Dinghy Engine stops peeing

[dc380]

I’ve been having an usual problem with a Nissan 9.8 HP 2 Stoke. If I run it ¼ throttle it runs just fine for hours.
But if I get the Dinghy up on plane, and run the engine enough to stay on plane, within 10 minutes the tell-tale stops peeing water.
I can clear it easy enough by pushing a small flexible wire into the hole. A white pasty substance comes out, and it starts peeing again. The water that comes out after is very hot for a little while.

I thought it was the impeller, so I had it replaced about mid-season last year. But that didn’t fix the issue.

What is the white sticky substance and is there a way to fix this. If I don’t constantly watch the tell-tale I’m afraid it’ll get clogged and ruin the engine.


Dave

 

[Ididntdoit]

Common problem - its salt - your fix is the right one, but there is no harm in running without the telltale - it is just there to tell you the water is pumping - even after it clogs, cooling sea water is still pumping through the engine.....some brands/sizes of dinghy motors seem to be more prone to clogging than others - the smaller diameter the hose is, the more likely it is to clog

 

[dc380]

Thanks Ididntdoit

That's very helpful to know. I appreciate the explanation. I'll flush it more enough.

Dave

 

[kaz911]

Thanks Ididntdoit

That's very helpful to know. I appreciate the explanation. I'll flush it more enough.

Dave

You can run it in a big bucket with SaltAway for a while. SaltAway or similar are quite good at getting rid of salt deposits.

 

[Turtlesboat]

sometimes taking all that tubing out and cleaning it real well will get you longer intervals between shoving a wire up the pee spout.

 

[dc380]

Kaz911 I'll try running the engine in a bucket of Salt-Away for awhile. I do flush it with Salt-away at the end of the season, but not for long and it sounds like I need to do it longer and more often.

Turtlesboat If the salt-away doesn't work, I'll bring it back to the shop and have them remove and replace the tubing. Unless its something I can do?

thanks for the help
Dave

 

[kaz911]

Where I am the water is VERY salty - so Mechanics (official Merc representative) says flush at least every 2 weeks - I just add SaltAway to improve the process. So I would say normal salt - flush once every 4-6 weeks at least.

EDIT - Remember to dilute the salt away.. Don't use it "raw..."

 

[Bucit]

I had an issue with my 8hp Yamaha. After changing the impellar I still had very little water coming out. I removed the panel which housed the thermostat and it was full of crushed shell. I cleaned, rinsed and blew aout all that I could see. Pee's better than a young kid now.

 

[dc380]

From looking at the parts manual my thermostat in behind the head plate. Was yours in the same place?

 

[Bucit]

Yes and that is where I found all the crushed shell. It was completekly blocking the water flow. Easy to take off and clean out though.

 

[dc380]

Thanks I'll Give it a try. I assume I'll need a new head gasket?

 

[Bucit]

Yes but they are cheap.

 

[dc380]

Bucit

How did you torque the bottom to head bolts? I can get a wrench on them, but no way to get the torque wrench on them.

Dave

 

[Bucit]

I didn't torque them either. It's a small motor so I just tightened them, ran the motor then checked them afterwards. It's been a couple years now and no problems.

 

[dc380]

ok, thanks!! I really didn't want to remove the engine.

There was sand, salt rocks and shells in there.
The new gasket should arrive tomorrow, and I'll then button it back up, and run it.

Thanks for you help.

 

[Bucit]

Glad you were able to fix it. I had the same stuff crammed in mine.