irony today at the ramp.

[Pony]

A few days ago i posted this in the evinrude/johnson forum...<br /><br />

posted August 29, 2005 07:56 PM <br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />I don't know what the part is.....but I have to ask. Why on Earth would you turn the motor over while waiting to launch (obviously not in water).? While this prolly didnt cause the fire....it could destroy your water pump if it starts.<br /><br />Sorry...I'm just really anal about those waterpumps.<br />

So today after a decent day of fishing, besides the hole in the boat that is covered in my other thread in this section, i was observing a group of people who were launching as i was waiting to retrieve. I was able to determine that it was a couple and a guy taking them out on a test ride of a boat they were considering purchasing. The guy is going over starting procedures, adjustment knobs, the how tos of launching, how to shift the motor,how to tilt it etc....seems fairly knowledgable. As i start my trek toward my truck i hear an engine start, and what do i see when i turn around is this guy starting the motor out of the water. This thing ran a good 5 or 6 seconds before he shut it down. I was shocked....<br /><br />When I pulled up with the truck they were still launching surprisingly enough so I had to wait for them to launch and then move their rig to the other side of the curtesy dock. As i am retrieving the couple is standing on the dock with their boat, waiting for the guy to return from parking his vehicle. I over hear them say something about the boat being $6,000, which i know is overpriced. (25hp merc on a 14ft aluminum camo painted mirrocraft). Not sure if i did the right thing but I kindly told them that starting a motor out of water can destroy the cooling system in as little as 4 seconds, and that they would be paying like 3x what that rig is worth even if the motors waterpump didnt have potential damage. not sure if they cared what i had to say but as i was leaving the launch i saw them fly through the no-wake zone in a lake appropriately named Rock Lake....(I hit a rock with my grandpas late 60s 18hp evinrude and busted a shear pin last summer)

 

[jtexas]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

You should realize that cranking the engine also turns the waterpump, same effect whether or not it starts. (uh-oh, does that mean I'm analer than you?)

 

[Pony]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

Maybe....I realize that, didn't realize i typed it that way....should prolly go back and change that response lol. I wont even put a key in the ignition with muffs on, nor will i go anywhere near a pull start rope. Although in our defense everyone should probably be so anal

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

Pony I'm with you all the way on this one!<br /><br />I recently was forced to put my boat and engine into a shop to get work done on it (non-starting and I had no time on my hands: long story).<br /><br />Go back to pick up the boat and engine and the guy at the shop comes out all happy and smiles they had fixed the problem easily enough and just to prove it now started..............reaches in and turns the key <br />No water, no muffs: just starts her straight up <br /><br />He sees the look on my face and says "it's okay, engines will run okay without water for several minutes" <br /><br />Guess who isn't getting any repeat business from me

 

[tomatolord]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

I give it a quick hit on the starter just to make sure it will turn over when I hit the water, but in no way do I come close to the engine starting.<br /><br />I would agree though that you could start the motor out of the water - the motor would heat up very quickly though - IF you stopped it in time you would not over heat it. That would be the trick to stop the motor PRIOR to the overheat buzzer coming on - <br /><br />HOWEVER, when you put the engine in the water - I would imagine that you would really stress things out when the cool lake water hits a hot engine!

 

[beezee28]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

Pony,<br /><br />You might have save them from making an expensive mistake. But there again, they are new to the boating world and did not really understand what you are talking about and is afriad to ask.<br />You done your duty.

 

[jtexas]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

Originally posted by tomatolord:<br /> <br />I would agree though that you could start the motor out of the water - the motor would heat up very quickly though - IF you stopped it in time you would not over heat it. That would be the trick to stop the motor PRIOR to the overheat buzzer coming on - <br /><br />

the real danger is to the water pump impellar...3 or 4 minutes dry running it will be toast. Doesn't necessarily have to be submerged, just wet; if you ran it on the muffs last night, it might still be wet enough for a few seconds of cranking.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

That pump would have to sit for a long time dry to do any damage in a couple of seconds. If in the water recently, or he probably started in on muffs just before he took it and them to the dock anyway to make sure it ran, I see zero problem. I DO see someone that probably should be minding their own business, buts thats JMHO. Telling them the cooling system will be destroyed in 4 seconds is idiotic.<br />PS. I ran for a month after I put in a new raw water impeller greased up with Vaseline (saltwater/350SBC). The seal let go, and I had to put in a spare pump I had. The impeller is STILL slippery with Vaseline in the old one.

 

[Pony]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

The fact is its impossible to know whether or not that motor was on muffs before he ran it. it could have sat for days, weeks or months while trying to sell it at that ridiculous cost. It could have sat for years before trying to sell it. fact is you and i dont know.<br /><br />Now i didnt put quotations in that story because it is a generalization of what was said....also notice i said could not will destroy the impellor. in fact i made it clear that there prolly isnt damage at all and was just advising them to be cautious. I wasnt even going to tell them anything until i remembered that my clymers and seloc manuals both state not to run or even turn over the motor under any circumstance without muffs of a test tank of sorts. You can call it me not minding my business all you want, but i know if the role was reversed i would want to know that the way this guy is treating his engine at this launch is indicitive of how he may have always misused it, and as a result to be cautious when buying. JMHO

 

[Capt Joe]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

Pony 85 - I know from my own lack of knowledge when I was buying my first boat, that any info at all is greatly appreciated. A mate came with me to one place & he undid the oil drain plug. Result - a mixture of oil & water came out. That screw driver saved me thousands!!

 

[Pony]

Re: irony today at the ramp.

I agree capt.....When i first started boating my biggest mistake was using starter fluid when i was troubleshooting my engine....thanks to guys on here i now know how bad it is. I imagine next to running a motor out of water that is the most common mistake. Long story short, every little bit helps