Ran w/o Water(?)

[FreeBeeTony]

Was starting the engine for the 1st time this year........a little difficult as usual the 1st time.

I had ear muffs on the outdrive and a hose stuck in the raw water intake.

Got the engine started and went to the stern to check water flow when I noticed there wasn't any water coming out........the hose popped out of the raw water intake............I immediately shut the engine off.

Probably ran for 10-15 sec............

Think I am OK?

I was late............going to continue today.

 

[Don S]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

I wouldn't trust it (impeller). Especially if you was over idle speed.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

probably a new impeller to boot....

http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Bullet/87/87_14.pdf

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Wow, impellers go fast. This noob would have never guessed.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Just ran the engine again.........

Think I am OK.........has such good suction it was collapsing the garden hose!

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Just ran the engine again.........

Think I am OK.........has such good suction it was collapsing the garden hose!

That's not a good thing either! Geez, dude. You need to be better prepared. Having the right equipment would be a very good idea.


Cornercrayon, as a noob, this post is exactly what you DON"T want to do when you run on the muffs. And yes, you can ruin an impeller (especially in a Pre-Alpha or Alpha One Gen 1 ) in as little as 5 seconds if you run it dry. It's "just" a rubber impeller spinning inside of a thin plastic case. They melt pretty quickly, or at least put gouges in the side of the case, thus severely compromising the pump's ability to suck and pump water.

 

[mkast]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

If you disassemble the drive, look at the impellor, you will be surprised at the condition of the rubber blades, ten seconds is enough.
As suggested, replace the impellor.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

FYI............it's the raw water pump on the engine............not the drive.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

FYI............it's the raw water pump on the engine............not the drive.

Do you have any idea what you are doing, or talking about????

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

As a matter of fact I do..............why do you ask?

It's a fresh water cooled engine............the pump I am talking about is the raw water pump mounted on the engine.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

10 or 15 seconds for a pump that was recently wet?
zero issue.
Run it.

Those horror pics of melted impellers are from engines started with bone dry impellers. A bit of water in there to lube the vanes- they're fine for a minute or so at idle.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

You have both an engine mounted raw water opump AND a pump in the outdrive - is that correct? And your hose fell out of the engine mounted pump intake? Do you have a setup similiar to the one below?

I do know those engine mounted impellers do not seem to last long and do not like to be run dry. Here's what mine looked like after only two years:

I have a strainer on mine that I put my hose into - how do you supply water to your setup? Especially if it is collapsing the hose?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Your engine mounted water (circulation) pump can suck a garden hose flat? I hardly think so.
If it is that pump you are talking about, then you don't know what you are talking about. That pump has a stainless steel impeller inside of a cast iron housing, so running it without water would do absolutely NO HARM to it.
Also, I know you don't know what you are talking about, cause the types of cooling systems in boats are either "Raw Water Cooling" or "Closed Cooling". You aren't the only one to make that mistake, though. But what you call "fresh water cooled", can be interpreted two ways. You also mentioned having the muffs hooked up. So your impeller in your drive is involved in this somehow.
Maybe you want to actually explain what you are or are not doing? Cause what you have typed so far does not make any logical or mechanical sense. Sorry.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Fishermark, you don't know what you are talking about either. Those pieces of impeller came from your raw water impeller pump, either in your drive (Alpha series) or from the engine mounted impeller pump (Bravo series). Not from a water pump. That's the one mounted in front of the camshaft, that is the same as the one on a car. All it does is circulate water in the block. It pumps hardly more than 5 psi.
You guys need to be sure what pumps you are talking about. A boat has two.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Fishermark, you don't know what you are talking about either.

Well, that's been known to happen from time to time. Are you having a rough day or something?

The boat pictured above is mine - it has BOTH an engine mounted raw water pump AND a pump in the outdrive. It has an Alpha outdrive, and yes, the engine was replaced with a new crate engine from Mercruiser and came with an engine mounted raw water pump. I installed a through hull fitting for the eninge mounted pump and simply plumbed the water from the outdrive to go back out the transom.

That's why I was asking the original poster what setup he has - it sounds similar.

And yes, I know the difference between a circulating pump and a raw water pump.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

the boat pictured above is raw water cooled probably from the pump in the drive.............mine is FWC'd............and I do know what I am talking about.

Almost sorry I started this thread!!

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Now you've got me curious... when you wrote:

I had ear muffs on the outdrive and a hose stuck in the raw water intake.

The ear muffs on the outdrive I understand. The "hose stuck in the raw water intake" I do not understand. (Not saying you don't know what you are talking about! ) I just can't visualize what you are referring to. Where is the intake that you stuck the hose into?

 

[lowkee]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

Wow, tons of assumptions going on in here.

Tony, what I think others are pointing out is there is a fear you may not understand the difference between 'Closed cooling', where the engine circulates antifreeze and outside water side by side in a heat exchanger, semi-similar to a car and 'Raw water cooling', which pumps outside water directly through the engine block. Fresh water cooling is often considered the same as closed cooling, but is often confused by beginners if they tend to boat in fresh water. You never did specify which it was and seemingly contradicted in a couple of posts.

To put it basically, if your boat is raw water cooled OR closed cooled and the hose never got water to the impeller (ie: water never touched the impeller wheel), it has a good chance of being fried. If your boat is closed cooled (possibly what you mean by 'fresh water cooled'), you still have an impeller that pumps raw water, just into a heat exchanger instead of the block, so the damage can and will be the same on both systems, so which system you run doesn't really matter if are running it without water.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

the engine is FWC'd........I removed the hose from raw water pick-up and stuck a garden hose in it........this is the hose that popped out. I also had ear muffs on the outdrive.

So there was water at first, then the hose came out.........it's probably fine. When I ran it today and tightened a clamp it was pumping fine......even almos collapse the garden hose........

Thanks

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Ran w/o Water(?)

That's not a good thing either! Geez, dude. You need to be better prepared. Having the right equipment would be a very good idea.

Do you have any idea what you are doing, or talking about????

Your engine mounted water (circulation) pump can suck a garden hose flat? I hardly think so.

Maybe you want to actually explain what you are or are not doing? Cause what you have typed so far does not make any logical or mechanical sense. Sorry.

Fishermark, you don't know what you are talking about either.

I thought we were all here to help each other, instead of pointing fingers and belittling each other