I havent started my 1995 mercury 30 2 stroke in about 5 years. I changed the fuel line, fuel filter, got new gas and battery and she came to life quickly. Unfortunately, she isn't peeing. What part controls that? I guess im really looking for a starting point on fixing the problem. Any help is appreciated.

Are you in the water or feeding from a hose? Do you have enough hose pressure? Did you run long enough to open the thermostat?

Better wait for more experienced opinions, just a couple I had.

I was using a hose for a second, then i put it in the water since i wasn't sure if the hose was actually giving it enough water.

Rob, if all else fails call Jeff at Lakeview Marina. He's the head mechanic and does all the work on my Yami. They are in Webster and are an honest outfit to do business with.


Webster, Massachusetts, Bennington, MirroCraft, Larson, Yamaha, Mercury, Mercruiser, Volvo Penta, Boat, Motors, Used, Parts, Service, Shoremaster (http://www.lakeviewwebster.com/)

water pump. did you see if the thermostats opened. the pisser may be clogged stick a paperclip up there.
other wise, is the hose connected to the pisser?

You maybe have to replace the impeller

The pisser works all the time regardless of operating temp that's the first sign it's not getting cooling water. Most probable cause is blocked pisser tube, poke a paper clip in the end an make sure it's clear. If you can, disconnect it and blow thru it. If the pisser hose it truly clean and not pissing, then you have a problem possibly impeller dry rotted? Or just plain old?
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The hose was connected, i unclogged the urethra, it was crusted over with what looked like dust/mud. I took the boat out of the water. I changed the lower gear oil, it was milky white, i know that isn't a good sign. If i get out of work early this week i will dump her in the water and try again.

I tried using "ears" or whatever the things that you attached to a hose. But the seal was so poor i didn't know if it was safe.

How long does it typically take to open the thermostat? And how do you tell if its open?

Thanks a lot for your help guys.

sounds like you may need a lower unit seal kit,also feel the water thats coming out of the prop area it should be a little warm but not extreme so it does not burn you.
thermostat should open within a few minutes at idle speed.

make sure the intake screen is clear if and when you try the flusher ears again

fyi : i would have the impeller changed,its 5 yrs old they are made of rubber and get dry/fail.causing major issues heads warp crack overheat etc

Looking at some youtube videos, it looks like changing the impeller isnt that hard to do. I will get the kit this week and see if it helps. I will get a lower unit seal kit as well while i am at it. This is actually kind of fun tinkering with this. I have never done much work at all in outboards, its a learning experience i guess.

just read the instructions and make sure the delivery tube gets inserted properly upon reassembly.go easy on the bolts that hold the lower unit on they can be stubborn,salt has a way with things

I did mine and need a second set of hands when I out the lower back on, but other than that it wasn't too bad.

I used 15" threaded rods to get the lower up.
The worst thing was getting the damn key into the shaft and the impeller

Put a stiff piece of mono down the pee hole spiders and bugs can clog them up. When u pull lower unit fish the mono down thru. I'd chg thermostat while yr at it 2 strokes pretty easy to work on
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The pisser works all the time regardless of operating temp that's the first sign it's not getting cooling water. Most probable cause is blocked pisser tube, poke a paper clip in the end an make sure it's clear. If you can, disconnect it and blow thru it. If the pisser hose it truly clean and not pissing, then you have a problem possibly impeller dry rotted? Or just plain old?
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Absolutely correct. The pisser pisses regardless of the Thermostats.
I'm betting a clogged tube (Billy Nolan and I both had that problem a few years ago when we were crawling into the shallows and s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g up sand, mud and seaweed) or the impeller is shot. I change my impeller every year and the thermostat every other year.

Mud dauber wasps LOVE to make nests in the tell tale... just pull the hose off of the tell tale, and see if you have water pressure...some of those engins have poppet ( pressure control ) valves... that can stick and cause an issue... anyone that grubs around in the shallows should change their pumps and T-stats every two years... if you do it when you re register, you will have a build in reminder..

The comments here on SB are great, for more reading, here are some links I've used in the past for many a motor woe:

Mastertech Marine: Mercury, Johnson, Evinrude, Force, Chrysler, Tohatsu, Nissan, Yamaha Outboard Motor Troubleshoot5ing Guides (http://www.maxrules.com/fixtshoot.html)

BoaterEd (http://www.boatered.com/forum/)

Change out the impeller, its due for a change anyway, then follow the cooling system and clean out every where you can reach.

Awesome guys. Thanks for the help. I hope she runs like new when im done with it all.

Use a length of weed whacker line to clear; better than a paperclip or mono.

I've got a 95 Johnson 25 2strk and on the bottom of the shaft there is the grate for drawing in water and then a few pisser holes that drain water once the motor is pulled from the lake. When hooking up earmuffs w/ hose attachment use a piece of duct tape to seal off the small pisser holes if the earmuff cannot cover these holes or has a bad seal, which is usually the case. As for the milky white lower unit oil, that is a sign of water getting into the oil. This is caused by a few things. 1) Behind the prop there is a gasket (all models) and a trap (some models) which collects fishing line /string/ rope as a protector to the gasket, this may need to be cleared/cleaned. If that is the case the gasket may have been damaged by excess fishing line etc, allowing water to enter into the driveshaft area. 2) the Lower Unit Gasket Seal kit that was mentioned before has failed allowing water to get into the lower unit oil. IF you would like to DIY, check out iboats.com you can purchase a repair manual for about 30 bucks, I did and they are about 200 pages, Brand specific (Merc, Yami, Johns, Etc) cover all models and years, two and four stroke, have tons of pictures with step by step instructions and in my opinion worth every penny. Goodluck! -Matt Also, if you pull the prop, replace the cotter pin with a new one, no need to explain to your fishing partner why he is rowing into shore.

I've got a 95 Johnson 25 2strk and on the bottom of the shaft there is the grate for drawing in water and then a few pisser holes that drain water once the motor is pulled from the lake. When hooking up earmuffs w/ hose attachment use a piece of duct tape to seal off the small pisser holes if the earmuff cannot cover these holes or has a bad seal, which is usually the case. As for the milky white lower unit oil, that is a sign of water getting into the oil. This is caused by a few things. 1) Behind the prop there is a gasket (all models) and a trap (some models) which collects fishing line /string/ rope as a protector to the gasket, this may need to be cleared/cleaned. If that is the case the gasket may have been damaged by excess fishing line etc, allowing water to enter into the driveshaft area. 2) the Lower Unit Gasket Seal kit that was mentioned before has failed allowing water to get into the lower unit oil. IF you would like to DIY, check out iboats.com you can purchase a repair manual for about 30 bucks, I did and they are about 200 pages, Brand specific (Merc, Yami, Johns, Etc) cover all models and years, two and four stroke, have tons of pictures with step by step instructions and in my opinion worth every penny. Goodluck! -Matt Also, if you pull the prop, replace the cotter pin with a new one, no need to explain to your fishing partner why he is rowing into shore.

Good info! Stainless on the cotter pin is a must
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Change out the impeller, its due for a change anyway, then follow the cooling system and clean out every where you can reach.

What he said! Impeller. I changed mine every season just so I could sleep better. it is not hard (but it may be be a bit of a challenge on a 1985 unit) If it is still clogged you probably have a internal corrosion issue that could be more involved.

You will find that those older motors will not run very well on today's fuel. Start researching fresh power.

Rob, check this out on eBay


25 hp outboard | eBay (http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=25+hp+outboard)

Thanks paul, i didnt think about ebay. I need one for a 30, i think my motor uses the same parts as a 40 hp. I gotta do a bit of checking to find out exactly what model i have.

Check the thermostats. Bet they are just stuck. Clean em up or buy new ones if they're rotten. Every merc does this if it sits more than a season. I would just replace the thermostats. $25-30 I think
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Oh! Put them in a pot of water on the stove and heat up the water and watch to see if they pop open. You'll know they are working or not.
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I gotta get a repair manual, didnt come with one. I have the owners manual thats it. Time for google.

It's wicked easy. Take off cowling. Look for a water hose connected to two bolts at top of the head. Take em off and that's the thermostats right there. It's a piece of rubber with a brass disc and a spring.
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Check YouTube lot of DIY videos for outboards cars small engines, it's crazy what you find posted
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Changed the impellor , and she is pissing like sea biscuit. But she has a rough idle and craps out after about 30 seconds. If i throttle up the same thing happens. Im good for about 30 seconds. On to the thermostat.

Rob,I don't know how long the motor sat but it sounds to me like bad gas and/or a gummed up carb. I think you should do a complete tune-up and rebuild the carb.
Do you have a fuel filter/water separator?
If so, change the filter. If not, put one on. Ethanol is notorious for "gathering" water.

Carb rebuild
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I checked the thermostat, cleaned the green off of it and its working. But the same symptoms are still happening. Im going to tackle the carb now. It does have a fuel filter that i cleaned. The gas is good, but i didnt really winterize when i put her away years ago. So im sure there is a lot of gum in the carb.

Google carb rebuild on YouTube . You need the correct carb kit and tools. I ground my jet tool according to spec. Take the carb off disassemble soak overnight in carb cleaner, etc.. Also is the bulb good on the fuel line?
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So i pulled the cover off the carb and things look really clean in there. I also pulled the plugs to take a look at them. The bottom plug looked great, the top one was covered with oil. Really dark, black oil, im not sure whats up with that but it cant be good.

You need to adjust the idle rpm. It's too low right now I bet. Try adjusting up in tiny increments. Yes fresh fuel, but check the hose ball valve, bet it's junk.
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The top one is misfiring. Spark timing is off.
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Christian,
What is the hose ball valve? Is that the bulb in the fuel line? I replaced that one as it disintegrated when i moved the line.

Thanks a lot for all the help. The idle is easy nuff to adjust, the spark timing is a little bit more complicated. I think its time for a manual.

Yeah that's what I meant
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Changed the impellor , and she is pissing like sea biscuit. But she has a rough idle and craps out after about 30 seconds. If i throttle up the same thing happens. Im good for about 30 seconds. On to the thermostat.

Sounds like a carb issue. Try cleaning it out and check the needle valve.

Its a fuel problem, The illmusion tubes in carb are clogged, Just pull carb of clean it and put some new gaskets and seat in it. Blow it oult with air clean all surfaces and then run it again. Dont adjust anything yet, Put it on after cleaning and see how it runs it may need minor adjustments but should be close.

My guess is timing is fine, Dont mess with it

I replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs and thermostat the other day, still runs like crap. Im gunna stop by the marina today and get the carb rebuild kit, already got the manual. The guy told me not to mess with the idle or timing until the carb is rebuilt. HE also said that if that doesnt do the trick i should get the compression tested. If a cylinder is screwed in gunna tap out. Sunday she is gunna run damnit.

Rob, I'll bet you a 6 pack of O'Doules it runs like a champ after you rebuild the carb. You must have 100 hours into that thing.

I will gladly drink the Odouls if it works. Then i should probably get it registered and all that stuff. Then tires for the trailor, re-wiring, new carpets and windshield. These things are money pits but pretty fun to work on.

These things are money pits but pretty fun to work on.

Very true. My boat has fought very dirty this year right from the start but the knowledge gained from working it all out is priceless.

With the ear muffs and not a ton of throttle i think i have succeeded. She idles smoothly, and no longer stalls at idle or when i throttle up. The unfortunate this is that i found a washer that i failed to replace when ii sat down for dinner. I will re-install that tomorrow and do a sea-trial. Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it, this is what SB is all bout.

With the ear muffs and not a ton of throttle i think i have succeeded. She idles smoothly, and no longer stalls at idle or when i throttle up. The unfortunate this is that i found a washer that i failed to replace when ii sat down for dinner. I will re-install that tomorrow and do a sea-trial. Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it, this is what SB is all bout.

:claps::claps::claps::claps::claps::claps:

rob- now that's she running the best thing you can do is to run some premium fuel with sea foam additive- cleans everything from in the fuel/combustion system.

rob- now that's she running the best thing you can do is to run some premium fuel with sea foam additive- cleans everything from in the fuel/combustion system.

I used premium and did the Sea Foam, it came highly recommended by the marina guys.

I run Yamaha Ring-free in mine. Every time I put gas in I put in an oz or 2. I have done this with both of the Yamis I have owned and never had a fuel problem. I also have a heavy duty 10 micron fuel water filter that I change every 100 hours.

Christian,
What is the hose ball valve? Is that the bulb in the fuel line? I replaced that one as it disintegrated when i moved the line.

Thanks a lot for all the help. The idle is easy nuff to adjust, the spark timing is a little bit more complicated. I think its time for a manual.

Blow out the fuel line or replace it, you could have fine particles from the deteriorated bulb in the line...

So after running it with the good gas it crapped out. I went to the marina and he said to check the new gas. I poured some in a glass and it was milky white. It was treated with sea foam, and the guy said that it cleans out the gas tank very good, hence the crappy fuel. I cleaned out the lines, put her back in the water and it runs like a top. Anyone intersted in buying a boat :) 16.5' 1994 Smoker craft.