Merc 2 Stroke 90Hp Water Pump Issue

[Bass2124]

I have a 2001 90hp 2 stroke that is "peeing" very little water out of the tell tale.  I have no idea how long this has been going on.  I accidently started reading about water pumps going bad when I was researching a spark plug issue.   The article said that they needed to be replaced every couple of years.  Went out for a ride and noticed very little water peeing from the tell tale with hardly any presssure.   I also read that if the motor is running without water it will melt the water pump impellar.  I remember when I fogged my motor last fall the earmuffs fell off and the engine must have run a good 30-60 seconds without any water before I noticed.   I'm guessing this is what happened.  My question is..... Should I just replace the impellar of should I buy the whole gasket water pump kit.  I have no idea if the previous owner did anything with the waterpump.  I have had the boat for 3 years.  Also, could I have done any damage to the motor with having so little water pressure coming out of the Tell tale?  It has been starting very hard the last few times out.  Not sure if it is a sparkplug issue but I have to keep pumping the bulb everytime I stop for a bit to get it to start.  Never had to do that before.

[martintheduck]

The first place to start ---- clean out the hole. Remove the cowling and find where the pee hole is... there should be a small hose connecting to it. Pull the hose off and use a small pick or screwdriver to push anything out of the hole. Reconnect the hose, put on rabbit ears w/ hose and start motor. Is it now "peeing" hard? A common issue is tiny pebbles or dirt devils getting in there and clogging the stream. If that doesn't solve your issue, try rinsing out the hose connecting to the pee hole.

 

 

If that doesn't solve your issue, then drop off the lower unit and replace just the impeller. Those 2 solutions are your cheapest initial route to take. Impeller will be around $20 and maybe 20 minutes of your time. If that doesn't solve your problem, THEN come back and lets revisit options.

 

 

I'd be willing to bet money that your pee hole is just clogged. As for replacing impellers, they recommend every season, some people say every other year... I've seen people go 5 years and be just fine. Personally, I run my boat pretty hard, so I'm replacing it every year. $20 and a few minutes seems like a good investment to keep me running perfectly. I also doubt you caused any damage when the rabbit ears fell off for 30-60 seconds...

[slonezp]

Your motor is equipped with a warning buzzer. If it hasn't been bypassed, it will alert you of water and oil issues. The tell tale hole is just that. As mentioned, the hole can get plugged and the motor will still cool effectively.  

[WIGuide]

Don't get too worried yet. Just because it's not peeing water does not mean the motor is not pumping water and that you've ruined everything. First of all follow advice from above about checking the pee tube for clogs. After you do that pull the thermostat off of it and check that. It's possible some sort of junk got stuck in there and isn't allowing it to fully open. Third you'll want to run in on the hose again. Start it up and let it idle for roughly 3 to 5 minutes while feeling the water coming out of it. It'll get warm but it shouldn't be hot though. If it does get hot increase the engine somewhere in the 1500 range. The higher rpms should pull more water through the motor unless your impeller is totally gone and you should feel it get noticeably cooler. That's a tell tale sign of a worn impeller. If it needs one a kit.

 

Also, your starting issue doesn't sound like a spark plug problem, it sounds more like a fuel delivery problem. Does the primer bulb stay hard after you shut the motor down? If not you probably have an air leak somewhere in your fuel system. A lot of times it's in the primer bulb itself

[jhoffman]

I guess you can color me different on this one, a water pump rebuild kit is cheap insurance

[slonezp]

.

 

Also, your starting issue doesn't sound like a spark plug problem, it sounds more like a fuel delivery problem. Does the primer bulb stay hard after you shut the motor down? If not you probably have an air leak somewhere in your fuel system. A lot of times it's in the primer bulb itself

Could be damage from ethanol.

[Bass2124]

Cleaned the tell tale out and it was plugged.  I got a gush of water coming out after I unplugged it.  Been fishing a very dirty river for the first time this year.  Must have pulled in some sludge or something.  As for starting issues today it started hard again.  I have noticed that the bulb does not stay hard after it runs.  I have to pump it up almost every time I shut it down for any more than 20 minutes.  I'll get a new bulb and see if that takes care of it.  Thanks for the advice.  I called my local mechanic and he said the water pumps on a 90 hp mercury  2 stroke are very rugged and he doubted that it would be gone even though it is a 14 year old motor which surprised me.  He also told me to clean out the tell tale. It is peeing very hard so I think I'll wait before I pull the lower unit off to replace it.

[Long Mike]

Four really inexpensive things you can do:

1.  Replace the impeller

2.  Replace the fuel line and bulb.

3.  Replace the thermostat(s).

4.  Start adding a fuel additive like Startron with every fill-up.

These actions may or may not cure your problems, but they are very inexpensive insurance.

[Koofy Smacker]

Still not a bad idea to change your impeller. I do mine every two years. It actually seems to push the water a little better once the ears get bent over under the metal impeller housing but thats just me. No reason they should go bad under 2 years. If you do there is something else wrong

[martintheduck]

Cleaned the tell tale out and it was plugged.  I got a gush of water coming out after I unplugged it.  Been fishing a very dirty river for the first time this year.  Must have pulled in some sludge or something.  As for starting issues today it started hard again.  I have noticed that the bulb does not stay hard after it runs.  I have to pump it up almost every time I shut it down for any more than 20 minutes.  I'll get a new bulb and see if that takes care of it.  Thanks for the advice.  I called my local mechanic and he said the water pumps on a 90 hp mercury  2 stroke are very rugged and he doubted that it would be gone even though it is a 14 year old motor which surprised me.  He also told me to clean out the tell tale. It is peeing very hard so I think I'll wait before I pull the lower unit off to replace it.

 

I fish some really dirty water down south and it happens to me all the time. I've given up on keeping my speedometer unclogged at this point --- it jams up with dirt every trip!

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Four really inexpensive things you can do:

1. Replace the impeller

2. Replace the fuel line and bulb.

3. Replace the thermostat(s).

4. Start adding a fuel additive like Startron with every fill-up.

These actions may or may not cure your problems, but they are very inexpensive insurance.

Can't argue with any of that. It's cheap insurance to do. All of them are fairly quick and easy jobs to do at home. You don't want to deal with cooling problems. Mine overheated a few months ago. Slipped a sleeve inside the block. Grabbed the rings on that piston and that was the end of it.

I use Mercury Quikleen and Quickare instead of Startron though.

One thing I learned to keep handy in the boat from Mike at HawgTech, is one of those cheap pipe cleaners to clean out the tell tale. Costs like a buck for a package of them at Wally World. 95% of the time it does the job.