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Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-08-2013, 9:11 AM Reply   
I have an 02 mercruiser mag 350 mpi. A few weeks ago, I had a full service done - impeller included. I took the boat on the water last weekend and ran all day no problems. Yesterday, I launched and by the time I came back from parking the truck the boat was overheating. I shut the engine off, pulled it out of the water, and inspected the water pick up for any blockage. Thinking it was clogged somewhere (the water was full of small plant debris), I relaunched it and it overheated again. Frustrated, I took it to the shop who hooked it up to the hose. Boat ran great, no overheating. The shop thought it was an air pocket (I started it out of the water a couple times for a few seconds).

I took it back on the water immediately after - overheated again! Why would it overheat on the water but not on the hose?? The shop thought the impeller was fried, so I took it home and pulled it off. Impeller looked perfect, no blockage at the inlet or outlet.

My thoughts are that the boat sucked something up. I'm considering sticking a shop vac on the hose where I can. How do you go about unclogging the line? My second thought is a bad thermostat, but wouldn't it overheat on the hose?
Old     (edge04)      Join Date: Mar 2010       06-08-2013, 9:16 AM Reply   
Cats? Also check trans cooler line for clogs
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-08-2013, 9:18 AM Reply   
Cats?
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       06-08-2013, 10:15 AM Reply   
He doesn't have catalytic converters. Check the small outlet pipe from the water pump to the transmission cooler. Stuff gets stuck there, like chunks of impeller especially. Take off water pump and stick fingers in that hose or peer down it with flash light
Old     (hco)      Join Date: Jun 2006       06-08-2013, 10:56 AM Reply   
Do you have a freshwater strainer in the boat? Are you sure the impeller is on correctly and isn't slipping? To unclog lines you can try to snake it out, if anything is there. If you have doubts about the impeller crank it with the cap to the house off to make sure its working correctly.
Old     (Pad1Tai)      Join Date: Jan 2013       06-08-2013, 1:21 PM Reply   
Is it a Vdrive, Direct Drive or I/O?
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       06-08-2013, 1:46 PM Reply   
Vdrive
Old     (hco)      Join Date: Jun 2006       06-08-2013, 1:55 PM Reply   
Just to make sure, no kinks in the hose and no obvious leaks?
Old     (bftskir)      Join Date: Jan 2004       06-08-2013, 4:17 PM Reply   
when you say you "started it out of the water a couple times for a few seconds"...you mean you started it without any water at the impeller? Don't do that at all, ever.

check that you haven't got the hoses switched on the pump.
Old     (boardman74)      Join Date: Jul 2012       06-08-2013, 4:34 PM Reply   
If it doesn't overheat on the hose, but does in the water it makes me think you have an impeller/pump issue. The hose is making enough pressure to overcome your lack of suction from the pump and keep the engine cool. When you drop it in the water the lake isn't forcing water into the engine like the hose and your not getting enough water flow to cool the engine. If you had a restriction/blockage it would also be blocking the hose water. I think you have a pressure/ flow issue when the hose isn't helping force water into the engine.

You are correct, that if the thermostat was stuck it should also overheat on the hose.
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       06-08-2013, 4:37 PM Reply   
Check the tranny cooler!!
Old     (Pad1Tai)      Join Date: Jan 2013       06-09-2013, 7:13 AM Reply   
Yep.. check the inlet to the trans cooler.. If the boat ever burned up an impeller and the pieces were not removed, then they are stuck on the inlet screen to the trans cooler. The hose will force the water past it but the impeller has a hard time sucking water past them.. The dealer should know that. Good Luck..
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       06-09-2013, 11:27 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by boardman74 View Post
If it doesn't overheat on the hose, but does in the water it makes me think you have an impeller/pump issue. The hose is making enough pressure to overcome your lack of suction from the pump and keep the engine cool. When you drop it in the water the lake isn't forcing water into the engine like the hose and your not getting enough water flow to cool the engine. If you had a restriction/blockage it would also be blocking the hose water. I think you have a pressure/ flow issue when the hose isn't helping force water into the engine.

You are correct, that if the thermostat was stuck it should also overheat on the hose.
Depends how long they ran it on the hose too... If it didn't get up to operating temp then the thermostat wouldn't have opened and he wouldn't have known...

It sounds like a blockage at the tranny cooler.

Did you use the boat before you had it serviced? Why did you have it serviced? What did the dealer say your old impeller looked like?
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-09-2013, 12:13 PM Reply   
I had it serviced because I had just purchased it. Old Impeller was fine. After service, I took it on the water for 8 hours no problems. It's an 02 elite v. Where's the trans cooler located?
Old     (onthecreek)      Join Date: Apr 2013       06-09-2013, 1:19 PM Reply   
was it run in salt water by its previous owner?
Old     (Pad1Tai)      Join Date: Jan 2013       06-09-2013, 2:35 PM Reply   
Follow the hose from the output of the pump.. it will lead to the trans cooler.. usually on the starboard side of the engine below the head..
Old     (boardman74)      Join Date: Jul 2012       06-09-2013, 2:59 PM Reply   
Isn't this the repo boat from your buddy? Short sale thread? Maybe your buddy didn't take that good of care of the boat. You should be able to check with him and see if the boat has a history of this.
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       06-09-2013, 5:15 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pad1Tai View Post
Follow the hose from the output of the pump.. it will lead to the trans cooler.. usually on the starboard side of the engine below the head..
He's got a v-drive so it will be port side.

Trans cooler is the first thing the water pump pumps water to. There is a short - probably 3-4 inch section of hose that goes to it...
Old     (saberworks)      Join Date: Sep 2010       06-09-2013, 8:38 PM Reply   
How are you hooking it up to the hose? If it's a fake-a-lake thing, you will be using the same inlet as the lake. However, if there's a flush kit on it, check the lines between the intake on bottom of the boat and the flush kit/fitting. Maybe there's a clog there that you wouldn't hit on a hose?
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-10-2013, 7:20 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by boardman74 View Post
Isn't this the repo boat from your buddy? Short sale thread? Maybe your buddy didn't take that good of care of the boat. You should be able to check with him and see if the boat has a history of this.
I did, never had an overheating problem, impeller always changed, etc. Which makes me think a blockage. He offered to bring it to his shop to figure it out.
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-10-2013, 7:21 AM Reply   
hose is hooked to the lake intake at the bottom
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-10-2013, 9:11 PM Reply   
Thanks wakeworld!! I took off the hose at the transmission cooler and there were 2 broken pieces of impeller, clogged with algae! I talked to the original owner who told me that the impeller fried 3 years ago, they must have been in there all that time. He never used it much, and my guess is that when we launched Friday, the mucky water clogged at the impeller pieces. Nevertheless, I pulled all the gunk out, pulled out all the hoses and shop vac'd all the old water out. For good measure, I pulled the thermostat and tested it, cleaned the housing and reinstalled. Ran fresh water through for a good 15 mins, no overheating issues (yet). Im 99.9% my problem is fixed. Thanks guys!
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-10-2013, 9:12 PM Reply   
On a second note, I'm a bit disappointed that the shop didnt pull the hose at the transmission cooler when I did a 100 hour service. I specifically told them I just purchased it, and would like to make sure everything is seaworthy. I also noticed the trans fluid was at the low end of the dipstick, which annoys me since I just paid to have the fluid changed.
Old     (boardman74)      Join Date: Jul 2012       06-11-2013, 7:15 AM Reply   
Awesome that is all it was. Maybe you learned something about the shop you used. Lesson learned might be to not go back there!!
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       06-11-2013, 7:19 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by boardman74 View Post
Awesome that is all it was. Maybe you learned something about the shop you used. Lesson learned might be to not go back there!!
Lesson learned : you want something done right, you do it yourself... Bizarre how shops are not thorough. Boat shops get away with it with the mindset that is likely that they are exclusive... Good thing for you, Mercruiser dealers are dime a dozen.

Last edited by wakebordr11; 06-11-2013 at 7:21 AM.
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       06-11-2013, 7:19 AM Reply   
And this was a shop recommended by 5 people on wakeworld. I also paid for them to test a fuel pump which they weren't able to diagnose, but I was and replaced myself. Oh well. Reminds me why I do my own work

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