Water Pump Working???

[bryanshaffer]

I am definitely new at this, so please excuse me if this is a stupid question. I have a 1974 Johnson 70HP that has not seen alot of use over the years. I want to make sure that the water pump is working correctly. When I hook the enginge up to a flush unit I get water out of several outlets at the lower unit. Should there be any water exiting out higher on the engine? What is the best way to tell if the pump is working properly?

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Water Pump Working???

Start it up on the hose/ear muffs with the cover removed. You should see a tell tale stream pretty quick if the pump is doing it's thing. A further check is to let it continue to run a few minutes and put your hand on the cylinder head cover ... should be warm (i.e. say 130 to 145F), but not really hot. Don't worry about water coming out above the ear muffs, that's normal.<br /><br />If it's been a long time since the pump has been changed, I would recommend doing that soon.

 

[bryanshaffer]

Re: Water Pump Working???

Thanks Jim. But I guess I'm not 100% where I should see the tell tale stream from. I see there are two small exhast ports at the rear of the engine about 6" below the bottom of the engine cover. Is this where it should come from? <br />There are two small ports near the front of the lower unit that eject water when the engine is turned on. The water coming out is warmer than the water going in, so I assume that it is cooling something.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Water Pump Working???

The two round ports on the aft side of the midsection are exhaust relief ports ... a small amount of water may come out along with some exhaust. Not all motors have the water pump tell tale ... it's typically on the stbd aft side of the lower housing (where the motor cover rsts). If you take off the motor cover, you should see very easily whether your motor has this feature.<br /><br />Lower units have a number of drains above the pump area, but that's not the pump tell tale deal.<br />Has your motor shownb any signs of overheating? Hot horn going off, steam from the exhaust relief ports, crankcase getting hot? AS I suggested earlier, if you can hold your fingers on the cylinder head after running the motor for 5 to 10 minutes on the ear muffs, you should be OK.

 

[bryanshaffer]

Re: Water Pump Working???

Thanks... I think that I have seen a little steam from the exhaust ports, but since I didn't really know what to look for, I didnt pay it much attention. I will check it again when I get home.