running engine after taking out of water

[Vision91]

just had a ? about running the engine after taking the boat out of water i see a lot of ppl doing it after bass tournaments and was wondering if they are doing it to get all the water out of the pump and head...cause theres a few that run theirs for 5 mins or so and its still pissing water...just curious and thought id ask cause i know it cant be good on a engine after a while

 

[jbjennings]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

Anyone that runs an outboard motor out of water with no water source for the water pump doesn't know much about outboard motors. Don't do it, and don't let anyone tell you it's the right thing to do. Water is the only lubricant for the rubber water pump impeller and without it, self-destruction is likely.
JBJ

 

[BonairII]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

Fishing in tournaments just means that they paid the entrants fee....it doesn't mean that they know motors.

Call an outboard manufacturer directly, and ask them what they think of running their motor for 5 minutes with no water source.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

Outboards are self draining. Water runs down hill. There is no place for water to sit other than a little bit in the water pump housing and that is a very samll amount. Good way to burn up an impeller.

 

[SolingSailor]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

I think that if they're running their engines for 5 minutes with the boat out of the water, and water is still coming out, then they must be using water muffs or a hose connection.

 

[bgc]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

I wonder if they are flushing the motor?
Can some of the larger motors hold enough water to move invasive pests from lake to lake?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

Outboards are self draining. The minute the lower unit clears the water they should drain in seconds. Even in the water, water will not remain in the power head -- it simly drains down to the level of the lake.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

Back when I was young and didn't know better I had a 10 hp Scott-Attwater that I ran I don't know how many times out of the water. Didn't run it all that long at a time but it was a couple of minutes or so.....Why? Don't remember. Anyhow, I never changed the impeller in the 10 odd years we had that engine and I never had an overheat problem that I was aware of. It didn't have a pee stream so all I had to go on was the fact that it ran, and ran at WOT just fine in the water for 30 minutes at a time and you could see some water coming out the exhaust relief holes when operating.

Looking back, I am surprised it held up. I quit the process many many years ago. I used to run my carbs dry but I would do it on the ramp with the engine in the water. Now, since I got the oil injection engine, I never run it.

5 minutes, if that's the number is a long time and I can only wonder what they are thinking. We do have a Hydrilla and Snail problem down here and both are very troublesome and easily spread. Ticket writers from the state Parks and Wildlife will help you understand that when you leave a lake, your rig is clean and has neither hitching a ride.

Mark

 

[robert graham]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

The rubber water pump impeller is a snug fit inside it's stainless steel water pump cup, so without water to cool and lubricate it, overheating and damage will occur.....they simply require a source of water.

 

[louiefl]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

My response probably belongs in the SHT section, but last weekend after arriving at the ramp to head home, a shiny new Key West was just pulled out of the ramp next to me and the driver pulled up to a staging area to secure it to the trailer. I tied off my boat, grabbed the keys and went to retrieve my trailer. His motor was still running, 3 minutes later, high and dry on the trailer. he cursed, shut the engine off and his girlfriend mentioned something about wondering what that noise was. He didn't look very happy.

 

[Vision91]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

sry i havent responded to this thread i forgot i even posted it must have been late at night or something..i knew this would cause some issues on hear and make some ppl upset about idiots these days...i was just curious if they were trying to prevent corrosion inside the powerhead. and for the impeller i knew it wasnt good for it way before i posted this. know the ? i have is to get all the water out can you blow it out with a airhose connected to the powerhead..here soon im goin to be putting the boat in storage and want to get all the water out so nothing rusts if thats possible.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

the ? i have is to get all the water out can you blow it out with a airhose connected to the powerhead..here soon im goin to be putting the boat in storage and want to get all the water out so nothing rusts if thats possible.

Not to worry, if the lake you run in is relatively clean then just leave it alone and it will be fine. If the water is brackish or salt then put the engine on muffs when you get home and run it 'till it warms up, then shut it down and let gravity do it's thing.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

The water drains out all by itself. There is nothing you have to do if you are referring to an outboard.

 

[ronsealdeath]

Re: running engine after taking out of water

You can run a British Seagull outboard out of the water for a brief amount of time. My Silver Century '4hp' model, and I believe most others, have a water pump but the impellor does not make any contact its chamber/housing and can happily run without water around it. However, the ally block and cylinder head would get a bit upset with no coolant running around the jacket and you'd warp something within a short time.
The trade off of having a pretty much maintenance free impellor is that it is far less efficient; at idle it pumps no water and will only give a trickle or 'decent dribble' at higher RPM. Its definitely not a stream of water even at WOT! Bullet proof stuff though.