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I have a Honda 45 hp 4 stroke. At idle the stream of water coming out of the small black hose that sticks out of the side of the case is just a dribble. It increases to a slow stream as the motor revs up.

I've only taken this new motor out once and it seemed to run okay. No overheat warning light or buzzer going off. I checked the manual and supposedly the Honda motor will automatically shut down if it overheats or loses oil.

I have seen other outboards have strong cooling streams at idle. Is this normal?
I ordered the Honda water pump overhaul kit but need to know if I can run it like this for awhile before getting into it.

Does my motor have a prostate problem?:(
Should it be a strong stream at idle?:o

Mahalo,
jimB)

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The end of the pee stream hose where it connects to the cowling grommet can get clogged. Insert 2"of weed trimmer line can clean out salt/deposits.

Replace the impeller and re-test. If it not a solid stream at idle, you have a blockage somewhere. Don't run the engine at high speed till this is fixed.

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Your engine probably has a prostate problem, run a wire or weed wacker string through pee hole up to the block. Also if there is a plastic hose coming out of the block you can just replace the hose if you think it is blocked, When the engine is warmed up, if the head and exhaust manifold are really too hot to touch, you may have a water pump problem.

rich

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Thanks for the tip.
This morning, I installed a new water pump kit from Honda and used a piece of weedeater line to clear the pee tube out when the motor was running on the flusher.
A lot of sand came out. It took the tube off the fitting and reamed it for awhile until no more sand came out. Maybe the previous owner backed it into the sandbar and sucked up some debris. The water pump impeller was okay but stiff and had a chip out of one tooth.
Pees fine and the green cooling indicator light comes on at the dash.
The pee stream is no longer dribbling and much much better. It's a steady stream but not a "shooting" with force. I don't know if it should do that much. Maybe I should next try removing the tube adapter fitting from the motor and see if more sand comes out.
Mahalo,
JimB)

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I am not sure if the stream at idle is that forceful. My Yamaha's (90 2s & 115 4s) were not gushing at idle (if you know what I mean).

Some engines have the stream come from the block itself and others T off the water line where it enters the cowl/engine area. Which do you have?

How far back from the cowl fitting did you ream it out?

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The side of the block has a tube adapter fitting. I pulled the skinny tube off and kept poking about a foot of weedeater line into the hole as the engine was running. That's about 12" of line shoved directly into the side of the block. It was partially clogged at first, then opened up as bits of sand got washed out. I think I'll keep cleaning it out after I run the motor to maybe shake more sand out of the block.
Can't think of any other way to flush the system.
I'll keep an eye on it.

Maybe I should take the thermostat and thermostat cover off and hook up a hose to the flush inlet and see what flushes out?

mahalo,
jim

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I ended up removing the cooling passage cover from the side of the block. Five bolts were corroded and snapped easily. :(I had to drill and tap for new bolts.
I also removed the thermostat cover and the pee tube adapter. I blew out a lot of salt and sand and deposits with an air compressor. :oThen, reinstalled new parts and sealed everything up. I was not able to remove the anode and put a new one in. I think the bolt would have broken and I'd be left with another to drill and tap. So, I left it alone. The engine cools fine and pees great. Mission accomplished.:)

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Jim,
I'm concerned about that piece of the impeller that broke off. Sometimes they can clog a passage and cause problems. If it's peeing fine now I'm sure it's ok unless it is restricting flow to one area of the motor.
Mike

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Thanks.:)
You're right. I found the corner rubber piece of an impeller. Changed the impeller and stuff with a water pump kit. I can't think of anything more that I can do to restore the cooling system on this old motor.
mahalo,
jimB)

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After cleaning install a pressure gauge at the dash. Should run approx. 4-5 psi at idel and 10 - 15 psi at speed. Easy installation.