Water from the telltale of my 5 horse, 4-stroke when run in a bucket, gushes out in a strong, healthy stream upon initial start. But after the engine has been running for about 5-6 minutes, the stream weakens and eventually (once the engine is warm to the touch) sputters out of the discharge hole in no discernible stream. Also, the water at this point is quite hot. Is this normal? The impeller was replaced last fall because there was absolutely no water coming from the telltale when I first tried to run it and I've only run it about 10 minutes total since then. I bought the engine two summers ago but have never put it on my small boat because of my concerns with the slowing pace of the discharge and high temperature. Could it be a thermostat needs replacing? Other possibilities/problems to consider? Obviously, I'm new to this arena and would appreciate any advice I might get. Please help, and thanks so much in advance!
