No engine pee from bf15

Hi to all, I have a early 2000s Honda bf 15, just replaced the water impeller, however no water comes out of the tell tale. The old impeller was completely shot so I’m wondering if there are pieces in the engine or in water tube, i have also cleaned out the tube that leads to the tell tale. if anyone has any advice tips or tricks they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

If you are using muffs when testing then try using a bucket/tank instead to ensure water is reaching the water pump. Remove the lower unit plastic screens and check for debris as exploded impeller bits usually find their way down there. Check the tell tale nozzle to make sure not clogged up.

When testing in a bucket the water must be 6" to 8" above the impeller.

Well...if the impeller was that bad I hope that you closely inspected the housing the impeller runs in. They usually get pretty banged up when an impeller is torn up like that.

Even so, you should probably be getting some flow even if the efficiency is way down percentage wise.

Did you properly engage the drive key? Those can dislodge when putting the pump back together.

Sometimes you can miss the connection between the pump outlet seal and water tube or, on some models, the tube may not be engaged with the engine block grommet correctly.

But before pulling the case again to check those you should review how you cleaned the tell tale passage. The only 100% effective way of clearing the passage is to pull the side cover and completely unscrew the nipple fitting from the block that the flexible tube attaches to. Then start the outboard in a bucket as described above and allow the pump to push out any debris. It will literally GUSH out if the pump is good. Just running wire or trimmer string through the passage doesn't always cut the mustard. That just shoves the crap back down and, while it can restore flow temporarily, the stuff just comes back up and clogs the fitting again.

Rerouting the flex tube correctly when reinstalling the side cover is critical as it can easily fool you into routing it in such a way as to pinch it shut between the cover and the splash tray. HINT: the way that seems easiest is the wrong way. It has to snake up through a hole in the tray and it is difficult to connect it to the cover nozzle when routed properly.

Also...that tell tale tubing needs to be replaced about every three seasons because it gets hard and takes a "set" where it is bent. If it isn't soft and pliable it will tend to trap small debris in the bends and that can reduce or stop flow to the extent that the tubing will sometimes pop off of the engine block fitting nipple and cause flooding under the side cover.

If you do end up taking the gearcase down again then, yes, there might be pieces of the old impeller up inside the block. Taking the thermostat housing off and back flushing with high pressure water and shop air can sometimes push that stuff out. You may also need to remove the water tube from the block and fish out pieces with whatever you can to dig them out.

These are the very good reasons for not running a pump past 2 or 3 seasons.

Good luck.

When it comes to the "no pee" scenario, you need to know if the engine is getting hot or not. If it is getting hot, clearly there's a blockage or an issue in the pump area (eg plugged intake). If it's not getting hot, then you can proceed as required figuring out/cleaning the outlet and plumbing leading to it. For that case, I use compressed air.....

I mean, how hot is it supposed to get? My engine was warm with no peeing coming out. I’m removing the lower unit again to see if the impeller is damaged or incorrectly installed, I will keep you updated

Thank you, I appreciate the help, I am taking down the Lower unit now, I will see what I can find