gadsden, Alabama on Monday 4th January and will be there for a couple of weeks on business. How close are you ?? maybe help out if necessary during my "off time" if my time and distance permits.
PM me if you want to.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

As indicated above, while the t-stat is out and the lower is off, I'd backflush the system. Put a bucker under the midsection (so it will catch whatever water comes out when you do this) and stick a water hose into the t-stat opening and turn the water on. Point of the bucket is to see if anything comes out, just for your information. If all flows well, it should be ok to go. I'd replace water pump, reinstall the lower, and give it a shot.

 

[vicman]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

Thanks, according to USPS, my parts will be here today, and tommorrow I will flush and reinstall. Ya'll have made restoring this older boat and maintaining my other one enjoyable!! I'll post the results when I get everything back together.

 

[vicman]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

Thanks for everyones help. I back flushed like was suggested and put everything back together with a new water pump kit. I talked to an outboard mechanic and he said although my old impeller was pliable and looked good, the rubber had developed memory and was permanently deformed. He also said it was not sealing to the sides of the impeller housing, that's why it was'nt pumping. I hooked up the water to it yesterday and within a couple of seconds a hard stream was coming out of the tell-tale. It sure feels good to spend that much time on something and have everything actually work!!!! Again thanks to everyone.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 1988 30hp will not pump water

Glad all is well. Check the head temp to verify if you can. Ifra red gun or 3 seconds on the head with your hand.