Safe to start outboard while out of the water?

[jviss]

Then again, impellers are not that expensive nor hard to replace, if you want to run them dry, have at it.

Well, in outboards they can be hard to replace. I've done it. It usually requires dropping the lower unit, which can be tough, with corrosion and other factors, and is not a trivial thing to do. Certainly can't do it in the water! I've only ever done it on a motor stand and in my shop. And then you need all the right sealants, etc., to put it back together properly.

That said, these impellers are pretty rugged, in my experience, and last a long time; like, 10 or more years. Maybe not recommended that long, but I can attest to that.

 

[jviss]

if the impeller shreds and goes into cooling water ways, might plug them up.

It's clear you don't know much about the cooling water circulating system in the typical outboard. There's no way a vane from an impeller is going to make its way to the block.

 

[jviss]

unless you hook up water to cool it. you will destroy the water impeller in 3 seconds

Ha, ha, read this page. Plain neoprene impellers will last a lot longer than that.

Impeller Chart

 

[mhessick]

I didn't mean to start an argument. I just want to see if the engine runs before we launch. It appears to be a newer motor, probably 5 years old or so, but it has been sitting in storage, in the sun, for at least a couple of years.

 

[JBP-PA]

Jviss is right that running it for a bit will "probably" not do too much harm. Mr. Hansen is right that it is not really a good idea if you can avoid it. Replacing an impeller is not that hard, I've done it lots of times. If you are a gear head, you should replace it just for fun (or every 5 years). There is no way impeller bits are going up the cooling system in a dry system. I suspect Mr. Hansen is trying to wind us up.

 

[jviss]

Jviss is right that running it for a bit will "probably" not do too much harm. Mr. Hansen is right that it is not really a good idea if you can avoid it. Replacing an impeller is not that hard, I've done it lots of times. If you are a gear head, you should replace it just for fun (or every 5 years). There is no way impeller bits are going up the cooling system in a dry system. I suspect Mr. Hansen is trying to wind us up.

Thanks. If the motor has been sitting a long time, probably best to put it in a bucket, or get the "mufflers" - although mine don't use them, it's a Merc-specific thing that requires removing the prop.
Replacing the impeller can be tough! Only in that you have to drop the lower, which can lead to other issues. I've done it, too, but yea, certainly not every year!

 

[jon hansen]

what is very clear, you don't know me at all.
i have way over 1,000,000 miles at sea.
been sailing sailboats for 63 years
drove ships for a living
have played on yachts for fun
currently own the alden caravelle, Ascow, cal20, trinka 12, formula 242 ocean racer, 15' cedar strip river boat, 16' starcraft and a 4 barrel raft.

that's 1 diesel, 5 outboards, one inboard. do most of my work myself. 'nobody works on your toys like you do'. on the ocean racer i tear down the out drive every year. i have had all the outboards apart many times. it's not hard if you know what your doing.

i am highly trained sailor. got the paperwork to prove it.

i give very conservative advice here based on years of training and hands on work.
i can dock a 10' boat with ease, i can dock a 1,000' boat with ease.

i don't much like whimsical speculation that i see so much of here. i do laugh at it.

i have only had one job, that of a sailor.

from now on you can be more respectful and call me captain hansen, i've earned it.

now what did you do for a living that makes you think you know me so well?


P.S. Dave, this is all in fun. just quallifying my right to give advice

 

[jviss]

what is very clear, you don't know me at all.
i have way over 1,000,000 miles at sea.
been sailing sailboats for 63 years
drove ships for a living
have played on yachts for fun
currently own the alden caravelle, Ascow, cal20, trinka 12, formula 242 ocean racer, 15' cedar strip river boat, 16' starcraft and a 4 barrel raft.

that's 1 diesel, 5 outboards, one inboard. do most of my work myself. 'nobody works on your toys like you do'. on the ocean racer i tare down the out drive every year. i have had all the outboards apart many times. it's not hard if you know what your doing.

i am high trained sailor. got the paperwork to prove it.

i give very conservative advice based on years of training and hands on work.
i can dock a 10' boat with ease, i can dock a 1,000' boat with ease.

i don't much like whimsical speculation that i see so much of here. i do laugh at it.

i have only had one job, that of a sailor.

form now on you can be more respectful and call me captain hansen, i've earned it.

now what did you do for a living that makes you think you know me so well?


P.S. Dave, this is all in fun. just quallifying my right to give advice

So, where does the 3 second thing come from?

 

[jon hansen]

wisdom

 

[jon hansen]

i try and err on the conservative side when teaching newbies

 

[jviss]

i try and err on the conservative side when teaching newbies

Well, I will defer to your wisdom on this, but I have violated your advice in the past with no discernible negative consequences. When I run my motor before the season I have it in the water, either the harbor or a tub or the hose-thingie, but to check it it will start I've run it dry, for only a few seconds.

 

[captcoho]

I was given a 1989 22 Catalina with an outboard motor. I would like to make sure that it runs. Is it safe to start the motor for brief periods while it is out of the water? I'm assuming it cools itself with fresh water while the boat is in the water. I would think that as long as I shut it down within a few minutes it would be OK to start it.

To see

I was given a 1989 22 Catalina with an outboard motor. I would like to make sure that it runs. Is it safe to start the motor for brief periods while it is out of the water? I'm assuming it cools itself with fresh water while the boat is in the water. I would think that as long as I shut it down within a few minutes it would be OK to start it.
[/QUOT
I wouldn't without having muffs hooked up
Not so much worried about starting it for a second and shutting it off, but ruining the water intake impeller

 

[captcoho]

Thanks. If the motor has been sitting a long time, probably best to put it in a bucket, or get the "mufflers" - although mine don't use them, it's a Merc-specific thing that requires removing the prop.
Replacing the impeller can be tough! Only in that you have to drop the lower, which can lead to other issues. I've done it, too, but yea, certainly not every year!

Especially if it's a new to you motor, you may want to run it for awhile to make sure it stays running and was stored with stabilizer and fogged.
But if the fuel has the carb gummed up, perhaps running it at home with some Seafoam might not be a bad idea.
But when first buying it and seeing if it fires for a bit won't kill it.

 

[jviss]

Seafoam

Seafoam = snake oil, IMHO.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Seafoam = snake oil, IMHO.

Maybe, but I've not had to disassemble any carburetors in my lawn mower, leaf blower, grass trimmer, outboard motor, or snow blower since I started using it about 5 years ago. That's compared to at least annual disassembly and cleanings for most of them before then. I haven't changed anything else about my fuel storage habits; if anything I'm keeping gas in equipment longer than before. Small sample size, but I'm a believer.

 

[jon hansen]

for 2 stroke engines with premixed oil in the gas, i like seafoam. have had good results. that's what it is made for.

other modern injector engines and 4 stroke carb, not my choice. there i'm a lucas man.

 

[walt]

The first outboard I owned was a new 4 HP Tohatsu 4st. A friend thought no problem to run the outboard completely out of the water for a short time so we did. We maybe ran the outboard for two minutes out of the water. I then used the outboard in the water and no pee stream. Took the motor to a dealer where I bought it and they found a crumbled water impeller. Remember this outboard was pretty much brand new when this happened. They replaced the impeller and tried to get the bits out of the plumbing and were only partially successful. The motor never did pee correctly after that and I had to discount the sale price because of the poor pee.

Is it 15 seconds or two minutes that you can go? Dont know but because I dont, I NEVER run an outboard now without the impeller being in the water.

Seafoam.. Had a bunch of gas problems with three outboards and a chain saw before Seafoam. Pretty much no gas problems after using Seafoam.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I've been using Seafoam on and off for the past 20 years. Only once, did it appear to make a difference. This was on my 140hp two stroke outboard with four carbs. I still use it to keep fuel fresh but I have no expectations of it making any improvements. If you really want to get rid of varnish soak your parts in the 3M stuff that auto mechanics use to do on car injector cleaning. I did this once. Two years later I took the injectors in to be flow tested, matched and cleaned. They said my 15 yo old injectors were some of the cleanest they'd ever seen

 

[jon hansen]

 

[BigEasy]

Is it 15 seconds or two minutes that you can go? Dont know but because I dont, I NEVER run an outboard now without the impeller being in the water.

Couldn't agree more! I NEVER run my outboards dry. It's just common sense that if you run a rubber /neoprene impeller dry, the friction & heat that develop at a few hundred RPM will cause damage to the impeller or at the very least, cause it to deteriorate faster than normal service life. Needless to say, It's going to fail at the most inopportune time. Why take a chance? Put the muffs on or for small light weight motors, put it in a 5 gallon bucket or trash can. If you ever had an impeller fail when you are an hour away from the dock, you will learn to replace the impeller regularly and not risk damage by running it dry.