Green Dot, what does it mean?

[Beagleman]

Hey guys, i'm new to this site, so please have patience with my stupidity.

There's a green dot next to my name (you know where the contributor indicator is) whenever I reply to a post or see my name on this site. Coincidently, I noticed it after I got to a rank of "contributing member with 2 merrit badge wrench symbols".

So, my question is, what the hell is it?



SOmething else, I got a 40 hp mariner (40 E 6E9 s 104752), 1985 2 cylinder outboard. Basically a copy of those old Yamaha fm series.

I just replaced the impeller that I ordered from your site, did it by the book/videos y'all sent me, put dish soap on impellor, shaft, housing, etc. Although I used a broken thermostat, I putter back together, and ran it in a bucket of water.

As usual, she ran with the first pull. However, I read somewhere that running the impeller with no water can quickly damage it. So, started it up, and let it idle for about 20 seconds and I seen no spout coming out of the spit hole. I kept my hand on next to the spark plug area to see if if got to hot, and it never (only going for 20 seconds), just got a tad bit warmer. I only kept it going for 20 secs because I'm afraid to damage something.

So, is it normal for there not to be a spout for about 20 seconds of running after installing the impeller?

Am I doing something wrong at all?

Can I damage it by doing this without a working thermostat?

Can I damage it by doing this by simply waiting for the spout to come out?

How long should I run it to see if the spout starts without doing any damage?

Should I not even attempt this without having a working thermostat?

Once again, this dumb fisherman is stuck, worried, and needs help.


Thanks for any help.

Robby

 

[galamb]

Although I am colour blind so badly that I see completely in gray scale, if you are talking about the little dot to the right of your name (handle, whatever you want to call it) I believe it is green when you are "online" and (probably) red when you are "offline" - just to let others know your status.

Now, since you have had the whole thing apart, and all the water channels are totally empty it would be normal to take a little for it to start pumping.

That said, if 45-60 seconds went by and there was still no water coming out you may have an issue.

Something else to check however, before you start tearing things apart again. Make sure that some of that missing impeller (or other cooties) haven't got themselves lodged in your tell tale hose (fairly common).

The tell tales only function is to give you peace of mind by showing that water is pumping. The motor itself doesn't care if water is exiting there as long as it's getting what it needs to keep it at operating temp...

 

[Beagleman]

Although I am colour blind so badly that I see completely in gray scale, if you are talking about the little dot to the right of your name (handle, whatever you want to call it) I believe it is green when you are "online" and (probably) red when you are "offline" - just to let others know your status.

Now, since you have had the whole thing apart, and all the water channels are totally empty it would be normal to take a little for it to start pumping.

That said, if 45-60 seconds went by and there was still no water coming out you may have an issue.

Something else to check however, before you start tearing things apart again. Make sure that some of that missing impeller (or other cooties) haven't got themselves lodged in your tell tale hose (fairly common).

The tell tales only function is to give you peace of mind by showing that water is pumping. The motor itself doesn't care if water is exiting there as long as it's getting what it needs to keep it at operating temp...

Hey thanks graham.

K, the hose is not clogged, but as I said there thermostat is not working.

SO, can I run it for 45 to 60 seconds (with a non functioning thermostat) to see if water comes out or will risk doing more damage?

How long can it run with thermostat until I risk doing damage?

THe lower unit is submerged in water, is that good enough to start it without harming the impeller?

Thanks in advance graham.

Robby

 

[galamb]

As long as the impeller is getting water, even if it doesn't go up the tube etc due to a blockage or whatever the impeller will be ok (the water itself is the lubricant for the impeller).

I use a garbage can (the size that you would put curbside) as my "test tank". I distrust most flushing devices because a common garden hose can not supply enough water to run at anything but idle speed - the "tank" being replenished with a running hose allows me to rev up the motor for short periods to test things such as timing, linkage movement etc.

If you think the thermostat is toast you can remove it completely and fire it up. That will show you if the water channels are open/unobstructed. A motor will always run better (and have a longer life) with a functioning thermostat, but in a pinch you can run without it - in fact, there were thousands of Merc's out there that had not thermostat, and no allowance for one, and that's the way they were engineered and built.

If you are trying to determine if the thermostat is opening properly when mounted in the motor, you can run the engine until it reaches a maximum of about 170 degrees (which can be confirmed with an infrared thermometer).

The average operating temp of most outboards is in the 140 degree range give or take 10 degrees (most 2 stroke models).

How long will it take to reach 170 degrees? that depends - how cold is the water in your test tank? (or how cold is the hose water on a flusher), how much does the block weigh and what's it made of (a heavy cast iron block will heat up slower than a light aluminum) - you get the idea. A thermometer is the only real way (or a temp gauge) to confirm you are not overheating it while piddling around.

 

[Beagleman]

Gram, thank you very much. So, you're saying I can take out the thermostat and run it for about 60 seconds without hurting the motor? In turn, so I can see if the water is coming up through it?

Thanks again.

Robby

 

[galamb]

Yes, you can take out the thermostat and run it for an hour.

Without the thermostat there it takes the motor longer to warm up and will generally run "cooler" than if it is there.

Now initially that may sound like a good thing, but actually the thermostat serves a pretty important function. It allows the motor to get up to operating temp quicker which improves the idle, particularly in colder weather. Also, since different metals heat at different rates, without temp control, they would expand at different rates. So by stabilizing the temp it helps keep everything consistent, reducing wear over the life of the motor.

So yes, during testing, an hour or two, go ahead and run without the thermostat. But in the longer term, replace it if defective. Your motor will run better AND LIVE LONGER, if it's there...