Water not flowing out of exhaust

Don S/V ILLusion · Tuesday at 10:32 AM

What engine? Hours? Age/condition of thermostat? Have you checked its operation?

Project_Mayhem · Tuesday at 10:45 AM

Clogged through hull? Kinked hose? If you have time to kill, you could inspect the impeller

Benny17441 · Tuesday at 12:23 PM

john6206 said:
Hey everyone,

I’m stuck in port 30 miles from my home slip.

When I started the engine this morning smoke came from the exhaust but not much if any water.
Engine does not seem to overheat at low rpm, but temp starts to rise higher than usual if I push the throttle forward.

I assumed the problem was the impeller - could have sworn I had one on board… Amazon says I’ll have 2 of them in two days.

If that just happened when you crancked the engine this morning I would check to insure that water is flowing through the seacock. Disconnect the hose from the valve and open the valve, a gush of water should come out. If the flow is poor you may have sucked in some debri or a plastic bag at the intake. If such is the case, I have had some sucess blowing compressed air back out through the valve to clear the intake. If not time it may require someone to dive and remove it. Beware about diving in marinas, some may have faulty electrical installations.

JamesG161 · Tuesday at 12:35 PM

Pictures of your water pump and intake strainer would help. Also what part of your hull is that intake?

Jim...

PS: My guess is water flow is restricted. Not Muffler, since you see exhaust.

Ralph Johnstone · Tuesday at 12:50 PM

john6206 said:
I’m pretty new to engine maintenance, BUT - the old impeller looks pretty good to me, I’m thinking that wasn’t the problem.

What do you mean by "old impellor" ? Is this the one that is currently on the engine or an old one out of the junk box ?

john6206 said:
My next guesses are heat exchange tubes,

Answer my first question and then you'll have an answer to your above guess. If your current impellor is not missing any blades, your tubes should be clear. As for biological growth, tubes do not plug overnight from bio growth. It's a slow process.

john6206 said:
My next guesses are heat exchange tubes, or aqualift muffler ???

Not familiar with your muffler but I doubt they are prone to becoming plugged. I'd be leaning towards an external blockage at the inlet of your engine through hull. If this is true and you lack an itinerant diver in the neighbourhood, this could present a significant problem, especially if the water is cold in your current area. A p[ossible check would be to :

Close your through hull.
Pull the hose off the through hull. Liberally use a hair dryer.
Insert a clothes hanger at the top of the through hull cock (insert as far as it will go, about 1").
Wrap a rag around the clothes hanger to act as a gland.
Open the cock and go at it until you are sure any external obstruction is gone.

john6206 said:
I have 48 hours to troubleshoot, but no access to a car or boatyard with a parts department.

You well may have a lot more hours to troubleshoot your problem as I very much doubt the arrival of the new impellor will cure your problem.

As @Project_Mayhem has suggested, use your remaining 48 hrs. wisely to examine your raw water pump. Look for a disconnect between the shaft and the impellor. I'm still lost over the comment of "old impellor" but just ensure the pump is in operating condition.

You said you're new to engine maint. but take a look at removing the discharge hose from the pump. This will be a little more difficult and an advanced inspection. Actually, you will disconnect the hose from the NEXT attachment point to the engine. Place the hose in a bucket, start the engine for a few SECONDS ONLY and see what the flow is like. That will give you an idea of where the problem is, before or after the pump.

From what you describe, I would say say your post here is your best (and only) possible resource for fixing your problem. Many man hours of experience from the above posters on this exact same problem. Let us know what you've got there by carefully answering every questiion posted here and we'll get you on your way.

Project_Mayhem · Tuesday at 2:22 PM

I like @Ralph Johnstone's idea of testing suction with a bucket. I would go one step further and do a bucket on the intake and a bucket on the output of the pump and start the engine for a short while. Now you know that the intake and pump are likely good. Now hook your intake back to your through hull and take the hose off from the HX, stick it in a bucket and start the engine to test the heat exchanger. Keep going down the line until you find the issue or start halfway down the line to potentially find your issue faster.

jssailem · Tuesday at 3:51 PM

Depending on your through hull, you may be able to run a rod down the center and dislodge the gunk.

jssailem · Tuesday at 3:51 PM

I’ve heard that fresh water zebra muscles can cause a problem.

kappykaplan · Tuesday at 3:56 PM

jssailem said:
fresh water zebra muscles

Those mussels must have strong muscles! :beer:

Project_Mayhem · Tuesday at 8:40 PM

john6206 said:
Hey everyone, problem solved!

it’s been a long day.
16 hours ago we were pulling out of the harbor when I noticed the problem and turned around.
Spent much of the day pulling weeds out of my thru-hull one tiny leaf at a time. Like seriously, the size of grass clippings!

Once the damn broke I fished one of those zipper type snakes you use to get hair out of the bathroom sink into it over and over again until I had 5 or 6 clean ones in a row … all while the water is flowing freely! Started the engine, let it run for several minutes while I admired the water pumping out the exhaust. Then I cleaned the strainer basket.

rinse and repeat

Then I cleaned the mess…

now I’m putting the boat back together.

Had some help from some good friends, all in all, a pretty good day.

although I’m pretty tired!

Thanks again!

I assume you dived down to clean the weeds out?

jssailem · Tuesday at 10:32 PM

You need to avoid running your engine while moving through the weeds and grass debris on the lake surface.

Project_Mayhem · Wednesday at 6:03 AM

The weeds are horrible in Lake Michigan right now. It's impossible to avoid. My marina has pulled out thousands of pounds of long stringy vegetation. It left my rudder nearly useless the other day. I don't know how it didn't foul my prop. Short strands are even in my head when I flush. It smells too (the seaweed, not the head)!

jssailem · Wednesday at 10:37 AM

john6206 said:
boat is too big to paddle.

Oh but think of the opportunity that exists.

You would get great health points on an Apple Watch for attempting to swim tow your boat.

Then there is the possibility of raising your sails and thumbing your nose at the power boats sitting idly by watching you capture the wind.

pgandw · Thursday at 10:09 AM

Actually, many smaller boats will scull reasonably with the rudder. I had to learn the hard way on my 19ft Mariner when I couldn't get the motor to run. 200 yds to the dock? - quite doable by sculling. Which is why it is prohibited in the racing rules. Getting an electric outboard solved my outboard issues. I now have range anxiety instead of starting anxiety.

Fred W
Stuart (ODay) Mariner 19 Sweet P

Water not flowing out of exhaust

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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