Evinrude 35 Horse 1980ish Not Spitting Water

"So, I took this motor out tod

"So, I took this motor out today with the family. It ran strong, we went all the way to Blake Island from West Seattle boat launch and back. No problems at all. I didn't think to look at whether engine was spitting water. I got it home to do a fresh water flush, and put the prop in a big bucket, filled above those black intake vents, and ran it. It didn't spit water. It started spitting some steam from the area where (I think) it is supposed to spit water.. I shut it off. I went out about 15-20 minutes later to feel the head (forgot to check immediately after shut off). Warm, but not hot. Is there someting up? Should it spit water immediately, or does it need to "warm up" before it starts spitting water? (FYI, I'm not sure I ever noticed it spitting water... I just got it, and I assume it needs to spit water)"

"Most OMC motors after 58 use

"Most OMC motors after 58 use a thermostat so it is possible your motor is not warming up enough to cause the thermostat to open. Other possibilities are thermostat stuck closed, bad impeller, clogged water intake, clogged water jacket or even water tube not inserted properly in the fittings. With the power head still warm after 15 minutes I would look into it as a cooling problem and not normal. I like to make sure the water in the tank is above the impeller and not just the intake as I don't think the impeller is meant to be self priming but requires submergence."

"Thanks, so much for the helpf

"Thanks, so much for the helpful comment. Another follow up question, how far up the shaft is the impeller? Is it located externally on the shaft somewhere? Is this hard to replace? How about the water pump, is this inside the shaft? How do I access it to check? Many thanks for all the helpful comments. -Mark."

"The water pump and impeller a

"The water pump and impeller are one and the same. While I am not real familiar with your motor (getting a bit to new for me) the pump should not be too difficult to replace. http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/cdjense/Javelin3ME.jpg" While this is an older motor you should be able to get the general idea. The blue line is the intake and the red is the area of the water pump. Look at how your motor sits in relation to the boat and if you see the water line on the boat you can bet that the motor was built to have the pump some where close below that line. The Johnson/Evinrude forum may be a better place to ask as not everyone looks at this forum."

"Thanks, alot. Do you recomme

"Thanks, alot. Do you recommend using a hose, and clamp with those suction cup things that wraps around the intake?"

I have never used the flush fi

I have never used the flush fittings. Couple things to keep in mind if you do use them. First is that you may not really know if your cooling system is working due to the use of water pressure from the hose. Second is that because the water is always cold (unless you choose to run a mixing valve to a hot water tap) you may not get the thermostat to open. I don't know if your motor has the little tell-tale pee hole on the side as some of the newer motors do.

Thanks. All the comments are

Thanks. All the comments are very informative and helpful.