15 HP Evinrude No Water Flow

the engine is not circulating water. i have a water pump OEM kit installed, with the pin in correct spot, I have removed my thermostat and test in hot water, cleared all coolant passages with shop air, and i am still not getting any flow through the motor. I get a little drip, drip but not flowing as it should. at this point I am completely out of ideas. I have taken off Lower and inspected every single component 5 times nows, watched how to videos, and read,.everything matches but I have no flow.
New parts List:
lower Unit- used from private seller
brand new Gear assembly
Complete Water Pump kit

Assuming, as you say, that the water pump is installed properly...

It happens that the water tube can at times hit the edge of the grommet in the water pump, and as the lower unit is pushed into place, the grommet will fold over creating an effective shut off valve.

If the above mentioned problems do not exist and all is well as far as your workmanship... the thought occurs that, since the water pump is not a self priming pump... that the water level is not covering and submerging the water pump. The water level must be a couple inches above the water pump location in order for the pump to function.

Where is the water level before you start the engine?

The only other thing that comes to mind is a slightly faulty head gasket... not bad enough to let water in, BUT just enough to allow the combustion power burst outwards into the water passageway which would cause a stalemate. This would result in the combustion going down the water passageway... the water coming up... the two meet and just stay in that position... and the engine overheats as a result.

Let us know what you find.

Water in your test set-up MUST be about 6" above the pump.-----Or launch boat and test run.

What year or model # are you working on?

Joe and Racer are dead on with all their suggestions.

One more note. Several years ago Joe put me on a solution for my 9.9, which should be nearly identical to your 15. There is a grommet on the bottom of the engine block where the water tube meets the block. According to Joe these had a nasty habit of deforming and causing a restriction.

On my 9.9 I chased every water robbing demon just like you are. Finally I took Joe's advice and pulled off the power head to find the grommet swollen and folded over. Replacing the grommet solved the problem and now the little thing runs like a champ.

Depending on the year of your engine you might need a different part #. I just generically chose a 1985 model, but I don't think these parts changed much over the years. In the snip below from the parts diagram you'll need #106 (base gasket) and #55 (grommet) to do this job.

http://www.marineengine.com/parts/j...de&section=Midsection+(all+Models+Except+Sel)



While you're at it, you might also remove the exhaust bypass cover. Sometimes you can get pieces of junk lodged there and restrict water flow. You'll need 2 gaskets (#25) for this job.

These are all great suggestions. My first thought, as far as narrowing down the problem (lower vs. upper) was to simply attach a hose to the "tube" that normally "stabs" into the water pump. Remove the thermostat cover(s) and manually (or with some other water pump) force water up the tube & see if it comes out where the thermostats usually reside. That should at least help you narrow down whether the problem is in the water pump, or someplace above it.

Also, when you say the water is only "drip drip," are you talking exclusively about the telltale, or are you checking at other points? The reason I ask is... The telltale CAN be blocked/plugged when your cooling system is otherwise working perfectly well. Conversely, you can have a telltale that is peeing like a Russian race horse, even though the water passages in the block are fully clogged. Depending on your motor, you may be able to disconnect the hose leading to the telltale closer to the source & see if water is moving there. You may have a "tee" where the water splits off from where it's pumped into the upper unit. One side of the tee will go to the telltale and the other will route water to the exhaust, block & heads.

Hope that all makes sense.

Keep us posted on your progress & good luck!

Keep us posted with your progress.

thank you guys,
my engine is a 1989 15 Hp. I cannot recall model # i have go see something like 15CEC or something
ok, i am using a 5 gallon garbage bucket to house the water. it is full to the top, and the engine lower unit and mid shaft are fully submerged in the water.
i have installed a brand new OEM water pump kit, and i watched the copper pipe go into the rubber grommet, with a boroscope.
also i have brand new head gasket since i took engine apart for cleaning, I also did open the reed valves, opened the exhaust bypass cover. I have cleaned all and ran shop air through it. i guess next step will be to remove lower and put water with hose up the copper pipe and see if it flows through the motor. if it does then my issue is down low.

A bucket doesn't do it unless it's a big bucket whereas the water pump is fully submerged.... and you know where the water pump is.

Use a regular size plastic garbage can.

yes i have the lower, and mid section completely under water, the water level is above the mid section top bolts which hold it together.
I am using a large or normal black 5 gal garbage bucket not a small obne but a big one. like as tall as the whole engine,. i believe it is around 50inch tall