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View Full Version : Need some Advice and help with outboard motor.


dbarnett1
01-02-2011, 12:26 PM
I have a question about my 1978 55 Hp. Evinrude. I hope some of you folks out there might be able to help me.
I just bought this motor along with an older boat for a restore project. The motor runs great but it had over heating issues. We puller the lower unit and checked the impeller and it was like new. The shear key had come out so the impeller was just spinning on the shaft. We devised a key and fixed this problem. We then found that the motor was missing the rubber grommet seal that fits between the water pump and the tube that leads to the motor, new one on order.
Now for my problem. When we called our local dealer and quizzed them about the water discharge, they told us that there is a tube at the top of the motor that the water should exit the motor from. My motor has not tube or place on the housing for a tube to exit. At the bottom of my motor on the gear case right under the hydrofoil it has holes that water does come out of. The water INTAKE of course is just above the skeg so this puts the water exit above the intake. Is this EXIT the water out put?? if it is is the alarm on the motor the only way to tell if overheating is occurring? Most outboards I have delt with have a discharge right under the power head or through a tube out the case. This allows you to see when water is flowing properly. I looked at some You Tube videos of 55 hp Evinrudes running. One video had a motor (not sure of the year but looked a little older than mine) with the tube through the case spraying out water. I noticed this motor did NOT have the holes in the lower gear unit like mine does (just below the hydrofoil) The other video was of a 1977 Evinrude (Looked exactly like mine) it had no tube and the water was coming out of the holes under the hydrofoil. All of these motors, mine and the two in the videos, have water exit through the prop. Also I believe this is where it exhausts also.
I realize that I may have you all scratching your heads wondering just what the prob is but I'm really looking for confirmation that The holes under the hydrofoil is the water exit port. This motor runs fantastic and I don't want to chance burning it up.
Another question I have is Does this motor have a thermostat? If so how hard are they to change? Mine may be in good shape but if not I want to replace it. I live on fixed income so I really have to do the work myself, can't afford the repair shop prices. Lastly are there any tell tale signs of when a thermostat is not working properly? Any and all info anyone would be willing to share will be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone. Dave

bass or bass?
01-02-2011, 01:00 PM
My 1977 Evinrude Starflite 80 has a water discharge port @ 6" below the power head housing. This discharge port is @ the diameter of a quarter and water SHOOTS out of it so strongly that you can hear it hitting the water surface of the lake from the drivers seat while idling! My exhaust exits just above the prop from an exhaust port, not through the prop hub. And yes, there should be a thermostat. Check e-bay for a shop manual for your motor. My wife found me an actual 1977 shop manual for mine.
If you still need more advice I will give you the phone number of a mechanic here in Phoenix who is an old Evinrude wizard and can give you more information than I can. His name is Gene Walentiny, owner of;
Valley Marine
7018 N.53rd. Av.
Glendale AZ.
602-247-0355 or 602-931-9159
Hope this is of some help. Best of luck with your old 'rude. BTW, my 1977 runs quite well for it's age. It's the motor you see on my boat in my avatar. Also, there are more photos of it in my photo album on this site in my personal information. The water discharge port is clearly visible in the photo of the boat from the stern view.
Happy fishing!