I Have a 1982 Suzuki DT8 Outboard motor, i rebuilt the water pup, new impeller, wear plate, all that. This is the first time iv run it in a barrel, it wont pump water now. But here is the thing, when i take the inspection cover off(the little round cover that lets you acces the shift linkage), and i run the motor, it will pump water. i noticed that wile i have that cover off all the exhaust comes out that hole and not out the bottom, is the exhaust getting sucked in the pump and stopping it from circulating water?
Sorry, I thought I was answering this question before......is there 2 questions. Ok, the water is exhausted out the fin just above and behind the prop. The exhaust and water are both in the leg area where the shift rod is, so when you take the access plate off, you'll get some water and exhaust. You can't see the water coming out the exhaust port with the motor in a barrel. It's below the water line. And no the exhaust isn't being sucked back in the water pump, at least not enough to matter. There is a flush attachment that will feed water from a hose into the water pump. With the engine on a rack, or the boat out of the water, you can see where the exhaust and water come out. Running in a barrel isn't the best way to see anything. If you take the prop off it's easy to over rev. the motor. My advise is to put the motor on the boat in the water and start it. Check the engine block every couple min. for overheating. A little water dribbled on the head will sizzle, if it's getting to hot...if so shut it down, and recheck the water pump job. There is a tube that sticks in to the water pump housing. make sure it's in position.
I have the same problem, as soon as the inspection cover is off it pumps. The service guy mentioned a dodgy head gasket allowing it to pressurize the shaft cavity. Im not sure about this. I wondered about the copper / brass out feed line being not seated in the rubber grommet? Any ideas welcome.
i agree with richard. get a hose attachment, a set of earmuffs and run it with them. you wont be able to see water exiting the prop shaft area with the motor in a bucket. hte indicator, where the motor normally pisses to show its pumping water, those sometimes get clogged and need cleared out. it is possilbe for the motor to suck air, or exhuast, instead of water, if a gasket is bad around the impeller. in addition to the gaskets normally changed, there are more gaskets underneath that. usually, those gaskets only go bad if the motor is overheated to the point that the old impeller housing shows signs of excessively high temps. if the old housing was half metled, id go ahead and pull it apart and change the other gaskets too. but the exhuast chooses to exit that port becuase its easier to go out there then through the water. and you see water exit with it, so you know it is pumping water up into the motor. i'll also point out this much. if you are unsure, take it to a proffessional. you can total your motor by operating it without a properly working cooling system. paying a pro to fix it right is much cheaper then a new motor.
