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1988 2.5hp Johnson cooling system

cdbrummond

Contributing Member
Great little motor but the cooling system is not very user friendly. It has holes in the exhaust housing that let out a small mist to show the water pump is working. However these are mostly hidden because of the camel back fuel tank. Does this motor have a built in alarm or a cut off system if the motor is overheating? It is a pain to bend over the back of the transom to see if the motor is still pumping water ever few minutes. Or, can a pee hole be installed? I love the little motor because of the big camel back tank and I don't want to give that up. Thanks for any input in advance.
 
There is no overheat warning system, nor a automatic shutdown setup.

I suppose you could install a water outlet elbow at some point in the block but just exactly where that would be. I have no idea without studying the crankcase/block. It's been done with many other engines so why not that one?
 
Thanks for your suggestion. I've looked at the schematics and it doesn't look like this motor has a thermostat. I'm gonna see if I can find a used exhaust cover and install a small elbow there. I think if I get a small enough diameter it will at least have some water coming out of it.
 
You are correct... there is no thermostat.

Be advised that the standard plastic or nylon water outlet elbow, whatever it's made of... it has a pipe thread to it. So as such, the drilled tapped hole to accept it would also require a pipe thread tap (usually included in most sets), otherwise the elbow would not be able to tighten.
 
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