Water seems to not be flowing. 1964 28 HP Evinrude Speeditwin 28402M

[outbdnut2]

Like Labrador Guy said, it has to be deeper in the water.  The pump is above those “horizontal holes” you mentioned.  It’s in the “bulge” and it will not self-prime.  You need that bulge that is a few inches above the cavitation plate submerged.  If you have run it for a couple minutes without doing that, you may have destroyed the pump impeller, so it won’t pump when you have the water the right depth.  New impellers are very available.

Dave

[bob-d]

Chris, as everyone has mentioned above make sure your motor is deep enough in your barrel before you look for other water flow solutions.
Taking the head off is a big job and should be done as a last resort. I am a bit confused as to why you purchased a new water tube?  Please when you get some time take a few pictures to possibly help us understand exactly what is going on.
Bob D

[fleetwin]

Listen to Bob.   We don’t want you getting too deep into this project unless absolutely necessary.

A few questions:

Is this engine new to you?   If not, when was the last time it ran, cooled properly?  Does the powerhead show signs of overheat (burnt paint/melted wiring)?

Like Bob says, the water tube should not pull out of the exhaust housing, unless there is a bigger issue.

Are you sure you got the water tube properly aligned and installed into the water pump impeller hsg grommet?  If not, chances are good that you bent the tube during installation, pushing it upwards, so now it will never fit properly.   Did you use OEM parts?  Did you just replace the impeller?  Or, did you replace the impeller housing and SS impeller plate as well.   There is a tiny bleed hole in the top of the impeller housing, the pump may not prime if this hole is plugged.

Are you sure the engine is buried deep enough in the water?  Are the water pick ups clean?

[Chris Koure]

Thanks again Bob D,

Your pic is very very helpful.

Talking with the friend that I got this outboard from (short the leg, carburetor, and starter) he said two things (that were said here in various ways)

The pump doesn’t self prime and,

The pump sits at the seam at the very top of the leg.

Looking for and at pics to jog my memory I found this pic of an older 35 HP Johnson and yeah I’m no where near that seam! This doesn’t mean I should skip pulling the exhaust portion of the leg and insert that water tube from the top (I should and will)(thanks Bob) but FIRST I need a bigger bucket. For anyone who is following this here is the pic of that leg that got me to understand.

[crosbyman]

get yourself a copy of the johnson service manual for 20$  it covers Johnson OBs but they are cousins with Evinrudes of the time .

400 pages + covers everything

https://watercraftmanuals.com/outboard/johnson/manuals/johnson-302231.htm

 

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[fleetwin]

Chris Koure wrote:

Thanks again Bob D,

Your pic is very very helpful.

Talking with the friend that I got this outboard from (short the leg, carburetor, and starter) he said two things (that were said here in various ways)

The pump doesn’t self prime and,

The pump sits at the seam at the very top of the leg.

Looking for and at pics to jog my memory I found this pic of an older 35 HP Johnson and yeah I’m no where near that seam! This doesn’t mean I should skip pulling the exhaust portion of the leg and insert that water tube from the top (I should and will)(thanks Bob) but FIRST I need a bigger bucket. For anyone who is following this here is the pic of that leg that got me to understand.

Yes, first thing to do is get a deeper bucket, make sure the gearcase is buried deep enough.  If it still does not appear to pump water, I would remove the gearcase and have another look.  Perhaps you misaligned the water tube, or maybe the impeller got “burned up” from not having adequate water flow…

Please do NOT pull the powerhead off, we must exhaust all the simple explanations first.  Again, does the engine show any signs of overheating in the past (burned paint/melted wiring)?

[Author]

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