97 Evinrude 25hp Driving me crazy...

I like doing things on my own and typically don't give up easy. However, I am pulling my hair out! I bought a 1997 Evinrude 25hp (e25reum) from a buddy and it hadn't been run in a year. My buddy said it ran rough the last time he had it out and started barely peeing.

First thing I did when I bought it was:

1- Replace the spark plugs.
2- Replaced the lower unit oil. (It was in good shape and not milky)
3- Replaced the water pump. The water pump was in rough shape...

I put it back together and was impressed when it fired up on the second pull and ran like a champ. A little rough but not bad besides smoking like a 2 stroke bandit. Anyways, what brought me looking for help is that for the life of me... I cannot get it to PEE!

The first time I started it on muffs. I figured maybe it just needed to be in a tank. That was a no go and produced the same results. I dropped the lower again and checked the waterpump to make sure I wasn't burning it up. It was in good shape and was obviously getting water.

I checked the pee hose coming off the engine and it was clogged with some kind of dirt. Got it out and put it back together thinking I fixed the issue. It still didn't pee on muffs or in a tank. I dropped the lower AGAIN and checked the water pump. It was in good shape still. I took my compressor and put the copper water pipe where it goes in the motor shaft and blew air through the system. (This was recommended by and Evinrude mechanic) I could feel the air coming out of the pee hole so there wasn't a clog. Putting the lower back on I shot the plastic "keeper" into my yard and lost it. Ended up having to order a new one! I just received that and put everything back together and it is still not peeing on the muffs or in a tank. I am noticing that I am getting water coming out the side of the exhaust as well as exhaust smoke? Could it be that the exhaust gasket needs to be replaced? That wouldn't help my pee issue though, would it?
I am at a loss... Please help

Here is a link to a video I took showing the issue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijjZRI2BHOs

You may have the vanes of the impeller set wrong, they fling water, they do not scoop it ...

Impeller Orientation:
However, typically when looking down on the impeller from above, the driveshaft rotates clockwise and the tips of the blades follow or are behind the rotation, or off towards the counter-clockwise direction. See the pictures below. Note that impeller blades DO NOT scoop water, but they fling or sling it. The blade is bent or forced into a compressed position (impeller is eccentric to the housing), and as the blade rotates past the open passage area, the blade unflexes and slings or throws the water up and into the cooling system.

Also see here, small HP Nissans showing impeller blade orientation: https://www.maxrules.com/fixnissancool.html

Driveshaft:
In 40-years I've always assembled every OB with the driveshaft rotation to be clockwise, with a forward gear or not. Now I haven't done them all, but I've done small OBs of at least 11 brands.

On some motors they will self-align if/when installed incorrectly, however on bigger V6s, the impeller is robust enough so that 1 or 2 or more may re-set back to the OEM orientation, but the others stay in the opposite orientation ... then you get poor or no circulation.

Dale, thanks for the quick response. The orientation of the impeller is definitely right. I have done water pumps before so I am very confident I did it correctly. I also followed the Evinrude manual step by step and re-checked it all multiple times each time I took the lower unit off

It could be a head blockage then, but see more thoughts below. I had a 6hp that wouldn't pee. I took the LU off, drained the carb, blocked the block pee outlet (at the block) and tipped it upside-down and filled it w/ cheap vinegar and left it sitting for 3-days. The vinegar dissolved the salt blockage.

Hey, did you check the t-stat?

Also see the "tape trick" in this post here, for running small OBs whilst on muffs.
https://forums.iboats.com/forum/engine-repair-and-maintenance/johnson-evinrude-outboards/484982-25hp-won-t-pee-on-muffs

It is not a head blockage or a thermostat. Neither has anything to do with the overboard indicator.
The fitting is on the exhaust manifold. The exhaust manifold does not depend on the cylinder head for its source of water. If the manifold is getting water to it then it will flow through the indicator and out.
Thermostat cannot block flow to the indicator and it does not have to be open to see water flow on Ev/Jo. engines.

Put the engine in the water deep enough so that the lower mount clamshells (on the sides of the exhaust housing above the lower unit) are totally submerged and see if it will pump. Lets start there !

Pappy, I can give that a try tomorrow. Will have to take it down to the water in order to do so though. I don't have a bucket deep enough here. I don't have the trailer or boat registered yet though so hopefully the warden doesn't show up, lol.

Someone else mentioned to drop the lower unit, start the engine, and put the hose up to the water intake tube. Do you think this is worth a shot?

Nope....not before you submerge the engine and see what happens.
Keep it simple....the engine and the cooling system are simple enough.

install the impeller key correctly?

Did you check the intake side of the water pump?

Steve

A cheap 30 gal trash can for wally world might be deep enough to sub merge LU above the clam shells . you won't have to haul the boat to the river.

You have exhaust where only water should be, coming out the tell-tale.

I had this happen with my 1995 25 HP. Search under my name, and you will see.

I never figured it out. But when I replaced the ENTIRE water pump, it pumped like a champ afterwards!

I, too, have done many, many impellers. I examined the parts, and besides a slight grooving in the baseplate, the old waterpump looked perfect! But there was something wrong there, that was not obvious to the eye.

My suggestion would be for you to FIRST, back the boat into the water, and try it that way. Some small engines don't work well on the hose.

After that, just bite the bullet and buy the entire WP kit. Make sure you have the proper fit on the water tube coming down. Some of the OMC kits have an extension on top of the WP that is required for you to get flow. Also, I like to roll an o-ring onto the bottom of the pickup tube, to help make sure the seal is good.

Let us know what happens.

-Tony

Make sure you have the proper fit on the water tube coming down.That's more important than most know. I've found that the motor should be vertical and NOT tilted to get the water tube lined up correctly.