Guys, I have a 1996 Mercury 150 Offshore. I dropped the lower unit, took off the water pump housing, and replaced the impeller and gaskets. I also replaced the housing itself, but my new torque wrench (Harbor Freight job) did not click for me at the required 50 ft/lbs. Instead of looking, i was listening. The good news is that my old housing was in good shape, so I just put that back on.
So, the new impeller went back on with no problem. The woodruff key was installed, and matched up with the little indent on the brass part of the impeller ring. I'm assuming that there is no top or bottom to the impeller, as the vanes should move themselves to the proper configuration as the drive shaft spins (am I correct on this?). I got everything put back together, and the lower unit was reinstalled over the weekend.
Now, I just went out to start the motor to make sure that everything was fine. This is the first time that the motor has been run in about three months. I filled a rubbermaid tub with water, lowered the motor down into it, and the water level covered the exhaust hub (my neighbors appreciate this) and the cooling intake holes. It started right up, but no water came out of the little hole to show that it is being cooled. I waited about 30 seconds, and then turned it off. I felt the engine, and it was warm, but not hot. I gave it about five minutes, and tried it again. Same result. So, I try one last time. Exhaust and smoke came out of the weep hole (I was using Sea Foam to decarbon the engine), and finally it started to spit a bit. After another minute, a big pulse of water shot out, and then stopped. This repeated over and over. It was sort of like going to the bathroom, and pushing as hard as you can to get every little drop out before you start a long road trip. Squirt-stop-squirt-stop-squirt.......
So, what's my next move? I made sure that the little tube on top of the pump housing lined up with the metal tube on the engine. The impeller was new, the gaskets new, and I had ample water available for the engine to circulate. I stuck a paper clip in the hole to see if anything was stuck in there, and nothing came out. Any ideas?
So, the new impeller went back on with no problem. The woodruff key was installed, and matched up with the little indent on the brass part of the impeller ring. I'm assuming that there is no top or bottom to the impeller, as the vanes should move themselves to the proper configuration as the drive shaft spins (am I correct on this?). I got everything put back together, and the lower unit was reinstalled over the weekend.
Now, I just went out to start the motor to make sure that everything was fine. This is the first time that the motor has been run in about three months. I filled a rubbermaid tub with water, lowered the motor down into it, and the water level covered the exhaust hub (my neighbors appreciate this) and the cooling intake holes. It started right up, but no water came out of the little hole to show that it is being cooled. I waited about 30 seconds, and then turned it off. I felt the engine, and it was warm, but not hot. I gave it about five minutes, and tried it again. Same result. So, I try one last time. Exhaust and smoke came out of the weep hole (I was using Sea Foam to decarbon the engine), and finally it started to spit a bit. After another minute, a big pulse of water shot out, and then stopped. This repeated over and over. It was sort of like going to the bathroom, and pushing as hard as you can to get every little drop out before you start a long road trip. Squirt-stop-squirt-stop-squirt.......
So, what's my next move? I made sure that the little tube on top of the pump housing lined up with the metal tube on the engine. The impeller was new, the gaskets new, and I had ample water available for the engine to circulate. I stuck a paper clip in the hole to see if anything was stuck in there, and nothing came out. Any ideas?
